New Google Web Elements released

Today we've added four new Google Web Elements: Sidewiki, Checkout, Wave and Virtual Keyboard. These are all designed to help you quickly and easily integrate Google products into your website.

Sidewiki element

Google Sidewiki makes it easy for visitors of your website to share helpful information with each other. Unlike regular comments, all Sidewiki entries are ranked by usefulness so that the best ones are shown first. The element was built entirely on the Sidewiki API and can be customized in many ways to fit into your site. Sidewiki originally launched as a feature of Google Toolbar and as a Chrome extension - this element is our newest step in making Sidewiki more open and accessible across the web. If you'll be using the element on your site, let us know via @googlesidewiki on Twitter!

If you're looking for a way to add commenting to an otherwise static page, the Google Sidewiki element gives you an easy and simple way to collect and display comments about a page. One of the new and exciting features of the Sidewiki element is that it allows visitors to leave a comment even if they do not have Sidewiki or Google Toolbar installed. Like all Sidewiki entries, the comments in the element will be ranked to show the most useful items more prominently.

Checkout element

The Google Checkout element allows you to quickly and easily create an online store using a spreadsheet. Once you have a Google Checkout merchant account, you just have to add details for each item you're selling into a Google Spreadsheet, then use the wizard and copy/paste the code into your website. The element is compatible with Blogger, Google Sites, iGoogle, and personal websites where HTML can be modified, but doesn't require any programming skills or experience. In fact, you can get your first online store up and running in under five minutes.




Wave element

The Google Wave element enables you to quickly drop a wave -- a shared workspace -- onto your own website. The wave could be used for many different things, including: encouraging collaborative discussion among the visitors, or as a means of publishing content on the page. For deeper integrations of waves onto your own site, please check out the recently improved Wave Embed API. For more information on embedding waves, see the Google Wave Developer Blog post.

Virtual Keyboard element

Adding a virtual keyboard to your site just got easier with the Google Virtual Keyboard element. After choosing a keyboard layout, copy and paste the HTML into your page and voila, a virtual keyboard will be able to enter characters into any text input or text area on your page. If you've never heard a virtual keyboard, it's an on screen keyboard which translates the input from one keyboard layout to another and it allows users to type their own languages on foreign keyboards or by clicking the on screen display.





Google Web Elements are great for folks who don't have much time or experience. However, even for advanced developers, elements are a great starting point, as most are backed by an underlying API to give you even more control over the content or look and feel. Take a look at all of the elements at http://www.google.com/webelements and stop by our help forum if you have any questions.

By Jeff Scudder and Adam Feldman, Google Web Elements Team

Mapping the "No Phone Zone" movement

Mobile communication has revolutionized the way we live, but unfortunately, irresponsible use has also made the roads more dangerous. In 2008, nearly 6000 people lost their lives in the US and more than half a million people were injured in police-reported crashes during which some form of driver distraction was reported — and according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, cell phone use was a major contributor to that.

To help combat distracted driving, Google Maps has worked with The Oprah Winfrey Show to power the mapping for Oprah’s No Phone Zone initiative. The simple pledge form gives you three choices for more responsible driving: no texting, no texting plus handsfree calling only, and no phone use at all while driving.

The first of two maps we’ve made shows where across the US and Canada people have electronically signed the No Phone Zone pledge. It’s nearly real-time, so as you watch the maps you can see the latest name, city, and state/province to join the hundreds of thousands of commitments. This is a nice use of our Google Maps API to allow folks from around the country to easily share their voices on a map in near real-time. Check it out!

The second map helps you educate yourself about state policymaking. Click on a state to restrictions on texting, handsfree, and handheld phone use, and then click through for more details from the Governors Highway Safety Association or to contact a state’s governor directly.

You can see these maps on Oprah.com, or click on “The Map” in the No Phone Zone Widget below. Embed it in your iGoogle page, on a blog, or pretty much anywhere else you communicate by using the “Share” button at bottom-left in the widget below. To make the map work in both the widget and on their website, the developers made use of both the Flash and JavaScript versions of our Google Maps API.

I’ve already signed the pledge but I plan on keeping an eye on the map to watch as more submissions come and see how others make use of it. To learn more about what our mobile team is doing to support safe driving practices, visit our Official Mobile Blog.

