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Creative, talented employees have awesome ideas, but chances are they rarely have enough time to actually try them out and find out which ones are worth pursuing. To allow their imagination to run free and spur creative innovation, companies need to create space and opportunities for employees to try out crazy new proposals. That’s why every so often, we regularly set aside some time to build a small, ad-hoc team around an idea, brainstorm, design, hack and share what we discovered. A hackathon shifts the routine, gets people out of their comfort zone, and allows decisions to be made quickly. It creates new leadership opportunities, a chance to experiment, and an invitation to innovate. For our teams it’s also resulted in new products, new applications of emerging technologies, and important new cross-team collaborations. While not every hackathon will result in new products or features, we always find value in the learning and exploring that occurs. Here are our tips for setting...

Empty homes are more vulnerable to being burglarized, and it’s important to have a system in place that can monitor, alter and deter crime while you’re away. That’s where the Google Assistant can step in and help you keep an eye on everything at home. We worked some of the most trusted home security brands to launch new devices that work with the Assistant. Monitor your home 24/7. There are many security cameras and lights out there that work with the Assistant to help you keep an eye on your home while you’re away. With the new Arlo Security Lights , you can get instant alerts when motion is detected or pair the lights with Arlo security cameras. There are also several cameras, such as the   Nest Cam , for the interior and exterior of your home that stream 24/7 and can be checked by simply asking the Google Assistant on the app. And with any Nest Cam model, you can also ask Assistant to stream live feeds onto Chromecast-enabled televisions. If there’s an intruder, talk and l...

India has the second largest population of internet users in the world—and it’s only getting bigger. Around 40 million new users come online in India every year, and not just from metropolitan centers, but increasingly from rural areas as well. And they’re no longer predominantly men: in the next three years, we expect 45 percent of internet users in India to be women. This rush of new users online has greatly transformed the Indian economy and culture, from the rise of local startups to the growing use of e-commerce, digital payments, ride sharing, and online video by people from Jammu to Thiruvananthapuram. Sometimes technology can help in extraordinary circumstances. India has gone online to rally behind the victims of the Kerala and Karnataka floods. Our Crisis Response team turned on SOS alerts on Google Search in English and Malayalam, and activated Person Finder to help people search for family and friends. Locations of flood relief resources like shelters are being shared ...

Local journalism is among the most trusted sources in the U.S. But in order to report on and reflect the issues that matter to local communities, journalists and editors working in those newsrooms need to be reflective of the places and people they serve. The data is not encouraging—according to the Newsroom Employment Diversity Survey , in 2017, minority journalists comprised only 16.6 percent of the workforce in U.S. newsrooms—only a half- percentage point improvement from the previous year. To help the local news industry with this diversity challenge, the Google News Initiative is partnering with the Local Media Association (LMA) to offer 50 scholarships to the Media Transformation 2018 conference taking place in Kansas City September 25-27. These scholarships will be awarded to a diverse mix of under-represented candidates on a first-come first-serve basis. The conference will educate attendees on sustainable business models, innovation, and media transformation for local ne...

Packing some animal crackers in your brand new lunch box? You might notice something different—read on for more about your favorite non-cookie, and for some of the week’s top Google searches (with data from the Google News Lab ). Animal crackers get a wild new look This week, Nabisco announced that the animals on its famous packaging will no longer be depicted behind bars after PETA recommended that the company think ... outside the box. So we’ve agreed that the animals should roam free, but now for the ultimate head-scratcher (searched by many people this week): “Why aren’t animal crackers called cookies?” Political animals must love animal crackers because D.C. was the region with the most searches for animal crackers this week. Any excuse for a new backpack The kids are headed back to school , and their curious minds are searching for “How to sneak candy into school.” Clearly, everything’s going great so far. Calculators, backpacks and pens were the most-searched school suppli...

Journalists play a key role in making sure everyone has access to accurate information. From the spread of misinformation that can sway public opinion to digital attacks that take news websites offline, threats to quality journalism make it difficult for journalists to do their jobs. As a part of our commitment to help people engage with democratic processes, the Google News Initiative is working across the world to support journalists in the lead-up to major elections. Ahead of the midterm elections in the U.S., the Google News Initiative partnered with the Society of Professional Journalists Training Program to lead workshops in ten states and Washington D.C between now and November 6th. Host cities will include: Indianapolis, Indiana Dallas, Texas  Austin, Texas  Las Vegas, Nevada   Phoenix, Arizona Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Columbus, Ohio Milwaukee, Wisconsin  Madison, Wisconsin Morgantown, West Virginia Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota ...

We’ve invested in robust systems to detect phishing and hacking attempts , identify influence operations launched by foreign governments, and protect political campaigns from digital attacks through our Protect Your Election program. Our Threat Analysis Group, working with our partners at Jigsaw and Google’s Trust & Safety team, identifies bad actors, disables their accounts, warns our users about them, and shares intelligence with other companies and law enforcement officials. This week, there has been a lot of news about attempted state-sponsored hacking and influence campaigns. We wanted to provide an update on some of our ongoing work in this area: State-sponsored phishing attacks  Technical attribution of a recently-reported influence campaign from Iran  Detection and termination of activity on Google properties State-sponsored phishing attacks Phishing—attempts to trick users into providing a password that an attacker can use to sign into an account—rema...

