Category Archives: Google

Deep in the Sahara, far from any towns, roads, or other signs of life, is a row of markings in the sand. There are dozens of them stretching for miles in a straight line in central Algeria, each consisting of a central point surrounded by a circle of 12 nodes, like numbers on a clock. And when we started making this video, no one seemed to know what they were.

We first saw the circles back in September 2021, after finding a Reddit post on r/WhatIsThis with coordinates asking what the circles could be. With just two upvotes and two commenters, it wasnt exactly a lively discussion. But seeing the circles themselves on Google Earth was fascinating: They were eerily perfect in their shape and regularity, but so deeply isolated in the desert. We were hooked on finding an answer.

So we decided to make a video out of trying to solve the mystery, no matter where it took us. We documented every step of the process from Zoom calls and web browser screen recordings to vlogs and field shoots to show the reporting process from the inside out. We talked to historians, geographers, and professors. And when we maxed out what we could learn on the internet, we handed over this story to a team in Algeria to take it all the way.

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Who left these circles in the Sahara, visible from Google Earth? - Vox.com

Google Docs is one of the most widely used text editors because of its accessibility, ability to backup your documents in real-time to the cloud and much more. However, there are a bunch of features that Google Docs makes available to all its users that could make your experience more intuitive, time saving and perhaps, more efficient.

Check out the five tips below.

If you have ever simply wanted to use your voice to type out longer text documents, know that Google Docs enables you to do this pretty easily.

If youre using Google Docs on Chrome and have a microphone ready to go, simply go to Tools/ Voice Typing in the menu bar on top. You can also bring up the voice typing enabler by hitting Ctrl+Shift+S.

You can then click on the microphone to begin speaking and your text will be captured automatically. You can enter punctuation manually by saying words like period and comma. You can also also go to a new line or new paragraph by saying so.

If you use Google Docs a lot for typing college assignments, office reports or other kinds of long-format text, you may want to keep an eye on the word count. Programs like Microsoft Word will show you a real-time count of the number of words you have used. While Google Docs can also do this, the feature is hidden by default.

To enable it, go to Tools/ Word Count and in the small box that appears on the next screen, choose Display Word Count while typing. This will give you a live word counter on the bottom left of your document.

You can also tap on the drop-down arrow next to this word counter to change the count to the number of pages, characters or characters excluding spaces.

Google Docs can automatically detect bad spellings and typos and correct them for you in real-time. However, if you wish to be in more control as to what is changed in the document, you can do that with Suggestion Mode. In this mode, Docs will only suggest changes where needed and you can decide for yourself if you want to implement them.

To change from Editing Mode to Suggestion Mode, you can go to the right side of the main toolbar on top of the screen. Find the Editing option here with a dropdown arrow on the right. Click on this arrow and from the options that appear, choose Suggesting.

If you have shared your document with a teammate who has made some changes, Google Docs lets you view the document with the changes, or revisions highlighted. These could be differences in spellings of words to entire sections including multiple paragraphs.

Once your edited document is back, you can check your edit history by heading to File/ Version History.

Google Docs lets you define quick keyboard shortcuts which can transform to particular characters like or . To define these custom characters, simply head to Tools/ Preferences and head to the Substitutions tab on the right.

Here you can define your custom shortcuts by adding your own characters on the left and what they turn into, on the right.

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ExpressBasics: 5 Google Docs tips that you should know about - The Indian Express

A recent Canadian Order on news intermediaries like Google has come as a big boost to Indian newspapers and their digital platforms in their fight against the monopolist exploitation of their news content by Google. Prominent Indian newspapers and their digital editions have been representing against the said abuse of its monopoly and position by the tech giant.

Google earns a huge amount of advertising revenue from the content generated by the digital editions of these newspapers. However, there is no fair payback or sharing of revenues by Google in this regard, causing huge financial losses to the news publishers in India.

Publishers and governments across many parts of the democratic world are waking up to this exploitation by Google and taking proactive measures to ensure fair play. Judgement in Canada is a step in that direction which is finding resonance in India and many other parts of the world. Google is under the scanner for anti-competitive practices in Australia, France, Canada and the EU.

Such orders would encourage and empower Indian lawmakers and CCI to implement fair play and also support the growth of media and real news in India at a time when Global search Engines can be manipulated to create negative perceptions about India through fake news as well as an inherent bias.

