Female IT students: A different type of Google Scholar

Posted by Will Blott, University Programs Manager

Google Sydney was recently taken over by emerging female leaders in computer science and related fields as the second annual Google Australia Anita Borg Scholarship retreat was held. 17 female students attended this year – as well as several female Googlers from both Australia and overseas - for two days of networking, discussions, learning and of course socialising.

Topics covered many areas from the technical – including user experience, software engineering and product engineering – to more broader discussions on the choices and challenges facing women in computer science. This year’s retreat was capped off by a celebratory private dinner cruise around Sydney Harbour.



The Google Anita Borg Scholarship started in the United States in 2004 in association with the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology to honor the legacy of Anita Borg and her efforts to encourage women to pursue careers in computer science and technology. Australia became the first country outside of the US to launch the scholarship in 2006 and this year was extended to students studying in New Zealand also.

Each scholarship recipient is awarded a $5,000 scholarship plus an expenses paid trip to the Grace Hopper conference in the US and the retreat in Sydney. Every finalist is awarded $1000 plus an expenses paid trip to the retreat also. To be eligible, students had to have had at least one year of undergraduate study remaining and be enrolled in study for the 2007 - 2008 academic year at an university in Australia or New Zealand. The scholarship this year received applications from students at 18 different universities across Australia and New Zealand.

Most finalists arrived at Google for the retreat as strangers. All left as friends.

We are pleased to announce this year’s scholarship recipients as Eva Cheng, University of Wollongong and Tracy Footitt, University of Western Australia .

We are pleased to announce this year’s finalists as:

• Anita Rahman, Monash University
• Barsha Karki, University of Technology, Sydney
• Flora Salim, Monash University
• Gauri Pradhan, University of Technology, Sydney
• Janet Saw, Monash University
• Jessica Manea, University of Western Australia
• Jette Viethen, Macquarie University
• Li Sun, RMIT University
• Nandika Thapar, University of Wollongong
• Nandita Sharma, Australian National University
• Valentina Haziri, Monash University
• Valerie de Silva, RMIT University
• Vineetha Menon, University of Technology, Sydney
• Wai Yau, RMIT University

Congratulations to all!

REA Group and Google Maps

Posted by Richard Suhr, Enterprise Team

You probably know a lot about Google Maps, our free online Australian mapping service. We've written about the many great new features on this blog.

But did you know that we also have an enterprise version of Google Maps, for businesses that want to use Google Maps on their websites, with full enterprise-level support? A great example is when you visit a real estate site - by using Google Maps, the website owner can show you the property location, with the ability to zoom in or see satellite views.

We're thrilled to announce a new Enterprise Agreement with REA Group, which runs www.realestate.com.au and 16 other sites in 9 countries. REA Group uses Google Maps on its property details pages to show home hunters where properties are located. See an example here (nice property - we can all dream!)

Under the new agreement, the REA Group will begin using Google Maps in all its websites around the world (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom) and will continue to use Google Maps in Australia and New Zealand.

We're looking forward to developing our relationship with REA Group and to playing a small part in helping home-hunters find (literally) the house of their dreams.

Vanilla Sky - Umbrella (Rihanna Cover)

They've turned the song emo.

Vote 1 Your favourite doodle!

Posted by Ashley Gorringe, Doodle4Google Team

We're very excited that the top 32 entries from Doodle 4 Google My Australia can now be viewed online on the official website.

If you're not familiar with the initiative, we asked students across Australia to do their own version of the Google logo around the theme of 'My Australia'. Students from Years 1 to 10 were divided up across four age groups for each of the eight Australian states and territories. The ultimate winner, as chosen by Dennis Hwang, the original Google Doodler, will have their drawing shown on the homepage on Australia Day 2008, while the national age group winners will receive technology prizes for their schools.

We received thousands of entries, from which our expert judging panel had the challenging job of selecting the top 32, one from each age group in the eight states and territories. Our judges included Dare Jennings, cofounder of Mambo Surfwear, Geoff Buckley, managing director of Tourism Australia and Michael Grose, parenting and educational expert.

The drawings we received ran the gamut of Australian symbols. These included the beach, barbqecues, native animals and indigenous art.

You'll be able to vote for your favourite doodle over the next four weeks. We encourage you to check out the amazing creativity of Australian students and choose your favourite in each age category.

:: Toronto Mayor should hire David Blaine for his revenue task force ::

Why when the need to find new revenue arises does Toronto City hall feel it necessary to soften or alter the perception of the blow and save some face with its taxpayers through the art of illusion?

Finding a fresh pocket to take the money from does not mask or distract from the reality. If the citizens of Toronto are required to fork over more money to cover its needs then all of the city should pay for those needs, don't put it onto the backs of new home buyers, don't penalize the guy picking up his weekend case of beer at the end of a hard week, every tax payer and service user should pay their share, but only after exhausting all efforts to find efficiencies within the system.