Posted by Jesse Friedman, Product Marketing Manager

Up close and personal

[Cross-posted from the SketchUp Blog]

We’re happy to announce that Nashville, Indianapolis, Charlotte, and Dallas are the newest additions to the family of Google Earth cities with high-quality 3D imagery. Exploring some of America’s most well-known cities from the comfort of your own computer just got even easier, and it also got more fun!

Whether exploring Nashville’s music venues along 2nd and Broadway, Indy’s Monument Circle in the heart of downtown, Charlotte’s diverse and numerous museums, or Dallas’s architecturally rich historic districts, the updated high quality 3D imagery will make you feel like you’re really there.

Give it a go in Google Earth or watch the video below for an up close tour!

Posted by Catherine Moats, 3D Modeling Specialist

Lisa Kudrow comprata (di nuovo) dalla tv

Fresca di due nomination come miglior attrice femminile in una commedia per la rete in entrambe le edizione degli Streamy e arrivata alla terza stagione con il suo Web Therapy ora Lisa Kudrow tornerà al prime time televisivo grazie alla sua webserie. Sarà il canale a pagamento Showtime ad offrire ai suoi abbonati una versione tagliata per la tv della webserie che vede l'ex stralunata di Friends interpretare una psichiatra che invece che ricevere nello studio fa brevi sessioni di terapia attraverso la webcam.
Inutile gridare al riconoscimento da parte del vecchio medium delle qualità del nuovo, Showtime non ha davvero comprato una webserie ma una star della tv, Lisa Kudrow, e il suo prodotto già pronto e dal successo provato. Come se non bastasse l'ha anche adattato al suo formato (gli episodi da circa 10 minuti l'uno saranno uniti e mostrati a 3 alla volta) senza la minima intenzione di lasciarsi contaminare da quell'idea di intrattenimento.

continua su Punto Informatico

Cosa voglio di più (2010)di Silvio Soldini

POSTATO SU

Togliendo rapidamente qualsiasi dubbio lo scrivo subito: Cosa voglio di più racconta la solita storia, uomo e donna, sistemati affettivamente e familiarmente che si incontrano e scoprono una passione che li spingerebbe a mollare tutto per ricominciare un'altra vita insieme.
Tuttavia, se dovessimo fare piazza pulita di tutte le storie di questo tipo che debordano dalla fucina creativa (??) del cinema italiano per lasciarne uno solo l'anno, questa dovrebbe essere la prescelta dell'annata.

Al contrario di molti altri Soldini ci tiene realmente a fare questo racconto e ha una chiara visione di cosa significhi quel sentimento che arriva in quel contesto socio-economico. Molto si è parlato del film come "l'amore al tempo della crisi" ma è un po' più questo, perchè se lo sfondo quello è, è anche vero che i protagonisti di loro non si trovano in situazioni economicamente invidiabili e quindi una storia simile si sarebbe potuta verificare in qualsiasi altro momento storico. E' semmai il pubblico di oggi che guardandola trae determinate conclusioni sulla propria esistenza attuale.
Inoltre Cosa voglio di più non è nemmeno un film sull'amore o sui sentimenti ma sulla volontà umana e l'opportunità di compiere delle scelte per la propria esistenza.

Cosa voglio di più è un film molto schematico, si occupa prima del personaggio di Alba Rohrwacher, poi di quello di Favino e poi di tutti e due insieme. Mostra i controcampi del tradimento e più che cercare di mettere in scena l'azione del tradire (che per dire è ciò che appassiona Muccino, quanto il tradimento somigli ad un thriller) mostra il movimento interiore che il desiderio di un'altra vita scatena.
Essendo cineasta serio, Soldini per raggiungere l'obiettivo non usa solo i dialoghi (come sempre nei suoi film molto accattivanti) ma soprattutto i suoni, le immagini, il panorama di periferia milanese e i corpi dei due personaggi, da cui le molte scene di nudo che hanno attirato l'attenzione della stampa svogliata e che in realtà sono davvero interessanti.

C'è un momento in cui tutto è più lampante che nel resto del film, quando Anna (Alba Rohrwacher) è ad una lezione serale di pittura, un momento connotato con infamità da colori, ambiente, corpi presenti e tono delle immagini, ad un certo punto sentiamo un tonfo basso, profondo, simile ad un battito di cuore amplificato e Anna ha un sussulto come se il rumore venisse da dentro di lei, il controcampo mostra che sono due amanti che baciandosi sbattono contro la vetrina, il campo mostra Alba che capisce cosa dovrà fare.