According to the Canadian Order, an Online News Act has been created with the intention to regulate digital news intermediaries with a view to enhancing fairness in the Canadian digital news marketplace. The Act applies to those digital news intermediaries and giants like Google who have a significant bargaining power imbalance over news businesses, depending on certain factors, such as whether the intermediary occupies a prominent market position. The order envisages provisions of fair compensation to the news businesses for the news that is made available by the intermediary.

The proposed rule would ensure that platforms like Facebook and Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers fairly for their content. It may be noted that Australia had also passed a ground-breaking law last year. The law would make it mandatory for Google and Facebook to pay original news publishers for content on their platforms.

Top Indian newspapers and their digital editions are being represented by DNPA in India, in its similar fight against Google for fair play in India. The order in Canada has come at a time when CCI has issued notice to Google on the basis of a complaint registered by DNPA at CCI in this regard

The "Online News Act," of Canada will require digital platforms that have a bargaining imbalance to make fair deals with news publishers, which would then be subject to scrutinised or assessed by a regulator and if such deals do not materialise, the platforms would have to go through final offer arbitration processes overseen by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications regulator.

It may be noted that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered an inquiry against Google for alleged abuse of its dominant position in the digital advertising market on a complaint filed by the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA). DNPAs members include Jagran New Media ( Dainik Jagaran Group), Amar Ujala, Dainik Bhaskar, India Today, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, The Times of India, Eenadu, Malayalam Manorama, ABP Network, Zee Media, Mathrabhumi, Hindu, NDTV, Lokmat, Express Network etc .

In an order dated January 7, the commission had directed the Director General (DG) to cause an investigation into the matter under the provisions of Section 26(1) of the Act. The commission has also directed the DG to complete the investigation and submit the investigation report within a period of 60 days from the date of receipt of this order.

"The commission is of prima facie view that Google has violated the provisions of Section 4(2)(a) of the Act, which merits investigation. Further, the Informant has also alleged that above-mentioned conduct of Google results in violation of the provisions of Section 4(2)(b)(ii) as well as Section 4(2)(c) of the Act. The DG can appropriately examine these allegations as well during investigation," the CCI said in an order.

DNPA has filed a complaint against Alphabet Inc., Google LLC, Google India Private Limited and Google Ireland Limited (Google/OPs) under Section 19(1)(a) of the Competition Act, 2002 alleging violation of Section 4 of the Act.

The association believes that more than 50% of the total traffic on the news websites is routed through Google and, being the dominant player in this field, Google, by way of its algorithms, determines which news website gets discovered via search. It further averred that the content produced by news media companies create the context for the audience to interface with the advertiser; however, online search engines (Google) end up leveraging the revenue/returns much more than publishers.

It may be noted that Google is the major stakeholder in the digital advertising space, and it unilaterally decides the amount to be paid to the publishers for the content created by them, as well as the terms on which the aforesaid amounts have to be paid. Sources said that DNPA believes that Google has abused its dominant position in the market and violated various Sections of the Competition Act, 2002.

Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered....view detail

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Proposed Canadian Act on news intermediaries big boost to Indian digital media - Hindustan Times

Google employees returned to the office this week after more than two years of remote work and changing plans about when and how to bring people back.

The tech behemoth joins a growing list of companies bringing workers back on-site this spring that includes Meta, American Express and Apple. Google's new hybrid work arrangement requires most employees to be in the office at least three days per week, with the other two days spent working remotely.

Javier Soltero, the vice president and general manager of Google Workspace, has been looking forward to the return for months. "I've missed working alongside people," he tells CNBC Make It. "There's a certain joy and sense of optimism I feel coming back."

There's the practical benefits of returning to the office, too: Soltero joined Google in October 2019, five months before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Between the holidays and business travel, I didn't have the chance to really meet and build strong connections with the people on my team," he says. "I hardly even know where the bathroom was!"

Soltero is planning to be in the office at least two days a week and while he's excited about Google's hybrid work arrangement, he notes that companies can get "a lot wrong" while initiating their return to the office.

Here are the three "biggest mistakes" Soltero recommends leaders avoid:

While some jobs need to be done in person, others can be accomplished anywhere with a strong internet connection and companies' return-to-office strategies should take these nuances into serious consideration.

Conversations about hybrid work so often focus on where people are working instead of when or how, often leaving front-line workers, whose jobs largely require in-person work, out of the equation.

"Managers should think more about how they can provide flexible, hybrid work arrangements even to people whose jobs require them to be on-site," Soltero says.

That means empowering on-site employees with flexible hours and tools like apps that help them see schedule changes in real-time, connect faster with corporate headquarters and meet with customers over video.