Ayanna Howard , Professor and Chair of the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, wouldn’t be where she is today without her undergraduate research experiences at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Growing up, Ayanna seemed to have a knack for math, puzzles, computers and gaming. By the time she started college, she had figured out her passion for robotics, and became a summer intern at JPL. The hands-on research experiences, the formation of a strong network of peers and advisers while at JPL helped motivate Ayanna to pursue her PhD and eventually a career in academia. Studies show that undergraduate exposure to hands-on research experiences can profoundly influence a student’s academic and career path. This is particularly true for women who are underrepresented in computing and who may see research careers as “not for them” because of the lack of support when pursuing research careers and pathways to computing. To get more women involved in...

Everyone runs out of data sometimes. These moments sting—which is why we built Datally to help. And today, we’re releasing two new features to help you tame your data. Emergency bank Emergency bank saves some of your data so you have it protected for later—just in case you need it. Enter your balance and how much data you’d like to save for emergencies, and Datally will automatically block your apps from using data once you reach your emergency data allowance. You decide when and how to use your emergency bank data—for example, to send that urgent message or schedule a ride home. Bedtime mode Check your data balance before bed, then check again when you wake up. It should be the same, shouldn’t it? Too often, apps drain your data overnight. Bedtime mode turns off all of your phone’s data usage at night. Choose your bedtime and wake up time, and Datally makes sure your data isn’t draining while you’re dozing. Datally’s mission is to help you never run out of data. You can use Eme...

Verifying websites in Search Console can be useful for site owners, giving you access to information about how your site is performing in Google Search. You can also get notified of issues, such as accidental blocking of Googlebot or getting hacked. Over the next few months, if you're a verified owner of a Google Analytics property, we'll now automatically verify you for that same website in Search Console. Quicker verification, with no extra steps Now that we're launching auto-verification, you don't have to manually configure Search Console and Analytics. To be eligible for auto-verification, you still need to follow the existing requirements for Search Console ownership . If you don't want to be verified for Search Console, simply delete the property in Search Console. See how your site is performing on Google Search Search Console is a free tool that provides website owners with information which can be critical to performance in Google Search. On...

There’s a lot of talk out there about how to stay active and healthy: “get your steps in,” “sitting is the new smoking,” “no pain, no gain.” It can feel overwhelming. So we’ve worked with the American Heart Association (AHA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to understand the science behind physical activity and help you get the amount and intensity needed to improve your health. Activity goals to improve your health The new Google Fit is centered around two simple and smart activity goals based on AHA and WHO’s activity recommendations shown to impact health: Move Minutes and Heart Points. When it comes to your health, it’s important to move more and sit less. Earn Move Minutes for all of your activity and get motivated to make small, healthy changes throughout your day, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or catching up with a friend over a walk instead of a coffee. Activities that get your heart pumping harder result in even greater health benefits. Heart Po...

Daydreaming and I’m thinking of Trends. This week, with a little help from the Google News Lab we honor the Queen of Soul, celebrate birthdays, shine some light on the left-handed among us and much more. Here’s a look at this week’s top trends. Paying respect to a legend On Thursday, we said goodbye to Aretha “Queen of Soul” Franklin who lost her battle with pancreatic cancer at 76. This musical legend gave the world iconic hits like “Respect,” “Natural Woman,” “Think,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” and “Chain of Fools,” all of which came in as the most-searched Aretha Franklin songs this week. She never shied away from the opportunity to flaunt her dramatic furs and show-stopping hats , all while reaching octaves and bravados that could make anyone drown in their own tears. Celebrities, world leaders and fans alike took time to pay their respects with folks in D.C., Michigan, Maryland, Georgia and Mississippi continuing to Rock Steady and search for details on the Queen of Soul. May w...

Since introducing Google Photos, we’ve aspired to be the home for all of your photos, helping you bring together a lifetime of memories in one place. We offer two options to back up your photos and videos: original quality and high quality. Starting today in the U.S., those of you who back up in original quality and pay for expanded storage will be upgraded to  Google One . For the same price or in some cases less, you’ll now have extra space and additional benefits—like 24/7 support from Google experts—to help you get more out of Google. There are no changes to our high quality backup option.   Check out what backup plan you’re currently using and, if you’d like to upgrade to Google One, visit the Google One website . Google One is rolling out to more countries over the next few weeks. by via The Keyword

Cue the music: You can now ask your Google Assistant on Google Home, Mini and Max to play some of your favorite songs with Pandora Premium and Deezer. Both services are now available on the Google Assistant across supported devices like Google Home, Smart Displays and more. Pandora Premium subscribers can search and play their favorite songs, albums and playlists, just by using their voice.  Plus, Deezer now allows you to stream music hands-free with access to more than 36 million HiFi tracks from around the world. So if you’ve got a Google Home Max, get ready to turn it all the way up. To play music from Pandora or Deezer, link your accounts in the Google Home app. Then all you have to do is say, “Hey Google, play my Chill Vibes playlist on Deezer,” or “Hey Google, play my Chill playlist on Pandora.” If you have a Google Home, you can try Pandora Premium free for 90 days . Deezer on Google Home is available for HiFi and Premium users in the U.S., Canada, Italy, Australia, U....