Book reviews up at City Paper

International Ink: Clowes, Kids, Crackers and Hellboy

Posted by Mike Rhode on Apr. 29, 2010 at 10:40 am

Imagery for response to Haiti earthquake and Yazoo tornado

To help support ongoing relief efforts in Haiti, we’ve been working with our satellite partner GeoEye to capture updated imagery of Port-au-Prince. As the rainy season approaches, it’s important to have current imagery in order to help aid workers identify and monitor the numerous refugee camps that have sprung up.

You can access the new Haiti satellite imagery by using the Historic Imagery feature in Google Earth. Simply open Google Earth and click on the clock icon in the top toolbar.


The historical imagery time slider will appear just beneath the toolbar. The tick marks on the slider represent images in our database that are available for your current view.

Drag the slider with your mouse to flip between images from different dates. In the below example, you can learn about how a refugee camp has changed in the months since the earthquake.

We’ll continue adding new imagery to the database as it becomes available. We also now have new imagery of the Yazoo City, Mississippi area, where a devastating F4 tornado tore through the town over the weekend. We are making the imagery available as a Google Earth overlay, which we hope can be helpful for responders and those affected by this tragic event.

While we're not able to publish imagery after every disaster around the world, we appreciate the work of our partners and providers to help make this imagery available whenever possible.

Posted by Matt Manolides, Senior GIS Strategist

Tags: Now in 11 cities

Last week we announced that our new ads offering, Tags, would be rolling out to additional cities. Now business owners in San Jose, Houston, Austin, Atlanta, Washington DC, San Diego, Seattle, Boulder, Chicago, San Francisco and Mountain View can sign up for Tags from their Google Places accounts.

You’ll notice that we’ve added Mountain View, CA to the list of cities participating in the trial. Because we are still tweaking the product a bit, we thought we’d make it available in our hometown so we can get quick feedback as we work on new features.

For those who are not yet familiar with Tags, for a $25/month flat fee businesses can opt to add a yellow tag to their Google Places listing that highlights a particular aspect of their business. The tag options today include coupons, photos, videos, menu, reservation, website, and driving directions. In a couple of weeks we will launch a new tag type: “post to your Place Page,” a freeform text field in which a business owner can highlight a custom message announcing a sale or an upcoming event.

Posted by Shalini Agarwal, Product Manager

April showers bring... new imagery

The Google Earth and Maps Imagery team has just finished finished pushing out large amount of updated imagery. In total, more than 35 countries are getting updates in one form or another. Some of my favorite highlights include:

Las Vegas, NV

"The Boneyard" in Tucson, AZ

The World Expo in Shanghai

For a complete picture of where we updated imagery, check out the Google Earth plug-in below (updated areas highlighted in red). Alternatively, you can download this KML for viewing in Google Earth, or you view the updates in Google Maps.

Updates are noted with a red frame

Posted by Matt Manolides, Senior Geo Data Strategist

Google APIs + HTML5 = A New Era of Mobile Apps

This post is part of the Who's @ Google I/O, a series of blog posts that give a closer look at developers who'll be speaking or demoing at Google I/O. This guest post is written by Adrian Graham, co-founder of nextstop.com who will give us a demo inside the Developer Sandbox.

When building nextstop's HTML5 mobile app, we were able to leverage a powerful combination of HTML5 and Google API's to build a mobile web experience that we believe rivals what we could have built natively. For more on our mobile app, check out this post -- here we will just focus on the technologies that made this experience possible.

Lately HTML5's video features have gotten a lot of attention, but it's three other HTML5 features that we've found most useful for mobile web development.

1. Prefetching using LocalStorage: It's no secret that mobile data networks are slow but by putting a bit of thought into what users will tap on next, and prefetching that data in the background you can build a dramatically faster user experience. It's possible to do limited forms of prefetching using plain old JavaScript, but using the localStorage key/value storage built into HTML5, we're able to store much more data and therefore prefetch more aggressively.

If you're using a recent version of Chrome or Safari or on an iPhone 3 or Android 2 phone and want a sense of what prefetching feels like, try clicking the left and right arrows here (you can ignore the warning you will see in Chrome and Safari).

2. Geolocation: Using the geolocation features built into HTML5 (and available on iPhone 3 and Android 2), we're able to connect you with local information based on the GPS in your phone, so all you have to do is launch the app to see nearby recommendations. I wish it were a bit faster, but it sure beats entering an address or zip code -- and it's super easy to hook into as a developer.

