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By Nathan Weinberg
Google is changing the way videos get into Google Video, moving the service into place to better compete with YouTube. Once the update is complete, reports the AP , the Google Video Uploader will be the software equivelant of a paperweight. Finally, users will be able to upload videos directly from a webpage, without having to install anything. Also, they say that “videos should now be available to share shortly after they are transmitted to Google”.
(via Digg )
Great move. The biggest problem with Google Video had been the difficulty in getting videos into the service. Sure, lots of people did it, but the software and the day-or-so wait for your videos to be ready were deal-breakers for lots of people, including myself. Now that it gets easier, I'll probably finally start using Google Video, and you know I'm not the only one.
In spite of the difficulties, Video's been doing pretty decently:
In April, YouTube attracted 12.5 million unique U.S. visitors, surpassing all other video services, according to Nielsen/NetRatings Inc. Google is ranked fourth in the video category with 7.3 million visitors, trailing Microsoft Corp.'s MSN and News Corp.'s MySpace.com besides YouTube.
The fact that, without any of YouTube's buzz, ease-of-use or community, Google Video has done really well. Being usable for bloggers (and others for whom speed is of essence) is going to take it to the next level. I'm hoping the team behind Video is starting to realize that there is a serious fight underway in this space, and it is in their best interests to not do it half-assed. Time to admit that you need to develop faster, release lots of features and not give an inch to the competition.
And I wish ‘em well.
Featured Projects :
By Nathan Weinberg
Well, got some bad news in the ol' email today: In spite of completing the last Challenge relatively quickly, it wasn't quick enough. At least 10,000 contestants appear to have beaten me to the punch, have received cryptexes (cryptexii? crypteces?) and will compete this Friday for the enormous grand prize . I gotta say, I'm feeling kind of bummed. I did my best, answered all 24 challenges , and get for it nothing.
Well, not nothing. I'll be honest: I've made hundreds of dollars off this contest, with the huge interest in it resulting in a lot more advertising sold for this site. Most of the readers who came here for clues and help seemed grateful, but I am even far more grateful for what they gave to me. I'm getting married in four weeks, and that extra money is definitely going to be hugely helpful.
Still, there's a certain sadness in knowing there won't be a happy li'l package coming in the mail with the nice little cryptex. I really wanted one. Maybe I can take that money to eBay and buy one , as soon as the prices start coming down. Right now, bidding is going as high as $209.39. Jeez.
If you are a finalist, then you should have gotten an email on Monday saying that you are a finalist, and probably got the cryptex in the mail already (maybe you'll get it to tomorrow). The email is how you'll know what to (or not to) expect. There are a ton of accounts of people getting their cryptex, with lots of screenshots. Here's one of them .
Anyway, with me not getting to be a finalist, that means I'll need to find somebody else to write about the finals this Friday. Given that there are well over a thousand comments on the Quest on this site, I'm guessing someone would like the task. If you're interested in doing it (and you'll be compensated, probably with a free DVD), just comment below and let me know you're interested (and leave your email in the email field, which is not public).
All you'll need to do is write about your experiences in the Finals, and give some hints on the final questions for the other contestants. Also, you'll email me the full questions or tasks for the Finals, so once the Final Challenge is over, we can print them here for posterity. Pretty simple. If you don't think you'll be faster than the other 10,000 on Friday, you can guarantee yourself a prize by just documenting the process.
Well, this whole process has been a blast, and I hope Google does more contests like this in the future. Keep watching the DaVinci Code Quest page here for future updates.
Google Code Blog :
SoC Student Application Deadline Has Been Extended
May 08, 2006 - Leslie Hawthorn
We've decided to extend the Summer of Code 2006 student application deadline to 11:00 PDT on Tuesday, May 9th. Thanks to all of you who've applied and for those who haven't yet, keep those applications coming!
SoC 2006 is on....
May 01, 2006 - Leslie Hawthorn
We've begun taking student applications for Summer of Code 2006. Visit us in #summer-discuss on irc.slashnet.org if you have questions that aren't covered in our Mentor and Student FAQs or our running Application FAQ in Summer-Discuss-2006.
New Project: Google Ctemplate :
Apr 24, 2006 - Jon Trowbridge
The code just keeps on coming! Today we've released Google Ctemplate, a library implementing a simple but powerful template language for C++ that emphasizes separating logic from presentation. You've already used Ctemplate: this is the same code that formats all of the pages for Google's web search.
Source code and RPMs for Ctemplate are available from SourceForge. Give it a try!
Google Calendar data API: time to start coding! :
Apr 19, 2006 - Kyle Marvin
Developers appreciate a nice web application, like the one that launched last week with Google Calendar. Even more, they appreciate a nice web application programming model that enables them to build applications, not just use them. Enter the Google Calendar data API.
The Google Calendar data API is based upon a common API model called GData. The GData model uses REST principles and Atom or RSS 2.0 syndicated feeds as the base resource model to expose data held by Google services (like Google Calendar).
GData feeds support queries based upon URL parameters, so it is possible to take a base feed, add parameters, and query for all entries that match a search query, fall within a date range, or other conditions. With proper authentication, GData feeds also support the ability to post new entries (create new events), to modify existing ones (add event participants), or delete them (cancel a meeting). The GData feed edit model is based upon the Atom Publishing Protocol.
Basing the GData protocol model upon HTTP/XML means it is possible to use Google data APIs in a wide variety of client programming languages and environments. Java and C# libraries are available now, others will coming soon. The GData protocol is open, based upon existing/emerging standards, and fully documented. GData uses the extensibility features of Atom and RSS to expose feed entries that contain data that is customized for the type of service (like a Calendar entry with location, participants, and recurrence data). Any and all extensions will be documented. As new API-enabled Google services become available, the common Google data API model will make it easier as a developer to reuse client libraries, tools, and techniques across different services.
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