The technology behind Google's great results

As a Google user, you're familiar with the speed and accuracy of a Google search. How exactly does Google manage to find the right results for every query as quickly as it does? The heart of Google's search technology is PigeonRank™, a system for ranking web pages developed by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University.

Building upon the breakthrough work of B. F. Skinner, Page and Brin reasoned that low cost pigeon clusters (PCs) could be used to compute the relative value of web pages faster than human editors or machine-based algorithms. And while Google has dozens of engineers working to improve every aspect of our service on a daily basis, PigeonRank continues to provide the basis for all of our web search tools.

Why Google's patented PigeonRank™ works so well

PigeonRank's success relies primarily on the superior trainability of the domestic pigeon (Columba livia) and its unique capacity to recognize objects regardless of spatial orientation. The common gray pigeon can easily distinguish among items displaying only the minutest differences, an ability that enables it to select relevant web sites from among thousands of similar pages.

By collecting flocks of pigeons in dense clusters, Google is able to process search queries at speeds superior to traditional search engines, which typically rely on birds of prey, brooding hens or slow-moving waterfowl to do their relevance rankings.

When a search query is submitted to Google, it is routed to a data coop where monitors flash result pages at blazing speeds. When a relevant result is observed by one of the pigeons in the cluster, it strikes a rubber-coated steel bar with its beak, which assigns the page a PigeonRank value of one. For each peck, the PigeonRank increases. Those pages receiving the most pecks, are returned at the top of the user's results page with the other results displayed in pecking order.

Integrity

Google's pigeon-driven methods make tampering with our results extremely difficult. While some unscrupulous websites have tried to boost their ranking by including images on their pages of bread crumbs, bird seed and parrots posing seductively in resplendent plumage, Google's PigeonRank technology cannot be deceived by these techniques. A Google search is an easy, honest and objective way to find high-quality websites with information relevant to your search.

Data

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nline shopping spend in decline

Will online shopping pick up in time for Christmas? Online shops are suffering the same fate as the High Street with fewer customers spending money. US net measurement firm comScore found that online shopping was in decline for the first time since it began measuring it in 2001. Online shoppers in the US spent $8.2bn (£5.3bn) in November, down 4% on last year's figures. ComScore forecast flat growth for the upcoming Christmas shopping season and did not rule out further decline.

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Google to introduce OpenSocial API

Tonight Google is planning to unveil OpenSocial, a new set of API’s which make up a common programming platform specifically built to use on popular social networking sites. The development platform will allow application developers to create third party programs to run on these sites without them having to learn a new platform and rewrite their components for each one.

Not only will the new common platform work on Google’s own Orkut, but has also already seen support from as many as a dozen other popular companies and social networking sites including Oracle, Salesforce.com, Hi5, iLike, LinkedIn, Slide, Ning, Friendster and Plaxo. Flixster, iLike and RockYou already have developers in the onboard. The very popular Facebook, who recently accepted a bid to go with Microsoft over Google and who “opened up” its own platform for 3rd party widgets, is not in the list of sites supporting the API’s, and neither is MySpace.

According to reports, although the OpenSocial platform is indeed “open” the individual sites hosting it will have a say in just how open they each would like to be, restricting the functionality or types of programs as they feel is appropriate for their own sites. Google also had additional plans for the future with the OpenSocial APIs, allowing them to access the vast data available in Gmail and personalized iGoogle home pages to target ads and then share advertising revenue with the developers. After the launch tonight there should be more information available on OpenSocial at Google’s site and a sandbox available for development against Orkut.

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Opera Mini 4.2 officially released

Opera on Tuesday has announced the final release of the latest and greatest version of its mobile browser, Opera Mini 4.2. We saw the 4.2 version go into beta release only earlier this month sporting some new features including skins, additional servers and faster performance, video and Notes sync.

The final v4.2 release that we downloaded today appears to be very similar, if not exactly the same, as the beta version we got a couple of weeks ago. Opera boasts increased speed of as much as 30 percent, support for multiple languages, the ability to skin the browser to match your preference and of course the ability to play mobile-targeted YouTube videos (provided you have a newer Sony Ericsson or Nokia phone, for now). Users can also sync up notes between the mobile browser and the Opera desktop browser with Opera Link.