3. App Caching: The last HTML5 feature that we heavily rely on is the application cache. If a cache manifest file is specified, the browser won't re-download files unless the content of the manifest file has been updated. This may not sound like a big deal, but the latency of cellular networks can be long enough that requesting multiple files at startup can slow down your app by 10 or 20 seconds. Ideally, you'd put all your static JavaScript, CSS, and image files in the manifest file, so users never have to wait for them to be downloaded more than once.

As excited as we are about HTML5, things get even more interesting when you combine these technologies with Google APIs.

1. Google Maps API V3: Google Maps V3 has been rewritten from the ground up to better support modern mobile web browsers, and it shows. We were able to build a map interface into our mobile app that is nearly as full featured as our main site, including support for dynamic updates when the user pans and gestures like pinch to zoom on the iPhone. Coupled with the Geolocation support in HTML5, we can easily show users where they are in relation to the recommendations on the map. A year ago, this would have required writing a fair amount of native code. Today it can be done in the browser and works on both Android 2 and iPhone 3 devices.

2. Google Analytics: Since we prefetch most of our content, we end up rendering mobile pages using JavaScript. This makes tracking things like page views a little more tricky than a typical website, since we're not requesting an HTML file for each page view (and the App Cache can further complicate matters). We planned on building a custom mobile analytics system, but we decided to try running Google Analytics in the mobile web browser instead. Using the _trackPageview method (with a URL corresponding to each mobile "page" generated by Javascript) has worked surprisingly well and has had minimal performance impact. Best of all, if you're already using Google Analytics on your main site, you see all your mobile analytics in the same place. This lets you do things like easily compare the time on site for a mobile visitor and a desktop visitor. (Here's one data point if you're wondering whether or not to build a mobile web version of your site: visitors spend over twice as long using our mobile HTML5 app as they do on our website.)

3. Google Local Search API: Coupled with HTML5 geolocation, the Google Local Search API becomes even easier to use. For instance, the nextstop app lets users add places that they like to nextstop's database. In a desktop browser, we have no choice but to ask the user to type in some words and do a local search. However, on the phone, we can show users a list of nearby places by passing the local search api the user's current position. More often than not, no typing is required to locate the place you'd like to add.

If you can't already tell, we're pretty excited about the future mobile apps running inside a browser. As mobile web browsers and web APIs continue to evolve, we expect more and more people to hop on the HTML5 bandwagon as a cross-platform way to build powerful mobile apps.

We'll be at Google I/O in May and would love for you to stop by our demo station in the Developer Sandbox and share any questions, tips, or tricks you have related to HTML5 mobile development. And in the meantime, if you have a great idea for an HTML5 app based on nextstop's data, we encourage you to check out our API.

