Europe Blog
Our views on the Internet and society
Searching for World Cup trends
Monday, June 30, 2014
The World Cup continues to inspire feverish discussion around the globe. Here are some highlights from our search results from the second week of action.
Dutchman Robin Van Persie's flying header won honors for the best goal.
Brazilian striker Neymar won for the most searched hairdo.
Englishman Howard Webb lost out for the most searched referee to a Japanese rival.
Find out more about World Cup by tuning into this
special trends edition
.
Posted by William Echikson, Google Europe Blog editor
Commemorating World War I
Friday, June 27, 2014
A century ago, a Serb nationalist assassinated Austrian Archduke
Franz Ferdinand
, sparking World War I. Today, we are launching a new
channel
dedicated to commemorate the war’s centenary. It brings together World War I content, paintings, photographs, letters, documents, soldiers’ poems and more, from a range of Museum partners, ranging from the German Federal Archives to the Belgian Mundaneum to the Imperial War Museum.
A search for Franz Ferdinand brings up
photos
relating to the Archeduke’s assassination. They show the Franz and his wife Sophie arriving in Sarajevo. Outfitted in regal dress, treated with the pomp and circumstance of royalty, they stroll through the streets. A final image shows police arresting Serb assassin
Gavrilo Princip
.
Other exhibits explore the art around the conflict and personal impact of the conflict. Belgium’s Mundaneum has collected postcards sent from POW camps. The Imperial War Museum’s features
Christopher Nevinson's bleak landscapes
. The British authorities censored some of the paintings for being too “negative.” At the same time, the museum also features
John Nash’s patriotic paintings
.
The German side of the war is well represented, with more than
200 new items in 13 new exhibits
. Items include photographs, newspapers, letters, army documents, ration cards, and unusual items like the anti war poem written by a German soldier which lead to his detention. Exhibits range from German policy around the Sarajevo assassination to the rise of German airships to problems of nutrition due to the conflict.
The exhibits are designed for for a wide audience and full of exciting details for specialists. More content will be added over the coming months and years as commemorations around the Great War continue.
Posted by James Davis, Google Culture Institute, Paris
Helping Europe's youth find work
Monday, June 23, 2014
All across Europe, far too many young people struggle to find a job and starting their careers. That is why we are joining a coalition of businesses and governments called the
Alliance for Youth
, which will support European youth to gain new skills and work experience.
At an event today in Lisbon attended by European Commission President Jose-Manuel Barroso and Portuguese Prime Minister Passos Coelho, we committed to a range of initiatives to increase access to digital skills training and education in science, technology, engineering and maths. We're also extending our support for entrepreneurs in Europe.
At Google, we’ve taken on nearly 3500 new employees in Europe over the last three years - net growth of 60% since 2011. Of those 3500, nearly 650 are newly-minted graduates of European universities. They work in a wide range of technical and non-technical roles based in our offices across Europe. More jobs are available. We still have entry level positions open in engineering, advertising support, and product management.
Another priority is helping university students develop professional skills via
internships
. This summer alone, we’ll play host to more than 600 technical and non-technical interns in Europe. We have strong partnerships with universities and organizations.
Across Europe, we are working with partners to help meet some of the specific challenges facing young people. In Spain, where youth unemployment has reached an alarming 57%, we launched
Activate
, a platform to train the young generation in digital skills. Through a suite of offline and massive open online courses (MOOCs) on digital marketing, data analytics, cloud computing, e-commerce, we hope to reach more than 100,000 Europeans by early next year.
Our
RISE
(Roots in Science & Engineering) and
CS4HS
(Computer Science for High School) programs target younger high students. These programs nurture coding skills, use robotics to teach engineering and maths and help teachers with STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) education tools. Through our partnerships with education organizations, we’ll reach 500,000 students and teachers in 20 European countries, up from 100,000 in 2013.
Finally, Google continues to supports entrepreneurship in Europe. We plan to reach thousands of entrepreneurs through
Google for Entrepreneurs
, including
Startup Weekend
,
Startup Grind
or publicly available online learning resources tailored to early-stage entrepreneurs. We also support a growing number of startup hubs and co-working spaces: in London (
Campus London
), Berlin (
The Factory
) and Paris (
Numa
), and a recently announced Campus in Warsaw.
We're delighted to contribute to the new Alliance for Youth. All of us need to support young Europeans to develop the skills and experience allowing them to find meaningful careers in the 21st century economy.