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Jerry Yang to quit as Yahoo boss

Mr Yang made the decision to quit as CEO last month, the BBC was told

Jerry Yang, the co-founder of Yahoo, is to stand down as the internet portal's chief executive officer.

His departure follows lengthy criticism of his stewardship of the company, which has seen its share price collapse to about $10.

Earlier in the year he fought off a hostile takeover bid from Microsoft which offered $33 a share.

Mr Yang also told the workforce that he would be participating in the search for his successor.

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Yahoo tells Microsoft: 'Buy us'

    <img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45178000/jpg/_45178157_b532f999-f166-4cf8-9b42-62c6fddf8d20.jpg" width="203" height="152" alt="Sign at Yahoo headquarters" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0">
    Yahoo said the company is for sale at the right price
   
 

<p class="first"><b>Yahoo said the "For Sale" sign is still on its front lawn and that Microsoft should buy the company.b>
<p>The internet portal's co-founder and CEO Jerry Yang made the comment despite the fact Yahoo rejected a $33 (£21) a share offer from Microsoft back in May.
<p>Mr Yang's suggestion also came hours after Google pulled out of an internet advertising partnership with Yahoo.

<p>"To this day the best thing for Microsoft to do is buy Yahoo," said Mr Yang.
<p>Na href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7712298.stm">more

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Websites set government data free

More than 450 people entered the website design contest

The UK government has announced the winner of a website design contest.

"Show Us a Better Way" asked for ideas that would give the public better access to public information.

The finalists included ideas for a map site showing school catchment areas and a service telling people where to find the nearest public toilet.

More than 450 people entered the design contest, with the overall winner being "Can I Recycle It?" - where people can find out what they can recycle locally.

Websites set government data free

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Full-length MGM films on YouTube

Legally Blonde is one of 4,100 titles in the MGM library

YouTube, the largest video-sharing website, will show full-length films from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's archives.

The partnership is aimed boosting advertising revenue for both YouTube and the Hollywood studio.

It will result in the launch of a video-on-demand channel called Impact, dedicated exclusively to action films, TV shows and clips.

"I think it will grow into a nice little business," said Jim Packer, co-president of MGM Worldwide Television.

Full-length MGM films on YouTube

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Firms demand aid on hi-tech crime

Many businesses feel they are virtually under siege

UK businesses have little faith that the government is doing enough to tackle hi-tech crime, says a report.

Of those questioned 57% said any malicious hi-tech crime in the workplace would not be dealt with properly by the police.

Only 4% of respondents said they bothered to report every incident of hi-tech crime, it revealed.

The results come at a time when businesses report that they are almost under siege by cyber criminals.

Firms demand aid on hi-tech crime

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Broadband speed tests questioned

Users are keen to know how fast their broadband really is

Virgin Media has criticised some broadband speed tests, saying they rely on "dirty data".

It said current tests were often inaccurate.

It is concerned that tests for 50Mbps (megabits per second) services, which are starting to launch, will be even more inaccurate.

More people are using broadband speed tests to find out whether the speed they are actually getting comes close to what service providers promise.

Broadband speed tests questioned

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Broadband speeds under the microscope

Internet Service Providers have been criticised over advertising
The company which runs most of the UK's Broadband network says consumers should be given better information about their connection speed.

BT Wholesale wants service providers to explain why users may not always get the maximum speeds which are advertised.

BT's Guy Bradshaw told BBC News: "We have got 30 per cent of the customer base achieving line speeds of up to 8mbps. The throughput across that 8 megs can vary.

"The industry needs to join together with (the telecoms watchdog) Ofcom to agree a set of principles about how these messages should be communicated and advertised."

Many Internet Service Providers use phrases like "up to 8 meg".

Broadband speeds under the microscope

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Broadband users reach their limit

Bandwidth-hungry services such as iPlayer are proving popular

One million UK consumers have exceeded or come close to exceeding their broadband usage limit, research from consumer group uSwitch has found.

So-called usage caps, where internet service providers limit the amount of bandwidth users can have in any given month, are standard practice.

But the majority of users are still confused by the bandwidth curbs imposed on them, the research found.