By Adrian Graham, co-founder of nextstop.com

Per demanar, que no quede

Divendres passat, tornava del treball escoltant la ràdio. Més concretament, tenia sintonitzat Hoy por hoy, el programa que dirigeix Quique Gabilondo a Ràdio Xàtiva, de la Cadena SER. (Ui, perdó, he volgut dir Iñaki Rosselló. Merda, tampoc! Mãemeua, quin embolic! Anem a veure: sentia Hoy por hoy, de Quique Rosselló. Per fi!) Com que passe moltes hores al cotxe, m’agrada la companyia de les ones. El programa de Quique té... com diria jo? Té quelcom de casolà. Uns dies, entrevista el cap de la guàrdia urbana; altres, la presidenta de l’Associació d’Ames de Casa. Apareixen per l’espai les arengues de Tino Parra, Marcos Sanchis, Maria Josep Pla, Tono Vidal, Maria Emília Soro, Jorge Herrero... El conductor de l’espai dóna joc també a l’encarregada de relacions públiques de la Creu Roja i, sobretot, al reverend Ximo Núñez, un veritable crack. Això sí, per tal que el magazine radiofònic no semble massa escorat cap a estribord, de tard en tard —molt de tard en tard—, Quique deixa que traga el nas pel dial gentola com Lo Pol, Ricard Gallego, Escrivà de Cort... Ja us podreu imaginar que el programa en qüestió es caracteritza per confondre a tort i dret els avisos, la informació, la propaganda política (de vegades, sembla l'oficina de premsa municipal) i la publicitat comercial —amb freqüents connexions amb la campa de Comercial Setabense, la Fiat, ADEXA—. Què anem a fer? Aquestes barreges són tan recurrents que els oients hem acabat acostumant-nos-hi. Divendres passat, però, el programa assolí un d’aqueixos moments de clímax difícils de superar. El programa es va transmetre íntegrament des del British School, que aquell dia inaugurava les seues instal·lacions (les inaugurava oficialment, perquè ja estaven funcionant des de principi de curs). I clar, com que l’ocasió ho requeria, Quique Rosselló aconseguí de traure el millor d’un tal Frank, fill dels propietaris de l’empresa. Es produí, per tant, la màxima confusió entre informació i publicitat. El xicot afirmà cofoi que el seu centre ofereix el currículum anglès. Informà que, en el British School, els alumnes d’infantil i primària tenen un assistant personal. L’alumnat del centre disposa també de múltiples activitats extraescolars: judo, música, ballet, pàdel, waterpolo, natació... Participaren en aquell programa de la SER diferents regidors de l’equip de govern pertanyents a l’àrea d’Educació i Cultura. Es notava l’emoció que provocava l’esdeveniment. Naturalment, el periodista féu la pregunta del milió: «En què es diferencia el currículum anglès de l’espanyol?» Frank contestà: Según la LOGSE, todos los alumnos son iguales; según el currículum inglés, cada alumno es diferente y ha de recibir una atención individualizada. Que bonic! I quin engany! La LOGSE ja no està en vigor; des de 2006, regeix la LOE. La LOE estableix, entre d’altres, els següents principis: «Qualitat de l’educació per a tot l’alumnat, independentment de les seues condicions i circumstàncies; flexibilitat per adequar l’educació a la diversitat d’aptituds, interessos, expectatives i necessitats de l’alumnat, així com als canvis que experimenten l’alumnat i la societat; esforç individual i motivació de l’alumnat (article 1). Educació en la responsabilitat individual i en el mèrit i l’esforç personal (article 2)». De fet, el centre públic on porte els meus fills atén la diversitat dels alumnes de diferents maneres: hi ha grups de reforç i desdoblament, programes de diversificació i de qualificació professional inicial, Departament d’Orientació (amb psicòloga, logopeda i professor de Pedagogia Terapèutica), tutoria individualitzada... I tot debades! Arribats ací, també jo em faig la pregunta del milió: Qui paga totes les virgueries —inclosa la publicitat en la Cadena SER, emmascarada d’informació— de què fa ostentació el British School? Si les paguen els pares dels alumnes, ja s’ho faran. Però si el centre aconsegueix alguna mena de concert econòmic per als seus extres —els paga, per tant, l’erari públic—, jo em demane les mateixes virgueries (pàdel, waterpolo, violí i assistant personal) per al centre públic dels meus fills i dels meus nebots. Per demanar, que no quede! És just, no?

Connect with your "neigh"bors using Google Places

[Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog]

This is the second post in our Small Business series about entrepreneurship and the various Google tools you can use to establish and improve your business presence on the Internet. Here, you’ll learn how Google Places (formerly called the Local Business Center) can help you attract and be discovered by customers in your area for free. -Ed.

As a local business owner, one of the things that sets you apart is your ability to make personal connections with your customers because of your passion for what you do. Letting people know who you are and what your business is about is a vital part of finding customers, building lasting relationships with them and helping your business succeed. Google Placeshelps business owners like you to manage your online presence and supplement your Place Page with all the information that helps people decide to visit you — from basics like hours of operation and address to helpful extras like videos, coupons and special announcements.

To give you a firsthand account of how Google Places can help a small business grow and succeed, I’ve invited Danya Wright to share her experience:

I first began riding horses at age six. Ever since then I knew that I wanted to spend my life working with horses and sharing my passion with others. I had jobs working for several barns and riding programs around Arizona, but always dreamed of having a school of my own.

Two years ago, I finally realized my dream and opened Specialized Training and Riding School — S.T.A.R.S. of Horsemanship. At S.T.A.R.S., we offer lessons to riders of all ages and skill levels, provide therapeutic horse training services for those with disabilities, and train Special Olympics riders. Our property is a 10-acre scenic environment for our students and horses. But because we’re located in a rural area ofGilbert, AZ, this also presents a big challenge: I don’t have the advantage of “window shoppers” or drive-by traffic. Without a storefront, those who do pass by may not realize that my stable is open to customers. Whenever I want to find a local business, Google Maps is my resource, so I wanted to make sure my business appears there too.

