Dark Seo

“Users can type in two different cities, or airport codes, in the Google search box to bring up two boxes for entering departing and returning flight dates. Below those are links to the travel Web sites Expedia, Hotwire and Orbitz. Clicking on one of those links leads directly to flight options for your selected itinerary on that site,” according to CNET News.com.

“Google is testing a new search feature for specific flight inquiries between two points,” according to the company.

Another report, on searchenginewatch.com, said: “Since we first blogged about Google offering direct links to online travel databases (Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz) a few days ago if city pairs are placed in the web search box, others have picked up on yet another Google test. The new service is primarily about accessing pricing info, timetables etc. This is different than the flight info “shortcuts”, “Smart Answers”, etc., that most of the major web engines, the airlines themselves, and others have been offering for several years. For example, if you enter an airline and flight number into Yahoo, Google, or Ask Jeeves info about where the flight is located and when it will be landing is provided. Most of this data applies to flights in the U.S./Canada aviation system. So, if it’s a European flight heading to the U.S. or Canada it should be in there. Exceptions do exist and not every service provides access to every airline.”

For a recent comparative literature class paper, Brendan Draper wanted to quote a phrase from a novel he had read, but he couldn’t remember what page it was on.
He typed “nervous condition” into Internet search giant Google’s index of books. Within seconds, he found the phrase and page number of the book. “It was extremely helpful,” says Draper, 20, a student at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
Situations like his are exactly what Google had in mind a year ago when it unveiled the Google Print project at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany. Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, on hand for the event, told publishers they wanted to scan their books, at no cost, to make them searchable online and to help sell copies to consumers.
A year later, Google finds itself in the position of having to defend itself to the industry.
The Google Print homepage — www.print.google.com — lets users search for a phrase, character or other term to turn up a link to a related book title.
The entire contents of public domain books are available for viewing; for books under copyright, just a few pages or in some cases, only bibliographic data and snippets.
Content in Google Print comes from two sources: publishers and libraries. Google infuriated publishers after it announced an alliance in December with five libraries, including Harvard and the University of Michigan, to scan their entire collections. Google said its objective was to build the world’s largest online card catalog.
Some critics in the book industry fear the library program will spark the kind of piracy problems that have beset the music and film industries. To appease publishers, Google suspended plans to scan copyrighted books until Nov. 1, although it still is scanning books at the request of copyright holders.
“Google is taking our property and not paying for it. It’s burglary,” says Nick Taylor, president of the Authors Guild, a New York-based association that has filed a copyright infringement suit against Google. The Association of American Publishers supports the suit.
Google won’t say how many books are in its index, but you are more likely to find older titles than best-sellers. Ninety percent of the books at Google Print are from the publisher program, Smith says. He says more library books will start to show up in the coming months.
Publishers from some of the bigger houses participate in Google Print, as do small tech-book houses such as Peachpit Press and O’Reilly Publishing.
“We’re in favor of any program that can give our books more exposure,” says Adam Rothberg, a Simon & Schuster vice president.
Like other publishers, he is opposed to Google scanning books without permission. “It’s not right to take the attitude, ‘Copy now and ask permission later,’ ” he says.
One of the main sticking points is Google’s controversial “opt out” policy, in which it asks publishers to specifically request that a work not be included.
For Google to scan books “without our permission is a clear violation of copyright law,” says Douglas Armato, director of the University of Minnesota Press.
Jed Lyons, CEO of independent academic press Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, recently pulled all titles from Google Print to protest the library initiative. “I view Google as a massive threat to our intellectual property,” he says.

Google (Quote, Chart) expanded its Google Print service, launching book-specific search services in France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and Spain.

Each new service has its own localized interface, and, at this point, a limited number of books available. But searchers in one country may see book results from other national indexes.

Jim Gerber, Google’s director of content partnerships, said that all books in the international print search program had been acquired through publisher partnership programs in those countries. He said that the initial versions, available as beta services through Google Labs, will help publishers understand what the service will be like.

When Google Print launched in the U.S., there was plenty of confusion and anxiety on the part of publishers and authors, especially about Google’s stated intent to digitize the entire contents of libraries, whether or not it had permission from the publishers of the books in question.

An August announcement that the search Goliath had extended English-language book search to 15 countries coincided with a protest from the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers, which said that authors and artists should be asked for permission before their works were included.

Google Print includes the Google Print Publisher Program, through which publishers can contribute books to be scanned and indexed for search; and the Google Print Library Project, in which Google is scanning and indexing the entire collections of the libraries of the University of Michigan. Harvard University, Stanford University and Oxford University, as well as public-domain books in the collection of the New York Public Library.

The Association of American Publishers, the American Association of University Presses have protested, while the Authors Guild sued.

While users can go to the book-specific search pages, book results also will be integrated into Google search results pages in each of the countries. Users will be able to click on a “buy the book” link to go to a third party, online bookstore.

The launch follows Google’s August announcement of publisher programs in France, Italy, Germany, Holland and Spain; publisher programs also are in place in Austria, Switzerland and Belgium.