Posted by Matt Brittin, President, Business and Operations, Northern and Central Europe
After a week in Brazil, here are the hot trends on the field
Friday, June 20, 2014
The 2014 FIFA World Cup™ is heating up, and it’s capturing the imagination of Europeans.
Google Trends
gives your real-time guide to the players, teams and moments that football lovers are interested in. Here’s a flavour of what Europeans have been searching for during the first week of action in Brazil.
During a match without national anthems due to a technical glitch, France searches for anthem La Marseillaise increased more than 3x
In a game that went all Germany’s way, Müller’s hat-trick scored 3x more local searches than Pepe’s head-butt.
We can show you what questions fans are most asking Google about the tournament, and we can give you a flavour of the national sentiment before or after a match, by analysing posts on Google+. Compare how Costa Rica and Italy are feeling before today’s game:
At
google.com/worldcup
you can explore these moments throughout the tournament, whether it’s insight on how a country is feeling ahead of a big match, or where fans stand on a controversial match-winning refereeing decision.
Posted by Gareth Evans, Communications, London
Street View arrives in 56th country - Greece
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Greece is home to many of the world’s great cultural and historical monuments and remarkable landscapes, making it a natural for Street View, which allows web users to take panoramic real-life virtual tours of public roads. That’s why we’re particularly excited to announce the launch of the pathbreaking service this month, making Greece the 56th country added to Street View. From now on unique Greek landmarks, such as the
Corfu Old Town
, the
White Tower in Thessaloniki
and the
Arch of Hadrian
in the center of Athens, will be vividly represented on our computer screens. We’ve gathered some of our favourite scenes in our
Views Gallery
.
The serene port in Mykonos
Many Greeks long have been keen for us to bring its benefits to their country, seeing Street View as a powerful tool for the promotion of a country. At a launch event in Athens, Andreas Andreadis, President of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises, said the new service will prove invaluable to tourists coming to Greece — and Greek businesses serving them. Visitors now will be able to check their hotel in advance and preview places they want to visit. Street View benefits everyone from the wheelchair user who can check whether a building has a ramp to the elderly who may check whether there are sufficient parking spots before leaving home. Minister of Culture and Sports Panos Panagiotopoulos welcomed Street View in Greece as nothing less than “a gift from God.”
Many other types of Greece businesses will benefit. Anyone can embed Google Maps into their site for free, helping them to promote a chain of hotels, tourist places, points of history and cultural importance or increase awareness of a local library or restaurant. Event organizers will be able to evaluate locations, restaurants, hotels, museums. Real estate agents and customers will save time by exploring properties online before visiting.
The White Tower in Thessaloniki, on a typically sunny Greek day
As always, we’ve built privacy safeguards into Street View — we blur people’s faces and vehicle license plates automatically — and if anyone sees a need for additional blurring, they can let us know by clicking on ‘Report a problem’ in the bottom left corner of the screen.
We're excited to be launching our first Greek imagery, but our journey is far from finished - we are already planning to redrive and refresh the Greek imagery.
Posted by Dionisis Kolokotsas, Public Policy & Government Relations Manager, Athens
The world is a canvas: introducing the street art project
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Here today, gone tomorrow. The transient nature of street art means it can be at risk of being scrubbed out and lost forever to its legions of fans. But long after the paint has faded from the walls, technology can help preserve street art, so people can discover it wherever and whenever they like. In a new project launching today, we’ve partnered with street art experts to bring you 5,000+ images and around 100 exhibitions in the Google Art Project—telling a story of street art around the world.
Starting today, you can immerse yourself in a world of
prowling foxes frogs on lonely walls
,
supernatural symbolism
,
murals
on a grand scale,
tiny hard-to-spot icons
, or
trompe l’oeil
techniques that use physical details of the wall itself to trick the eye.
From Poland to Portugal; London to Vienna, the styles of work vary considerably. There are
stickers in France
,
sculptures in London
and
portraits of rappers on the streets of Malaga
. It’s not just about spraypaint either—other exhibits demonstrate the signature style of the artist, like
JR’s large-scale and evocative photo-portraits
,
Roa’s animals
,
Vhils’ acid etching
or
Os Gemeos' surrealism
.
Regg and Violant,
Centro Comercial Alegro, Setúbal,
Galeria de Arte Urbana
Vhils using the texture of the wall as a canvas
Using Street View, you can also explore buildings with street art that are closed to the public, or that have already been demolished - such as the famed Paris 13 tower.