I did a little research and quickly found Google Places (which was known as Local Business Center when I first signed up). Within a few minutes, I was able to update theS.T.A.R.S. Place Page to add key details about my business, like exact location and contact information. And I could mention the special services we offer like group classes, private lessons, birthday parties, Scouting events, parent-child sessions and so on. Now when a company’s looking specifically for a team-building venue, they can find my business easily.



Since avid equestrians can be quite particular about facility details, I wanted to make sure that my Place Page included all of the specialized information that’s relevant to my target clients. Now when you search on Google, you can be taken to our Place Page to see photos that offer preview of our stables and even meet Salty, one of the horses. You can also find a coupon to help provide a little extra incentive to come try out our lessons if you’re new to horseback riding.

Since I started using Google Places six months ago, my business has grown tenfold from what it was before — I’ve gone from averaging around 10 to 15 students to now serving more than 100. To be honest, I had just figured that new customers would trickle in over time, but it’s boomed far beyond my expectations. And now I can spend more time with horses and riders, and less at the computer!

Posted by Carter Maslan, Director of Product Management, Local Search

PR: DC Comic-Con Costume Contest

DC Comic-Con Costume Contest Washington, DC - April 28, 2010 - JUST ANNOUNCED!  Iron Man 2, hitting theatres on May 7, 2010, presents the Inaugural DC Comic-Con Costume Contest!   Come out to the Iron Man 2 table dressed as your favorite comic book character to enter-to-win Iron Man 2 prizes.  The person with the best costume will win reserve seats at the advance screening of the film in DC!  Best Costume will be picked from all entries at 3pm, so enter early!   For more information on Iron Man 2, go to www.ironmanmovie.com.   Directions The show will be held at the George Mason University campus at 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA  22030 in the Student Union Building II (SUB II).  Free Parking is available in Lot A (beside the Patriot Center), which is a short walk from SUB II.  A map of the campus can be found at http://parking.gmu.edu/pdf%20files/parkingmap09.pdf, and directions to the show can be found on the show website at http://dccomicon.com/?page_id=63.    About The DC Comic-Con The DC Comic-Con, launching in 2010 on Sunday, May 2nd from 10am-5pm, is a result of the cooperative work of Marc Nathan, sponsor of the Baltimore Comic-Con (http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/) and Brett Carreras, sponsor of the VA Comicon (http://www.vacomicon.com/). For more information about guests, games, show exclusives, and contests, please visit http://dccomicon.com/.

May 3: Daniel Clowes at Politics and Prose

I'll have a brief review of the book up at the City Paper this week, and an amusing interview with him posted there on Monday morning.

Daniel Clowes - Wilson

Start: May 3, 2010 - 7:00pm
End: May 3, 2010 - 8:00pm
The latest graphic novel by Clowes, the author of David Boring and Ghost World is his first not to be serialized. A sequence of single-page vignettes, it’s drawn in different styles and dramatizes the life of a lonely, bitter man searching for human connection.

Gli Amori Folli (Les herbes folles, 2009)di Alain Resnais

POSTATO SU

Da quando lo fece Truffaut con Abel Gance è diventata efficace figura retorica affermare che un cineasta molto vecchio ma ancora in attività è "il più giovane tra i nostri registi" e sarà forse per l'assonanza nouvellevaghesca ma guardando Gli amori folli non si riesce a non pensare a quest'affermazione.
Già Cuori aveva mostrato che a 84 anni Resnais ha ancora idee da vendere. Ora, a 88 anni, ha realizzato un film che, pur mostrando la mano grinzosa che l'ha composto attraverso una pomposità e un retaggio letterario che sono sia caratteristica degli anziani sia di quella generazione di cineasti francesi, ha la rapidità di movimento di un ventenne!
Se al confronto penso a Le Rose Del Deserto mi sento male.

Gli amori folli (ah! L'amore nei titoli italiani...) comincia con le erbe folli del titolo originale, cioè quelle piante che in maniera totalmente inaspettata fanno la cosa più strana e imprevedibile, crescono tra le pieghe dell'asfalto e delle rocce (facile metafora dei sentimenti dei protagonisti), dopodichè è un turbine di eventi, amori, follie da parte di una coppia di circa-sessantenni. Storie che sembrano quasi di provincia per quanto sono piccole e ordinarie, fatte di sentimenti ed intrecci in cui Resnais cerca una dimensione estetica tutta particolare in grado che consenta le venature di grottesco di cui contamina il film e soprattutto eviti la piccolezza per giungere alla grandezza.