For some who go over their limit the penalty is disconnection.

Broadband users reach their limit

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Firefox Mobile coming in a few weeks?

Mozilla CEO, John Lilly has hinted in an Interview that we may be seeing Firefox Mobile in a few weeks time. If the reports are true, we may see an alpha version of Firefox Mobile very soon. An excerpt from the interview:

“We want to make sure that the Web on mobile is more like the Web than what the mobile industry offers today, which is closed, separate networks and not a very good information-getting experience for the user. The first thing is to bring Firefox to mobile devices. We’re working on that, and we’ll see some alphas in a few weeks.”

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Firefox Mobile coming in a few weeks?

Mozilla CEO, John Lilly has hinted in an Interview that we may be seeing Firefox Mobile in a few weeks time. If the reports are true, we may see an alpha version of Firefox Mobile very soon. An excerpt from the interview:

“We want to make sure that the Web on mobile is more like the Web than what the mobile industry offers today, which is closed, separate networks and not a very good information-getting experience for the user. The first thing is to bring Firefox to mobile devices. We’re working on that, and we’ll see some alphas in a few weeks.”

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Warning sounded on web's future

Some feared firing up the LHC would doom the Earth

The internet needs a way to help people separate rumour from real science, says the creator of the World Wide Web.

Talking to BBC News Sir Tim Berners-Lee said he was increasingly worried about the way the web has been used to spread disinformation.

Sir Tim spoke prior to the unveiling of a Foundation he has co-created that aims to make the web truly worldwide.

It will look at ways to get the web into mobiles and into nations where net use is languishing.

Future proof

Sir Tim talked to the BBC in the week in which Cern, where he did his pioneering work on the web, turned on the Large Hadron Collider for the first time.

The use of the web to spread fears that flicking the switch on the LHC could create a Black Hole that could swallow up the Earth particularly concerned him, he said. In a similar vein was the spread of rumours that the MMR vaccine given to children in Britain was harmful.

Sir Tim told BBC News that there needed to be new systems that would give websites a label for trustworthiness once they had been proved reliable sources.

"On the web the thinking of cults can spread very rapidly and suddenly a cult which was 12 people who had some deep personal issues suddenly find a formula which is very believable," he said. "A sort of conspiracy theory of sorts and which you can imagine spreading to thousands of people and being deeply damaging."

Sir Tim and colleagues at the World Wide Web consortium had looked at simple ways of branding websites - but concluded that a whole variety of different mechanisms was needed.

Sir Tim wants to help get the web to people who are cut off from it.

"I'm not a fan of giving a website a simple number like an IQ rating because like people they can vary in all kinds of different ways," he said. "So I'd be interested in different organisations labelling websites in different ways".

Sir Tim spoke to the BBC to publicise the launch of his World Wide Web Foundation which aims to improve the web's accessibility.

Alongside this role it will aim to make it easier for people to get online. Currently only 20% of the world's population have access to the web

"Has it been designed by the West for the West?" asked Sir Tim.

"Has it been designed for the executive and the teenager in the modern city with a smart phone in their pocket? If you are in a rural community do you need a different kind of web with different kinds of facilities?"

Creative medium

The Web Foundation will also explore ways to make the web more mobile-phone friendly. That would increase its use in Africa and other poor parts of the world where there are few computers but plenty of handsets.

The Foundation will also look at how the benefits of the web can be taken to those who cannot read or write.

"We're talking about the evolution of the web," he said. "Perhaps by using gestures or pointing. When something is such a creative medium as the web, the limits to it are our imagination".

The Foundation will also look at concerns that the web has become less democratic, and its use influenced too much by large corporations and vested interests.

"I think that question is very important and may be settled in the next few years," said Sir Tim.

"One of the things I always remain concerned about is that that medium remains neutral," he said.

"It's not just where I go to decide where to buy my shoes which is the commercial incentive - it's where I go to decide who I'm going to trust to vote," he said.

"It's where I go maybe to decide what sort of religion I'm going to belong to or not belong to; it's where I go to decide what is actual scientific truth - what I'm actually going to go along with and what is bunkum".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7613201.stmview all

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Google's new web browser

Google is launching an open source web browser to compete with Internet Explorer and Firefox.