People are not idiots, a dollar from here, a dollar from there and another dollar from around there taken with the other hand is still three dollars. There is a system in place for collecting property taxes, why create additional and redundant revenue collecting bureaucracies that only add to the expense of running the city?

Just remove the bandage in one quick annual property tax yank and then get on with the business of governing the City of Toronto.

:: Penalizing Toronto new home buyers with more new taxes is wrong ::

Sometime today Toronto residents, specifically all future home buyers should learn if a new and controversial municipal land transfer tax is to be passed in a vote by Toronto City council.

The most recent poll of council members shows 19 of Toronto's 45 councilors in favor of implementing the tax, 21 against it and the balance undecided or at least unwilling to comment on how they will likely vote.

Toronto is looking to new home buyers to alleviate some of it's budget shortfall and the growing deficit plaguing the city but one has to wonder if raising the bar on who qualifies financially to move into the ranks of home ownership won't have unforeseen costs of it's own.

Already considered one of the most expensive places in Canada in which to live, Toronto may face a loss of revenues from many current Toronto taxpayers who will decide moving outside of the city to places such as Barre is the the only option that will make buying a home affordable.

Placing a levy on one specific group to help cover costs for all is in my mind unfair.

Last week Toronto Mayor David Miller appointed a panel of professionals to review the city's spending and advise of any cost cutting measures.

Toronto council should address it's infamous spending problems first and save taxing young families looking for their start in life as a last resort only after cleaning its own house. If the will was there to do so The City of Toronto would find much of the needed revenues already exist.

Mobile and Baldwin County Builders Lower Prices

Two of the largest builders in our area Adams Homes and Mitchell Homes have lowered prices on their existing inventories for their homes located in Mobile and Baldwin County. It appears that an effort has been made to sell these homes before the end of the year. Adams Homes is offering additional incentives such as interest rate buydown or assistance with insurance/tax prepaid items if the buyer uses one of the builders preferred lenders.

Take a look at this chart to see the price changes. A few of these homes have already went under contract as a result of these price changes so the builders strategy appears to be paying off.

Jes Rickleff

Jes Rickleff is the "winner" of VH1's "Rock of Love". She lives in Kearney, Nebraska and works at a salon called "Bang". Jes Rickleff is not really emo but she got this really nice pink highlights and thats worth mentioning her on this blog. It takes an enormous amount of self confidence to wear pink hair and she's just oozing with it.

:: Has Barrie hit a price Ceiling? ::

There is no denying that Barrie has for some time been considered by many to be a bedroom community to the GTA.

The lure of a smaller, less densely populated community where drive by shootings are the stuff of Hollywood movies and kids can safely walk to school presents a welcome and affordable alternative to Big City living that has added momentum to Barrie's continuing population growth.

Housing demands in the Barrie region have contributed to the increases in housing prices which in under 20 years have more than doubled in the Barrie area. Does the prediction that we may have hit a ceiling on price and are possibly due for a correction in Barrie hold any merit? I can't see how.

Realtors would just as soon not see local real estate price itself out of reach of the average first time buyer or become so inflated that value is no longer a selling point to potential buyer clients champing at the bit at the south end of the 400 highway. Even with increasing prices, proportionately, Barrie will always offer a more affordable option.

Prices will continue to climb in Barrie based on inflation, rising building costs and in reaction to supply and demand but likely not near as dramatically as in the GTA.

The Greenbelt Act and the Places to Grow Act introduced by the Province have dramatically limited the amount of available land for future home building in the Golden Horseshoe.

The demand for residentially zoned raw land which has been high for the past two decades now far outstrips the availability in south central Ontario. This along with a growing population will continue to drive further out of reach the already sky high home prices in the GTA.

The existing population consists of many who will retire over the next ten years, no longer dependent on the city for income, (and no longer in need of their $600,000 appraised homes they paid $60,000 for in 1972) A good portion of this demographic has grown dizzy from circling wall mart parking lots trying to find a spot and will be ready to leave the hustle and bustle behind.

The new City of Toronto Act now gives Toronto's municipal government the authority to impose a range of powers including a controversial but imminent municipal land transfer tax. This is being spear headed by Toronto's mayor and is backed by much of city council.

The net effect is thousands of additional dollars a buyer will need up front when purchasing a home. That increase in expense is going to take away the ability to buy a home in Toronto from a substantial number of residents and drive many more north of the GTA where they can qualify to make their home purchases.

These added expenses and complications to the home buying process for GTA residents are going to feed the northward migration for years to come and will insure that the home you buy in the Barrie area today will continue to appreciate in value.