Soltero adds that his team is constantly working to improve the functionalities of the Google Workplace products including Gmail, Google Meet and Google Calendar to meet these needs.

Some companies are quick to blame failed experiments of working from home on tech problems whether it's a slow internet connection, outdated software or a lack of in-person IT support.

"A lot of people are still uncomfortable with video conferencing and other tech programs, and neglecting to learn how to use it to their advantage until it becomes a serious problem," he adds.

Instead of throwing their hands up and forcing employees to return to the familiar routine of being in an office 5 days a week, Soltero says companies need to embrace technology and include clear instructions as to how it fits into their return-to-office plans.

Managers should communicate with employees about which methods work best for communication, video meetings and sharing documents and establish guidelines for how to use each.

As more companies adopt hybrid work models, managers and HR leaders have raised concerns about proximity bias, or leaders favoring employees who are in the office more often for promotions and pay raises.

In an effort to solve this problem, some companies have become fixated on how to better engage employees through meetings, often adding more, or longer, meetings onto employees' calendars, so people get equal opportunities for face time with their bosses no matter where they're located.

While Soltero recognizes that proximity bias is a "real, pertinent issue" that companies will have to grapple with in the months ahead, "there's a lot more to work than meetings and client calls," he says.

Leaders should instead focus on re-vamping the social contracts, or expectations, within their organization: keeping meetings shorter, setting clear "off-hours" for communication and being deliberate about where, and how, creative brainstorms take place.

Check out:

People spend more than half their day doing busy work, according to survey of 10,000-plus workers

Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt on why in-office work is better: 'I don't know how you build great management' virtually

Going back to the office? Do these 10 things first to have a stress-free return, experts say

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The 3 biggest mistakes companies make with return to office, according to Googles head of Workspace - CNBC

You like the way that dress looks but youd rather have it in green. You want those shoes but prefer flats to heels. What if you could have drapes with the same pattern as your favorite notebook? I dont know how to Google for these things, but Google Search product manager Belinda Zeng showed me real-world examples of each earlier this week, and the answer was always the same: take a picture, then type a single word into Google Lens.

Today, Google is launching a US-only beta of the Google Lens Multisearch feature it teased last September at its Search On event, and while Ive only seen a rough demo so far, you shouldnt have to wait long to try it for yourself: its rolling out in the Google app on iOS and Android.

While its mostly aimed at shopping to start it was one of the most common requests Googles Zeng and the companys search director Lou Wang suggest it could do a lot more than that. You could imagine you have something broken in front of you, dont have the words to describe it, but you want to fix it... you can just type how to fix, says Wang.

In fact, it might already work with some broken bicycles, Zeng adds. She says she also learned about styling nails by screenshotting pictures of beautiful nails on Instagram, then typing the keyword tutorial to get the kind of video results that werent automatically coming up on social media. You may also be able to take a picture of, say, a rosemary plant, and get instructions on how to care for it.

We want to help people understand questions naturally, says Wang, explaining how multisearch will expand to more videos, images in general, and even the kinds of answers you might find in a traditional Google text search.

It sounds like the intent is to put everyone on even footing, too: rather than partnering with specific shops or even limiting video results to Google-owned YouTube, Wang says itll surface results from any platform were able to index from the open web.

But it wont work with everything like your voice assistant doesnt work with everything because there are infinite possible requests and Googles still figuring out intent. Should the system pay more attention to the picture or your text search if they seem to contradict? Good question. For now, you do have one additional bit of control: if youd rather match a pattern, like the leafy notebook, get up close to it so that Lens cant see its a notebook. Because remember, Google Lens is trying to recognize your image: if it thinks you want more notebooks, you might have to tell it that you actually dont.

Google is hoping AI models can drive a new era of search, and there are big open questions about whether context and not just text can take it there. This experiment seems limited enough (it doesnt even use its latest MUM AI models) that it probably wont give us the answer. But it does seem like a neat trick that could go fascinating places if it became a core Google Search feature.

Link:

Google now lets you search for things you can't describe by starting with a picture - The Verge

A Google My Business profile is a must-have for your jewelry stores marketing plan. Its one of the most effective ways to ensure your jewelry store is visible in your community and seen by your customers.

With a Google My Business profile you can provide store hours, photos, location, types of jewelry and services you offer, customer reviews, links to your social media channels, answers to common jewelry questions and more. Google wants you to include as much information as possible.

Once you have a profile, your jewelry store can start showing up in Googles search results, maps, and more.

Your profile is seen across all Googles services and the best part is, its free.

