This Week In Google

Many of you were not super thrilled with the transition plan we announced in our last blog post, which I guess is really quite flattering. We have worked with Google and the Google Wave team to make the following changes to the plan, which I think you will appreciate: * We have re-enabled pad creation from the EtherPad home page. * We have begun planning how to open source the code to EtherPad and the underlying AppJet Web Framework. We will continue maintaining new pad creation from the EtherPad home page at least until we have open sourced the code, and work hard to make sure there will be no or minimal service disruption in the future. * We are working with the Google Wave team to get all EtherPad users a chance to try out the Google Wave preview within the next couple of weeks. We do realize (as does the Google Wave team) that Wave doesn't yet have all the functionality you rely on, and isn't yet as mature as EtherPad. We are confident that in the long term you will be

Fastest rising queries in 2009: Twitter, Michael Jackson, Facebook, Hulu

Google taking on OpenDNS

good story google doesn't hijack or redirect... plain jane dns - opendns and google are about the same speed for me - ben golub is sticking with his isp cuz they're faster http://friendfeed.com/bgolub... - Chris Heath

Already using it :) I can't say I've noticed any difference. - Michal

Leo's Tool of the week: Free WiFi for the Holidays When you’re traveling this holiday season, you can enjoy free WiFi at 54 participating airports and on every Virgin America flight. Just bring a WiFi-enabled laptop or mobile device and stay connected to family and friends for free while you travel now through January 15, 2010.

Noted on Wiki for shownotes. - John-Paul Dickie

How news organizations got the expansion of first-click-free controls wrong.

Marshall Kirkpatrick feels "toyed" by the cycle: leave google, start company, return to google

new stream time? or just a throwback to pointcast?

"The EtherPad team will continue its work on real-time collaboration by joining the Google Wave team"

Google just launched the Google Public DNS. Just like OpenDNS, Google Public DNS will allow users to bypass their ISPs Domain Name Servers (DNS). DNS servers are, in many respects, the backbone of the Internet. DNS allows you to type a domain name like www.senate.gov into a browser instead of a machine-readable IP number like http://156.33.195.33/. Google argues that it wants to give consumers an alternative to their ISPs' DNS services in order to make the Internet "faster, safer and more reliable."

How much do you know about the most popular search engine in the world? Take the following quiz and find out.

You may have noticed that our homepage is sporting a new look. Today we're excited to be releasing a new version of our classic homepage. The main feature of the new homepage is that it "fades in" — when the page first loads, it shows only our logo, the search box and the buttons. For the vast majority of people who come to the Google homepage, they are coming in order to search, and this clean, minimalist approach gives them just what they are looking for first and foremost. For those users who are interested in using a different application like Gmail, Google Image Search or our advertising programs, the additional links on the homepage only reveal themselves when the user moves the mouse. Since most users who are interested in clicking over to a different application generally do move the mouse when they arrive, the "fade in" is an elegant solution that provides options to those who want them, but removes distractions for the user intent on searching.

It's official: Google is ditching its homegrown Gears offline web app API in favor of backing HTML5 for the win. Now that the Chrome browser is becoming available for Mac, and the Snow Leopard OS doesn't play nicely with Gears, Google has decided to trash the whole works and wait for HTML5, even though the spec isn't yet ready and isn't supported by commercially available browsers.

Gmail creator tries Wave; knows it's not email; suggests integrating it into Gmail

Observer of London column

as mentioned on the show.... mediawiki used wave (not wiki) to make their minutes. ecomm also used wave for a meeting.

Thanksgiving 2009 is upon us, and Google’s US visitors are being treated to a special logo to mark the occasion: visit Google.com today and you’ll be greeted by a logo inspired by the classic cartoon Peanuts.

Previously, to explain why the offensive image topped Google Image's search results, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company posted a message in the advertising space above the image which read, "Sometimes our search results can be offensive. We agree. Read more." When you clicked on the corresponding link an even lengthier message appeared. "Sometimes Google search results from the Internet can include disturbing content, even from innocuous queries. We assure you that the views expressed by such sites are not in any way endorsed by Google," said a message from "The Google Team." "Search engines are a reflection of the content and information that is available on the Internet. A site's ranking in Google's search results relies heavily on computer algorithms using thousands of factors to calculate a page's relevance to a given query," the statement continued. "The beliefs and preferences of those who work at Google, as well as the opinions of the general public, do not determine or

What users like most about Wave: one central place to communicate, integrating messages/documents into one place. What they like least: Invitations (or lack thereof), lack of integration with other tools (like email)

an explainer video on Andrew Baron's video directory

Microsoft Labs shows Pivot, another way to look at and filter data on the web

Google's problems with the offensive Michele Obama image. (Can and should it censor the internet... no)

NYTimes declares this the first Twitter Christmas. (Twistmas?). Tribute to BestBuy's Twelpforce within

Google gussies up search ads with video, images, maps

What Google Insights for Search tells us about Black Friday