The format follows Google’s controversial U.S. version: Google users can search the full text of every book that the company has scanned. After they click on a book result, they view a bibliographic page and a few sentences of the book containing the keyword. In some cases, publishers have given permission to Google to let users read several pages of the book. Public domain books can be viewed in their entirety.

Google is reaching out to trade groups in each of the countries, Gerber said.

“We’ve tried to make an effort to speak with various organizations in each of the countries,” he said. “I’m sure we’ve hit many, but not all. I think we have fairly good relations with folks in these countries.”

Gerber said that Google had spoken numerous times with all the U.S. organizations before the domestic launch of Google Print, and it had also briefed them in the days prior to the launch of Google Library. He said that the company had announced Google Library earlier than it liked to.

“Normally, we bake something a little more fully, so we can get it out there for people to try before we announce things,” he said. “But we knew the library project would be of interest to our publisher partners, and we didn’t want to embark on scanning without letting them know.”

However, Google did begin scanning books at the University of Michigan in 2002, according to John Wilkin, associate university librarian and chief project manager.

In response to publishers’ concerns, Google instituted a policy by which they could opt out of having books in their catalogs scanned within the Library Project.

Gerber said that Google was honoring the different copyright laws in each country in which it launches book search. “We continue to speak with our publishing partners and various publishing organizations,” he said. We regret that the Authors Guild chose to sue us rather than simply opt out.”

Students that aren’t “Googling” now may be diehard fans of the site by the end of the semester.

The search engine, started in a garage by two university students in 1998, has launched a series of free online products and services aimed specifically for college students. Google Talk, Google Scholar, and Gmail are all being aimed at the college audience.

“We think that our mission aligns with university students,” said Debbie Jaffe, the group product marketing manager.

Google Talk is an instant messaging service that utilizes voice technology, while Google Scholar is a massive database of information configured especially for students. The company has said its archives are three times larger than any of its competitions.

Jaffe said most students would probably enjoy the convenience that a virtual library offers.

“We don’t close at 2 a.m.,” she said. “It saves them time and they can do it at whatever time they want.”

Gmail is perhaps the biggest part of the new services. Any student with an .edu e-mail address is eligible for a Gmail account. Gmail has a built-in search feature, which can be used as a second hard drive and contains unlimited storage.

Some said they like the idea of having a site devoted exclusively to their lives and interests. Jessie Cushman, a Detroit sophomore, said he already is a big fan of Google and uses it for all his classes, especially when he has to do research.

“I tend to use Google a little more often than other search engines,” the 24-year-old said. “It’s sort of like a parental guideline.”

Cushman said Google searches help students research efficiently.

Mount Pleasant senior Heather Rosan said anything that makes research better is good with her. Rosan said she had already heard about the new Google site and that she plans to start using it soon.

“People always know that if you want to find something, you can find it on Google,” she said.

Google representatives said students also will be able to find search tips and tricks on the Web site. They include an online calculator, glossary, Q&A, language translator and tips on how to research effectively.

Other students are skeptical about whether or not it’ll have a big impact.

Grayling sophomore Kip Franklin thinks the www.google.com’s new features will only get moderate usage.

“College students will pick and choose,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be that much better than what we have right now.”

Franklin said while the new services may not have a huge impact for the majority of college students, he certainly will be using it.

Google has not said if any more products will come out of this new university site.

Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam expressed concern Saturday about a free mapping program from Google Inc., warning it could help terrorists by providing satellite photos of potential targets.

Google Earth, an Internet site launched in June this year, allows users to access overlapping satellite photos. Although not all areas are highly detailed, some images are very high resolution, and some show sensitive locations in various countries.

At a meeting of top police officials in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, Kalam said he worried that “developing countries, which are already in danger of terrorist attacks, have been singularly chosen” for providing high resolution images of their sites.

The governments of South Korea and Thailand and lawmakers in the Netherlands have expressed similar concerns.

South Korean newspapers said Google Earth provides images of the presidential Blue House and military bases in the country, which remains technically at war with communist North Korea. The North’s main nuclear facility at Yongbyon is among sites in that country displayed on the service.

The Google site contains clear aerial photos of India’s parliament building, the president’s house and surrounding government offices in New Delhi. There are also some clear shots of Indian defense establishments.

Debbie Frost, spokewoman for Mountain View, Calif.-based Google, noted that the software uses information already available from public sources and the images displayed are about one to two years old, not shown in real time.

“Google takes governmental concerns about Google Earth and Google Maps very seriously. Google welcomes dialogue with governments, and we will be happy to talk to Indian authorities about any concerns they may have,” Frost said in an e-mail statement Saturday.

Kalam, a scientist who guided India’s missile program before becaming president, called for new laws to restrain dissemination of such material. He said existing laws in some countries regarding spatial observations of their territory and the United Nations’ recommendations on the practice are inadequate.

Bending slightly to the ways of Wall Street, online search engine leader Google Inc. will expand its quarterly financial results to include an earnings figure that differs from mandated accounting practices.

The move, disclosed Thursday on Google’s Web log, is designed to clear up recent confusion about whether the rapidly growing company’s profits are living up to analyst expectations.