Patient needs are at the forefront of everything Google Cloud builds for healthcare. And as patient expectations for seamless experiences have increased, so has our commitment to eliminating the technological barriers that make it challenging for providers to deliver connected care. Data interoperability is one important element to delivering connected care to patients. At HIMSS 2017, we announced our support for the HL7 FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) Foundation to help the developer community advance data interoperability. Earlier this year we launched our Cloud Healthcare API to provide a scalable and security-focused infrastructure solution designed to ingest, process, and manage key healthcare data types. The Cloud Healthcare API empowers customers to use their healthcare data—including HL7v2, FHIR, and DICOM—for analytics and machine learning in the cloud. To deliver true healthcare data interoperability, many stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem nee...

If there was a category for “popular shoe,” would Crocs be nominated? Take a minute to think about that, while we take you through a few of the most-searched trends of the week: This guy knows how to live long and prosper Patrick Stewart is reprising his role as Star Trek’s Captain Jean Luc Picard in a new spinoff, which caused the largest spike in Star Trek searches in the past 12 months (up 150 percent). There was a 2,200 percent spike in searches for “Patrick Stewart return to Star Trek” in the wake of the announcement, along with the top-searched question: “Who was Patrick Stewart’s competition for Star Trek?” (Apparently there’s not much competition, he keeps coming back for more!)  When the rubber hits the runway Searches for “Crocs going out of business” went up 4,700 percent this week, signaling that fashion offenders everywhere were in a panic (they eventually breathed a sigh of relief after the company confirmed it’s here to stay despite closing down a few manu...

Last year, we announced the Google Developer Scholarship Challenge in partnership with Udacity, as part of Grow with Google’s commitment to help people find a job or grow their business. Since then we've awarded more than 60,000 scholarships to aspiring coders in Europe, enabling them to develop expertise in mobile and web development. And in April, we selected 6,000 of the Challenge program's top performers to receive scholarships for a six-month Nanodegree hosted by Udacity. Abbie Turner, 22, is one of these talented individuals, who will complete her Android Developer Nanodegree this summer. Abbie is a full-time undergraduate student at Sheffield Hallam University and will soon enter the final year of her software engineering degree. We caught up with her to find out how she's been getting on, and how the Google and Udacity Nanodegree has helped her land an internship placement with a local software business. Tell us a little bit about yourself. I'm a quiet per...

da da da da da da da da da da da DA dadadada da da da da da da da DA da da da DUH DUH DUUHH DUM DUM. You may be a Jeopardy! whiz, but can you name a few of the top search trends of the week? Here’s a look, with data from the Google News Lab . And now, for final Jeopardy... Captain Jeopardy! himself, Alex Trebek, might be hanging up his boots after a 34-year run. Trebek recently said in an interview that his chances of returning when his contract expires are 50-50, so let’s not—“First word in the title of the 2002 thriller starring Jodie Foster,” “What is Panic ?”—just yet.  One of the top questions on Search this week was, “Who would replace Alex Trebek?” Apparently the front runners are Alex Faust, the play-by-play announcer for the LA Kings, and Laura Coates, an on-air personality for CNN. And if search interest is any indication of who would get the nod, “Laura Coates” was searched 170 percent more than “Alex Faust” over the past week. Lebron’s greatest accomplishment i...

Excitement about computer science (CS) education is growing across the country —from educators and students to corporations, governments and nonprofit organizations alike. But as we work together to make CS education more available in the U.S., there’s a need for more scientific education research to determine the best way to teach CS—a fairly new discipline. After consulting with many CS education experts, we realized that while some research existed, more was needed. To better understand current research needs, we funded exploratory research and held a gathering of  prominent CS education researchers who advised us on current research needs. Using criteria they helped us develop, we invited more than 100 CS education researchers to contribute proposals for innovative new research. Today, we’re excited to announce the recipients of the Computer Science (CS) Education Research Awards: Harvard University Graduate School of Education Associate Professor Karen Brennan How do K...

Ah, summer--the season of hot outdoor concerts and cool, air-conditioned movie theaters. Here’s a glimpse into the songs, artists, concerts and movies that have been heating up all summer, according to Google Trends insights from the past 3 months. “What did they say?” Half the fun of any song of the summer is singing along as you’re cruising with the windows down. These are the top trending lyrics people are searching for: Drake, “In My Feelings” Childish Gambino, “This is America” Kanye West, “Lift Yourself” Drake, Lil Baby “Yes Indeed” Pusha T, “Story of Adidon” Drake, “Emotionless” Drake, “Duppy Freestyle” The Carters, “APES**T” 6ix9ine ft. Nicki Minaj, “FEFE” Post Malone, “Rich & Sad” Festival Fever Music festivals have become a summer entertainment staple. Here’s how some of the remaining summer festivals stack up against each other: Vans Warped Tour Lollapalooza (Chicago, IL) Outside Lands (San Francisco, CA) Austin City L...