Lads Mags and Education: September Zeitgeist

Posted by Mel-Ann Chan, AdSense Team

[Zoo mag] came in as the top gaining search term on Google Australia in September. The website (which is also a weekly men’s magazine) claims to showcase “sex, sport and stupidity from around the web” – no wonder it was so popular! Those after a dose of more cerebral news looked up the [Herald Sun] and tuned into [2UE] radio.

The new television show [Summer Heights] High was a favourite for many in September. Chris Lilley’s creation features the antics of Ja’mie, Jonah and Mr G, in a “typical” Australian school. Another popular show in September was SBS’s [Mythbusters], the show that uses science to test myths about everyday life, often with unpredictable and hysterical outcomes.

Amongst all the stress of end of year 12 exams, many teenagers from Sydney have been considering the [University of Western Sydney] as a possible university selection, with some even trying for [scholarships].

Footy is always important in Australia, so it was no surprise that many people wanted to know more about the [Manly] team that made it to the NRL final. Swimming fans checked out what retired world champion [Ian Thorpe] was up to.

Out of water and onto the track, those with a need for speed checked out the latest [sports cars] online, while gamers built up the hype for the latest release of the strategic war game from Xbox 360, [Halo Wars].

Some people may not have been too happy in their jobs, and needed some inspiration on writing a [resignation letter]. What better thing to do after resigning than go on a holiday? [New Caledonia] was a popular option, with its unique blend of French and Asian culture.

Victorians looked forward to celebrating the fifth birthday of [Federation Square] and the nuclear disaster in [Chernobyl] from 1986 was remembered.

For breaking news and obscure information alike, people around the world search on Google. What follows is a summary of Google Zeitgeist results for the top gainers on Google.com.au in the month of September.

For more information, visit the Google Zeitgeist and Google Trends.

September's top gainers:

1. Zoo mag
2. University of Western Sydney
3. New Caledonia
4. 2UE
5. Herald Sun
6. Resignation letter
7. Federation Square
8. Ian Thorpe
9. Chernobyl
10. Manly
11. Scholarships
12. Mythbusters
13. Sports cars
14. Summer Heights
15. Halo Wars

So You Want an Emo Hairstyle?

A wise choice of haircut- I think it'll look fabulous!

Okay, firstly let's focus on your face shape.

It you have a longer face, and a squared jaw, then you'd suit the hair being as long as it is in those pictures. However, if you have more of a round face then I suggest going slightly shorter at the back to counter-balance the long fringe. For example, this pic.

Find out what hairdressers you will be using (I use Toni And Guy as they do 'emo/scene' styles really well) and go and talk to one of the hairdressers that'll cut your hair for you. Explain to them what they think is best for you hair, whether the style will suit you etc. Print off the photographs and show them. Doing this will let your hairdresser know exactly what you want it like- but do bear in mind, these hairstyles are high maintenance and it'll cost a fortune on hair products.

Now, for the descriptive part.

You'll need your hair reasonably long before you get your hair cut, so you can have the shape 'cut in'. From the pictures, your hairstylist will be able to get a good idea of what they'll be doing. A sweeping, choppy fringe across one side is important. Remember to tell them to keep one side longer and shorter as you go across, so you get that 'flicked' look. Keep it longer along the sides and at the back, razoring layers into it. Then, at the crown of the head, the hair should be cut really short so it can be 'spiked up' with wax or gel.

Have a go with some colour if you're feeling brave- white blonde highlights, a creamy blue or perhaps even pink or orange if you're really going for it. Get them sliced in under your sweeping fringe and at the nape of your neck. There are a few links at the end of my post which suggest some good colours which would work well with that haircut. Take a look.

If you need any styling tips after you get your hair cut, send a message to Demixxdinosaur from Yahoo Anwser and she'd love to help you guys. His boyfriend has exactly the same haircut and she does his hair often and watch him style it all of the time.

Source:
Personal Experience of Demixxdinosaur from Yahoo Answer.

Mobile Home Price Appreciation

The following interactive spreadsheet will show the difference in average sales price for a home sold in Mobile in the first 9 months of September, 2007 compared to the same time period in September, 2006. Use the scroll bar to move from left to right. To move to the bottom of the data put your cursor on the row and then use the down arrow key. The difference in price is known as appreciation.

The Saraland, Satsuma, Axis, Creola leads in the home price appreciation. This may be due to the news of the new Thyssen Krupp Steel mill to be built north of here along Highway 43 in the Calvert/Mount Vernon area.

The Dauphin Island Parkway, Midtown North West, and Cottage Hill S are areas in Mobile where homes are being purchased and then renovated.

When looking at charts like this, remember that a small number of transactions may skew the average selling price.

West Mobile is by far is where most activity is occuring and the home price appreciation is roughly 4.5 %.