Hoping to bring more clarity, Google will list its “pro forma” earnings — essentially what its profit would have been if not for a recurring charge for stock-based employee compensation that’s unrelated to its ongoing operations. Google also will continue to report its earnings under GAAP, the generally accepted accounting principles that include all the special charges.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based company plans to provide both earnings figures beginning with its third-quarter report next week.

Providing pro forma earnings isn’t unusual, particularly in the technology industry, but it’s a significant departure for Google because its iconoclastic management has vowed to defy Wall Street’s traditions.

Investors prefer a pro forma breakdown because that’s the way industry analysts typically project corporate earnings. The analyst calculations can make or break a stock, depending on how much a company’s reported earnings exceed or miss the consensus estimate.

Although relatively minor, Thursday’s concession signals Google has become more amenable to some of the stock market’s conventions during the 14 months since the company went public.

“The company has made it very clear that it wants to adhere to its own set of rules and while that is an admirable goal, it doesn’t make a lot of sense when you’re dealing with simple requests for more clarity,” said Standard & Poor’s analyst Scott Kessler. “They probably realized the benefits outweighed the costs of doing something like this.”

The change also may reflect Google’s efforts to reduce the chances for a misunderstanding that could hurt its stock price and damage employee morale. Virtually all of Google’s workers own a stake in the company.

Google continues to thumb its nose at Wall Street in other ways. For instance, management still won’t share its earnings outlook for future quarters, nor will it schedule face-to-face meetings with the analysts trying to make sense of its business strategy for investors.

“They still have a long way to go,” said American Technology Research analyst David Edwards. “The fact that they don’t follow those conventions exposes (Google’s) stock to more risk.”

Google’s shares fell $3.53 Thursday to close at $297.44 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Although Google’s stock has more than tripled since its August 2004 initial public offering, the company’s refusal to provide pro forma earnings has frustrated people trying to compare the GAAP profit to the consensus analyst estimate.

In July, for instance, Google reported second-quarter earnings of $1.19 per share — a figure below the consensus estimate of $1.21.

The company didn’t report how much it would have earned if not for a charge to account for the employee stock options it issued before going public — a cost analysts had stripped out of their estimates. The information vacuum resulted in widely ranging estimates of Google’s pro forma earnings, creating confusion that contributed to a sharp drop in the company’s shares shortly after the second-quarter results came out.

Google Incorporated announced today that it plans
to locate a new engineering and support in facility in the Phoenix area. The Mountain View, California-based search engine company says
it will hire 600 engineers and others to work at the new Phoenix-area facility. A temporary office already has been opened in Phoenix but Google says it plans to establish a permanent
facility at a location yet to be chosen somewhere in the metropolitan area. Douglas Merrill is senior director of information systems for Google. Merrill says the company decided to locate the new facility in the Phoenix area because of its pool of qualified potential employees, the state’s education system and the attractiveness and amenities of the Phoenix area. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano says Google represents the type of technology company that Arizona wants to attract.

In the past year I have come to depend more and more on Google as a spell checker. Yesterday I was looking up the phone number to a café with Google and a new dictionary feature appeared Google is testing. In additional to the standard feature of “Did you mean”, Google hyperlinked the word in the search box it thought was misspelled. I clicked on it and a drop down menu appeared with possible correct spellings.

What was also surprising was it offered the option to “Add to dictionary”. Note I was not logged into any of my Google accounts such as gmail, adwords or adsense. This means it would be added to the general Google dictionary (probably once a set number of people clicked add). I wonder what precautions Google is taking to prevent manipulation of this. Imagine a consumer types in “coffee” and the correct spellings are website names such as “abccofffee”, “bestcoffee” or “gourmet-coffee”.

On a side note, when Microsoft Office cannot find the correct spelling of a word, I copy it into Google. 99% of the time Google gives me the correct spelling!

Update:
PauTo pointed out the Google Toolbar. Looking back at the original screenshot I noticed the “ABC Check” button was highlighted. When switching tabs in Firefox I must have accidentally clicked the “ABC Check” button (which I never use) or as PauTo points out a bug. This UI is directly tied into the Google Toolbar.

Google Inc. fixed a security vulnerability on its search-engine Web site within days of being notified by security vendor Finjan Software Inc., Finjan said yesterday.

Finjan’s Malicious Code Research Center notified Google of a cross-site scripting vulnerability in September, according to San Jose-based Finjan. Google fixed the problem within “a few days,” said a Finjan spokeswoman.

A Google spokesman wasn’t immediately available for comment yesterday.

The vulnerability could have allowed a remote attack to take over Google accounts or to fake Google’s content and deceive computer users into going to a bogus site and giving up personal information, Limor Elbaz, Finjan’s vice president of business development and strategy, said in a press release.

Two Google.com sub-sites contained forms that did not validate and filter input. Because of the lack of data validation and filtering, the vulnerability could have allowed an attacker to inject content and scripts and steal Google.com users’ cookies. When users were logged on, an attacker could then gain access to Google services such as account information, saved searches, Google alerts and the user’s Google Groups identity, Finjan said.

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