The browser is designed to be fast, and to cope with the next generation of web applications that rely on graphics and multimedia.

Called Chrome, it is launching as a beta for Windows machines in 100 countries, with Mac and Linux versions to come.

Google's Jessica Powell takes Rory Cellan-Jones through Chrome's new features.

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Spin around Google's decade

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A trip via Google Earth around the high and low points of the world's most popular search engine.
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'Tough choices' for UK broadband

Taking fibre to street cabinets is the cheapest option

The cost of taking fibre-based broadband to every UK home could top £28.8bn, says a report.

Compiled by the government's broadband advisory group, the report details the cost of the different ways to wire the UK for next generation broadband.

Another option, to take the fibres to street-level boxes, would only cost £5.1bn, it said.

Big differences in the cost of updating urban and rural net access will pose difficult choices, says the report.

High costs

In a statement Antony Walker, chief executive of the Broadband Stakeholder Group which drew up the report, said: "The scale of the costs involved means that the transition to superfast broadband will be challenging."

"We hope that this report will help to ensure an informed public debate on the key policy and regulatory decisions that lie ahead," he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7600834.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology

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DIY schemes for super-fast net

Fibre doesn't have to be expensive

In early July BT announced that it was going to invest £1.5bn in fibre optic cables, bringing access to faster broadband to up to 10 million UK homes.

But there will be large swathes of the country untouched by super-fast broadband and, for some, the answer is a more DIY, community-based approach to fibre.

Fibre might be some way off being rolled out on a national scale in the UK but individual community projects promise to have networks up and running, possibly by the end of 2008.

The community-based approach to net connectivity is nothing new. While BT prevaricated about how far it was going to roll out broadband at the beginning of the millennium, local communities took the bull by the horns and rolled out their own - often powered by wi-fi.

Impatient for speed

http://news.bbc.co.uk|2|hi|technology

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Ofcom sets out stall for fast net

Ofcom is considering ways to roll out fast fibre in the UK

The price of super fast broadband should reflect the amount of money spent on investing in next generation networks, UK regulator Ofcom has said.

It comes as part of its latest consultation on how fibre networks can flourish in the UK.

In August BT committed to invest £1.5bn in fibre cable networks over the next four years.

The regulator said that public sector funding should target areas that private investment would not reach.

Next generation broadband will offer speeds of up to 100Mbps (megabits per second) and allow, for instance, a family to download songs in seconds while simultaneously watching high-definition films.

It could also allow for new ways of delivering medical care, services for disabled people as well as providing solutions for those cut off from current broadband.

James Garlick, a broadband analyst with research firm Screen Digest, thinks that consumers may initially pay more for super-fast broadband.

"Prices may go up but as soon as the competition that currently exists for DSL extends to fibre services, prices will drop," he said.

Digging roads

Ofcom has hinted that government support may be forthcoming to bring fast net services to rural areas which will not be so financially attractive for private firms to invest in.

It follows calls from the Ofcom Consumer Panel to make sure those that have missed out on first generation broadband do not miss out on next-gen.

"It is going to be hard to promote equal access to fibre without government help," said Fernando Elizalde, a principal analyst with research firm Gartner.

The fact that Ofcom is looking at all the options, rather than just fibre, is a good sign, he thinks.

"Fibre is very expensive for remote areas and it is likely that other technologies, such as Wimax, will fill in the gaps," he said.

BT has been waiting to hear how the new market will be regulated and it welcomed Ofcom's initial thoughts.

"It is vital that the rules applying to fibre access are not only clear but also allow for a reasonable return to be made over the lifetime of the investment," said a spokesman.

After consultation with industry, Ofcom said it would publish a statement on super-fast broadband in spring 2009.

Ofcom also made it clear that it supported the recommendations of the recent Caio review which said that the telecoms industry, not the government, should pay for next generation networks.

Francesco Caio, the former boss of Cable & Wireless who was appointed earlier this year to look at the broadband market, said that the government could help reduced the hefty bill of installing fibre optic networks by co-ordinating road digging.

He also recommended that other infrastructure, such as sewers, should be opened up to fibre operators.

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