Agrandir le plan
Explore all nine floors and 450 square meters of painted ceilings and walls of the now-demolished Tour Paris 13 building, immortalized with Street View.
In a series of fascinating exhibitions by our partners, you can also learn about the
origins of the street art movement
or see how Street Art is being used
in Poland to revitalize its cities
. Take a tour through the work of artists from the infamous
Bristol graffiti scene
and
get wild about nature in Portugal.
Street art may be temporary on our walls and sidewalks, but its beauty and vibrancy live on, on the web. Take a look— you’re sure to be bowled over by the variety of the urban canvas.
Posted by Lucy Schwartz, Programme Manager, Google Cultural Institute & Julie Pottier, Marketing Manager, Google Cultural Institute
Get a front seat to the World Cup
Friday, June 6, 2014
The world's biggest soccer tournament is here. Whether you’re watching from the comfort of your couch or packing your bags for Brazil, Google Maps is your ticket to the games. To kick off the tournament, starting today you can explore all
12 stadiums
and the
iconic painted streets
, one of Brazil’s tournament traditions, in Street View which serves as a digital legacy of the 2014 games for years to come.
Exploring the sights and culture of this year’s football tournament has never been easier with Street View in Google Maps.
Rua Professor Eurico Rabelo - Maracanã, RJ
Rua Padre Agostinho Poncet, São Paulo, Brazil
In addition to the stadiums and painted streets, images from hundreds of sites across Brazil, including
Iguaçu National Park
and
St. Michael of the Missions
, are also now available on Google Maps.
And if you’re lucky enough to have a physical ticket to Brazil, don’t forget to pack Google Maps for mobile.
Transit:
With Google Maps transit available in all 12 host cities, Brazilians and visitors alike can rest assured they can make it to the stadium and other destinations routing the best path by bus or train.
Indoor Maps:
Make your way through more than 100 venues across Brazil, including airports, shopping malls and, yes, tournament stadiums with Indoor Maps.
Turn-by-turn navigation:
Zip through Brazil from Point A to Point B with Google Maps for mobile, giving you the most accurate traffic info, including real-time incident reports from Waze, and voice-guided directions.
Even if we can't help your favorite team find their way to victory, Google Maps is ready for the assist. You might be (or get) lost without it!
Post content
Posted by Deanna Yick, Google Street View Program Manager
Campus for entrepreneurs opens in Warsaw
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Campus is coming to Warsaw! Across Poland and Central Eastern Europe, innovators and entrepreneurs are building exciting new businesses, making the Polish capital a natural choice to launch our next Campus. We currently operate Campuses in
London
and
Tel Aviv
.
Campuses are Google's spaces for entrepreneurs to learn, connect, and build companies that will change the world. In them, entrepreneurs get unparalleled access to mentorship and training from their local startup community, experienced entrepreneurs, and Google teams. Campus Warsaw will join the
Google for Entrepreneurs
network. Appropriately, the announcement came on the 25th anniversary of Poland's first partially free democratic elections, illustrated in this
Google Cultural Institute exhibition
, which led to the collapse of the Iron Curtain.
Our Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt met with
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk
for today's inauguration. “Google started as a startup in garage, so supporting startups is part of our DNA," Eric said. "Our hope is that Campus Warsaw will supercharge tech entrepreneurs, strengthen the startup ecosystem and encourage even more innovation in Poland.”
The new Campus represents only part of our ongoing investment throughout the region. In Krakow, we have opened the
Google for Entrepreneurs Krakow
program. Along with Warsaw University, we have launched the
Digital Economy Lab
, with the goal of spreading knowledge about the crucial role digital technology plays in powering the economy and about what policies are required to generate maximum digital acceleration. Along with the Visegrad Fund, ResPublica and the Financial Times, we have started New Europe Challengers campaign to identify the next generation of innovators.
We’ll have more news about the details of Campus Warsaw soon, and look forward to filling it with startups in 2015!
Posted by Eze Vidra, Head of Google for Entrepreneurs Europe
Commemorating D-Day’s 70th anniversary
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
On the 70th day of the momentous
D-Day Normandy landings
, our Cultural Institute is launching two initiatives to commemorate: a
G+ Hangout on Air
with veterans and five new online exhibitions.