Mobile Real Estate MLS Statistics and Trends - October 2007

The table below contains statistics extracted from the Mobile Area Association of Realtors MLS Data reflecting sales data as of September 2007. The spreadsheet will not fit in the window. You can use the scroll bar on the bottom of the spreadsheet to see the data on the right of the screen. Click on the tabs to see the different types of analysis - Units Sold, Median Sales Price, Units Available, Days on Market, and Absorption Rate which reports the number of months supply of homes available.



In summary, September showed a drop of 22% in number of units sold in Mobile County. This trend was also apparent at the time last year. In looking at median sales price, the sales price of a home in Mobile County has taken a drastic turn down in past two months. The statistics show a drop of $18,000. The statistics still show an increase of $3000 when compared to December of 2005. The statistics show that there was a drop in median sales price last September and then it went up again in October. Next month's report will be monitored to see if median sales price increases like it did last October. The Mobile area inventory level has doubled since December of 2005. The inventory level at that time were depleted as a result of the migration of people moving here after Hurricane Katrina and the demand on the local real estate market that the storm created. The Days on Market of 59 days is a great number when compared to other parts of the country. The number has been pretty steady in Mobile County for the last 2 years. Absorption Rate is calculated by taking the number of homes available and divide it by the number of homes sold. The absorption rate result for September is the highest that is has been in over 2 years. Based on the number of 8.35 months number, Mobile can be considered a buyer's market because most professionals consider the threshold to be 7 months.

The next few months will be interesting. We feel that the sales numbers in the next few months will be down because traditionally that is what we have seen in the Mobile real estate market. The tightening of the mortgage approval process should logically reduce the number of potential buyers as well. There are a number of new industries coming to Mobile. There is also many existing companies that are expanding their existing operations. The employment picture in Mobile is very bright. I do not see the effect of the of the business expansion on Mobile until after the first of the year.

Please drop us a line if you have any questions or visit our website for other real estate information regarding Mobile.

CNN Money Names Mobile as Top 10 Bounce Back Market

Well I guess it is a good news when a major media site ranks you in the top 10 of anything. Last week CNN Money released its top 10 markets where a bounce back can be expected. I am not sure what the Mobile area is bouncing back from because it has been a really good market for home price appreciation since the fall of 2005. CNN Money has ranked Mobile in its top ten cities in the country. According to their web site, the housing market may be melting down in other parts of the country, but Business 2.0 worked with Moody's Economy.com to identify 10 cities that have just about hit rock bottom - and offer opportunities for savvy investors to get in while the getting's good.

The folks at CNN Money looked at expected home price appreciation rate in the first quarter of 2008 and the net gain of the expected home price apprectiation rate in the 4th quarter of 2009. Evidently Mobile came in at 7th in their rankings with an expected appreciation growth rate 4.7 percent.

The article does mention all of the new industry and business growth going on in Mobile and speculates that Mobile is the South's next boomtown.

Here is a link to the story - http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0709/gallery.boom_towns.biz2/7.html

Beautiful Brunette

Dyed dark brown, long hair with lots of layers. This emogirl hairstyle is great if you have an oval face and want soft bangs. As you can see this is a very nice style accompanied with dark eye makeup that emphasize your eyes. Wear it any way you want.

:: Newer isn't always better ::

The owners of a home I was showing to buyers this weekend were having a garage sale. I glanced over the tables of chotchsky and assorted household items as we left. They consisted of the usual garage sale fare; a well intended but never used butt master exerciser, a yogurt maker, books and out grown clothes and toys.

A slick looking G.E. coffee percolator at the end of a table caught my attention. Tall sleek and chromed. Looking like new, it was a sharp piece of kitchen appliance up against any modern day made in China plastic knock off.

When I picked it up to scrutinize I couldn’t help but notice its sturdy weight and solid bakelite handle. When I got it home to give it a scrub and polish I noticed on the bottom it said “Made in Barrie Ontario Canada”.

This morning I made a debut pot of coffee. No bleached paper filters, no plastic baskets and reservoirs, just a solid metal urn and a few scoops of Maxwell house. It began to gurgle just seconds after pushing in the plug. Hearing the rhythmic sound of the water and watching it pulse through the clear class knob at the top of the pot took me back in time. Back to a time when products were designed and built to last and there was a good chance it was made in a town you had been to, perhaps by a friend or relative.

As I enjoyed my morning coffee, which tasted incredible by the way, I wondered how the paper cone filter coffee maker came to replace the perfectly good percolator. The only reason I could come up with is the percolator requires no throw away after market products to continue to sell the consumer. No disposable items that will end up in a land fill site along with a billion swiffer wipes, water bottles, mountains of excessive plastic consumer packaging and two short lived made in China black plastic kettles purchased by me within the last year.