Keep in mind that a Google My Business profile is only for businesses that have a physical location. If you just sell online, then you cant create one.

Its the one big advantage independent jewelers have over larger, online-only jewelry sellers; use it.

Here are four ways you can maximize your Google My Business profile and generate more business in 2022.

1. Interact with jewelry consumers.

Your Google My Business profile gives you an opportunity to interact online with people who are looking for an engagement ring or other jewelry.

Through your profile, you can allow direct messages, answer jewelry questions, and respond to reviews. Google allows you to do all this and more.

There are many interactive features that can help you to become the trusted, jewelry expert in your area.

Always focus on what your audiences needs are and take advantage of every community-building feature Google offers.

2. Showcase your jewelry business.

When customers are searching online for an engagement ring or jewelry gift, you are what people can see. Most people wont be aware of you and have never visited your store.

The first impression youll make is when your Google My Business profile pops up in search results or on Google Maps.

Photos become your best marketing tool so its important to show both the outside and inside of your store, as well as a good view of the jewelry styles and collections you offer. Photos of you and your staff are also a great way to put a face on your business, as people like to do business with friends.

The bottom line is, the more information you provide a potential customer, the more chances you have to win them over.

3. Learn more about your audience.

The Google My Business dashboard is a gold mine of information. You can gain insights about your audience and how your jewelry business is performing within the Google search results.

In the analytics area of the platform, you can see what keywords people are searching for to find your store and how they discovered you.

Google also shows you a breakdown of the actions taken on your business listing and which photos were viewed most in your profile.

With the right type of UTM tagging, you can track clicks from your Google My Business profile to your website and quantify how much traffic its driving and how many resulting sales youve made.

4. Optimize your profile for local SEO.

Google My Business was created by Google specifically for local SEO. Its sole purpose is to help people in their city or town find local businesses that serve their needs. Obviously, if someone is located in a different area thats not close by, then you wont be seen.

When someone searches for a specific keyword or service in their area, Google wants to show the best choice possible among all the businesses that are registered with it. If your listing is relevant, then Google is more likely to promote you.

As Google helps more searchers find what theyre looking for, Google is rewarded with repeat loyalty, and youre rewarded with a new visitor to your website or store. Googles search results become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Local SEO should always be a core part of your marketing strategy, if it isnt already.

Excerpt from:

The Smart Lab: How To Take Advantage of 'Google My Business' - National Jeweler

Recent Chrome OS updates have broken the camera on some Chromebooks for some users, as reported by About Chromebooks, but Google said Thursday it released a fix.

Some bug reports found by About Chromebooks before the fix was available listed differing issues; one said the camera simply does not work, while another said the camera is unable to focus properly. People also reported problems across a few different updates, with at least one dating back to Chrome 97. (Chrome OS is currently on version 100.)

There have been some reports of camera issues with the following devices, according to About Chromebooks:

In a Reddit thread about recent camera problems with the Duet 5, a person with a Verified Googler tag said Tuesday that the company is working on a fix. Our team anticipates that the fix will be available later this week with a software update and is not related to your device, said the person, who identified themselves as Alisha. We will share an update on this thread once the fix has rolled out.

Shortly after we first published this article, Google said on its support forums that it had released a fix for the issues in an update. Heres a guide from Google on how to update your Chromebook.

Update April 7th, 7:48PM ET: Google says it has released a fix.

Original post:

Recent Chrome OS updates broke some Chromebooks' cameras, but Google has released a fix - The Verge

Google Maps is getting an update that will add toll road prices and more map details like stop lights and stop signs, Google announced on Tuesday. The company is also adding iOS improvements, including a new pinned trip widget and the option to get directions on Google Maps directly from your Apple Watch.

The company says its adding toll prices on Google Maps for the first time to make it easier for users to make the choice between taking toll roads or regular roads. Users will see the estimated toll price to their their destination before they start navigating. The toll prices will be provided by local tolling authorities. To calculate the estimated toll price of a trip, Google will look at things like the cost of using a toll pass or other payment methods, what the day of the week it is and how much the toll is expected to cost at the specific time youll be crossing it.

Image Credits: Google

Google notes that users will still have the option to choose to avoid seeing routes with toll roads altogether through the apps settings. Users will start to see toll road prices on Android and iOS this month for nearly 2,000 toll roads in the United States, India, Japan and Indonesia. Google plans to add more countries to this list soon.