The Hangout with D-Day veterans will allow anybody, anywhere to hear direct from veterans on their D-Day experiences. It takes place live from the
Caen War Memorial
at 6 p.m. Central Europe time. French television journalist Gilles Bouleau will host and Caen Memorial historian Christophe Prime will lend his expertise. American, French and British veterans will participate. High school students from both the U.S. and France will join the discussion.
At the same time, we’re publishing online
Normandy landings exhibitions
from the Caen War Memorial and other Cultural Institute partners, including the U.K’s Imperial War Museum and Bletchley Park code breakers center, the George C Marshall Research Foundation and the US National Archives. The exhibitions include exciting, previously unshown
video footage
of the landing,
letters
from soldiers and the original
assault plan
. All told, 470 new documents and images are included.
Take some time to browse - and reflect on the sacrifices made to secure Europe’s freedom.
Posted by Sixtine Fabre, Associate Program Manager, Google Cultural Institute
Chromebooks come to five more European countries - in verse
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Chromebooks are coming to nine more nations
to improve computing for all generations.
So we’d like to say our Hellos
to our new global Chromebook fellows:
Kia ora to our New Zealand mates,
where getting on-line will have shorter waits.
Kumusta to new friends in the Philippines,
a better way of computing is what this means.
Hallo to all the folks in Norway
Speed, simplicity and security are coming your way.
Hej Hej to the people in Denmark
Built-in virus protection will be your new computing benchmark.
To Mexico and Chile, Hola we say
Tons of apps and free automatic updates are starting today.
And in the coming weeks -- very soon, you’ll see --
Chromebooks will be in Belgium, Spain and Italy.
Chromebooks are easy to share, manage and use,
With lots of
shapes, colors and sizes
to choose.
Stay safe with your data stored in the cloud,
A smart pick like Chromebook will make your mom proud.
When Chromebooks in these countries alight,
We hope our new global friends find some computing delight.
Posted by David Shapiro, Director of Chromebook Marketing and Occasional Versifier
Highlighting the value of the Internet in Turkey
Monday, June 2, 2014
In the global battle for the free and open Internet, Turkey stands in the front lines. Web penetration is fast growing and the country’s young population is one of the world’s biggest per capita users of social networks. At the same time, these are challenging days for Internet freedom. In our view, the best way forward is to empower Turkey’s civil society to promote knowledge of how to manage and benefit from the web.
For the last year, we have supported a program called "Google Academy for NGOs." Our aim is to educate NGOs on web issues, cloud computing and Google tools. In the first phase of the program, the academy has run workshops in Istanbul and Ankara, training a total of 77 NGO representatives from 62 NGOs. Participants came from NGOs concentrating on human rights, environment, education, entrepreneurship and women’s rights.
Scenes for the Google Academy in Turkey
Before entering the Academy, only half of the trainees indicated that they have knowledge regarding Internet and cloud applications for civil society. Although some 70% indicated that they know and have enough knowledge on Google Search and Google Chrome, only 12% stated that they know
Google Good to Know
content that provides information on web security and fewer than 10% said that they know about
Google Trends
, which helps analyze search traffic.
Thanks to the program, most of the participants saw how the Internet could benefit their NGO. It will allow them to keep in communication with their volunteers, increase interaction with stakeholders and partners, and facilitate the development of new projects. Instead of having everyone travel for a meeting, many said they plan to use Google Hangouts to meet online.
The NGO Academy’s first “class” recently graduated. Three exemplary NGOs, received scholarships to attend a management program at Harvard Kennedy School of Government. The winning projects came from:
LÖSEV Foundation for Children with Leukemia
is using Google+ Hangouts to allow hospitalized children to follow their school classes.
The Turkish Psychological Association
engages with its volunteers and members via Hangouts.
The TEMA environmental group
launched a “Step Saving the World” to raise awareness about soil erosion and deforestation. More than 100 university students are participating, sending reports on their findings via Google Docs and plan activities with Google Calendar
In June, we are completing a new, second phase of the program. Hopefully, the Google Academy will continue strengthening Turkey’s civil society to recognize the value of the Internet.
Posted by Pelin Kuzey, Policy Manager, Istanbul
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Searching for World Cup trends
Commemorating World War I
Helping Europe's youth find work
After a week in Brazil, here are the hot trends on...
Street View arrives in 56th country - Greece
The world is a canvas: introducing the street art ...
Get a front seat to the World Cup
Campus for entrepreneurs opens in Warsaw
Commemorating D-Day’s 70th anniversary
Chromebooks come to five more European countries ...
Highlighting the value of the Internet in Turkey
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