Google is also adding new details to the apps navigation experience to make it less stressful to drive on unfamiliar roads by adding traffic lights and stop signs. Users will also see enhanced details like building outlines and areas of interest. In some cities, users will see even more detail, such as the shape and width of a road, including medians and islands. The new navigation map will start rolling out to select countries in the coming weeks on Android, iOS, Android Auto and CarPlay.

The company is also adding new iOS updates designed to make it easier to use Google Maps on the go. Google is rolling out a new pinned trip widget that lets you access trips youve pinned in your Go Tab right from your iOS home screen. You can see your arrival time, the next departure for your transit trip and a suggested route if youre driving. Google is also making the existing Google Maps search widget smaller.

Image Credits: Google

Google has also announced that users will soon be able to get directions on Google Maps directly from their Apple Watch. Soon, youll no longer need to begin navigation from your iPhone. Youll be able to tap on the Google Maps shortcut in your Apple Watch app to automatically start navigation on your watch. The new functionality will begin rolling out in a few weeks. You can also add the Take me home shortcut to your watch and tap it to begin navigation to your home.

Lastly, Google Maps is integrating directly into iOS Spotlight, Siri and the Shortcuts app. You can say Hey Siri, get directions in Google Maps or Hey Siri, search in Google Maps to access Google Maps. Users will start seeing this feature in the coming months. Google plans to add enhanced Siri search functionality later this summer.

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Google Maps to add toll road prices, more map details, Apple Watch improvements and more - TechCrunch

Google Docs is getting support for emoji reactions, allowing you to respond to text with a simple symbol rather than a fully written comment. In an announcement post, the company says the feature supports all the emoji available in the latest release, which includes gender-neutral options and sillier symbols like melting face and biting lip.

A gif released by Google shows how the emoji reaction feature will appear as a third option alongside Add Comment and Suggest Edits when you highlight text. You can also type to search the emoji catalog. Google says these responses provide a less formal alternative to comments.

Emoji reactions have become a staple of modern software, and are available in numerous messaging apps (iMessage, Facebook Messenger), and social networks (Facebook, and Twitter as part of a limited test). Emoji reactions are coming to Google Docs as the service is undergoing a big overhaul and expanding from being a word processor into more of a a remote working collaboration tool.

Other new Google Docs features announced recently include markdown support, a new pageless layout, and the ability to seamlessly draft emails from a document.

Google says emoji reactions will be on by default and cannot be disabled. Theyre rolling out now for rapid release domains, but will come to most Google Docs users after April 20th. Theyll be available for Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus subscribers, but not more basic tiers like Enterprise Essentials.

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Emoji reactions are coming to Google Docs - The Verge

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Boeing has selected the companies that will help it to move some of its business processes from data centers into the cloud, just as many other businesses are doing.

Boeing (ticker: BA) said Wednesday that it had awarded new business to three of the major cloud players: Googles parent Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon.com (AMZN), and Microsoft (MSFT).

Boeing will shift hundreds of business applications, previously managed in Boeing data centers, to Google cloud, making it possible for it to use Googles analytic tools.

The commercial aerospace giant will use Amazon s Amazon Web Services to strengthen its engineering and manufacturing processes. Boeing also awarded business to Microsoft to leverage the Microsoft Cloud and its [artificial intelligence] capabilities to update its technology infrastructure and mission-critical applications with intelligent new solutions that are data driven, it said.

All three news releases describing the deals read similarly. There appears to be enough cloud business to go around. Research firm Gartner estimates that more than half of IT spending will migrate to the cloud by 2025. That amounts to roughly $2.9 trillion in spending over the next four years.

That is a huge sum, but the announcements dont appear to be stock-moving events. Boeing shares were down 1.9% in early trading, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average had fallen about 1.2% and 0.7%, respectively.

Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet shares were off 3%, 3.5% and 2.5%, respectively.

Shares are weak for a second day following hawkish comments from Federal Reserve Gov. Lael Brainard.Ina Tuesday speech, Brainard said it is of paramount importance to get inflation down. That means higher interest rates and less monetary stimulus.

Coming into Wednesday trading, Boeing stock was down about 9% year to date. That stock is still being driven by Covid-19which affects global air traffic, and thus demand for jetsand the 737 MAX. The MAX was grounded worldwide between March 2019 and November 2020 following two deadly crashes inside of five months, forcing the company to stop delivering the planes to buyers. Boeings earnings and cash flow are set to recover as MAX deliveries pick up relative to 2021 this year.

Coming into Wednesday trading, Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet shares were down about 7%, 2% and 3% year to date.

Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com

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Boeing Partners With Microsoft, Amazon, Google in the Cloud - Barron's