E' anche un film divertente Gli amori folli, a tratti surreale (le sequenze felliniane nell'hangar) a tratti sognante, a tratti metacinematografico e colmo di quelle caratteristiche del cinema francese anni '60 (che nemmeno Audiard disdegna) come mascherini ad iride e la retorica sul cinema, la sala e i film.
Ma come si diceva nel suo raccontare di un amore folle che scoppia fuori tempo massimo, ma non per questo rinuncia alla sua forza, Resnais, utilizza punti di inquadratura inusuali (mai vista una scena in macchina filmata così con quelle variazioni cromatiche date dal semaforo) e muove la macchina da presa per vie stranissime, a volte anche poco funzionali, giusto per sperimentare modi nuovi di guardare ai medesimi racconti.

Su tutto aleggia una colonna sonora di Mark Snow modernissima, un altro elemento straniante che contribuisce a modificare la lettura di quella storia e quelle immagini. Cioè un altro elemento formale molto modernizzante affiancato e ben amalgamato con una storia vecchio stampo.

Weldon recommendations on Free Comic Book Day

Free Comic Book Day: A Checklist for the Comics Agnostic
by Glen Weldon
April 28, 2010

Post's Parker editorializes again on Danish Islam cartoon controversy

Freedom of sketch
By Kathleen Parker
Washington Post April 28, 2010; A21

Anàlisi de l'encontre Barcelona-Milà.

Des de la més desapassionada objectivitat i lògica, i amb un toc de dúctil relativisme he de dir que avui he nascut com a home.

Hauré perdut molt de temps per no cultivar aquesta especialitat abans?

He engegat la televisio per tal de fer el seguiment asèptic dels 94 minuts i ... voleu dir que he vist futbol?

- No, senyores i senyors.

La meua vida és tan simple com haver d'escalfar-me un pot de llentilles al bany de Maria, car havia de sopar i trencar el plàstic de la bossa dels canonges caducats. Des d'aquest instant la lògica ha estat esclafant i malgrat els crits i xiulits d'una fi del món, he comprés el principi de no contradicció, una cosa ben estranya de què parlen els poetes: a la vida i a la mort com a l'esport, tots no poden guanyar. De vegades ens plou cendra, i d'altres pètals de flors dels tarongers, equiliquà!

Així podría dir que aquest espectacle ha estat de teatre ras, la reduïda vida d'un inconscient d'enganyifa, del futbol; més aviat i entre cullerada i cullerada he vist una colla de multimilionaris riure o plorar rere una entelèquia rodona a qui tots donen existència real: en Baló, una nova divinitat euclidiana, un ídol de cristall.

La sort meua és que el meu jornal de pidolaire no depén directament proporcional del 3% dels contractes, primes, promocions d'aquests sinyurets per als qui la crisi és tan sols un somni: Sort la seua, amb les Mercedes Testarrosa amb què passegen els autògrafs a recer de vida pròpia i misèria aliena!

Però i la sort dels mileuristes amb tan sols una força de treball -ara i per sempre més- aturada?

Mite'ls, tots guspirejant, cremant els darrers segons dels rellotges mecanico-digitals!

Quasi, quasi els hi anava la vie... però, era rosa?

Panem et circenses, panem et circenses -cridava una entremaliada Pordacis muralis-...

Carpe diem, carpe diem -zumzejaven els Bombus terrestris-...

Mentre les dents meues capolaven les darreres mastegades de tristesa i aire, he recordat la duríssima disciplina del meu pont. Cada dia un company omple a poalades el bidó per fer l'escurada. Som pobres, però ballem amb la princesa Dignitat. Avui era el Jaume qui havia acomplit la feina.

Pacientment he desat les poques molles i verdures per a les Formicidae. No cal ser goluts.

´

En acabar aquest espectacle tan nocturn i subterrani he sortit a percaçar broquets perduts, el tabac reial dels pidolaires. I per reblar la nit amb un còctel de blava poesia, al costat dels cànids més puçosos he udolat -amb la ràbia de tots els segles- pels perdedors de l'esperança.

Amunt els cors! Encara sota la lluna la sang patina!

Passió per l’art

Després d’estar absent molts dies (els trasllats, la feina i la gossera en són culpables principals), m’he decidit a penjar aquest post. Ja tenia notícies d’Alietes, Refalete i el de les Maraquetes, tres micos que es fan anomenar Mateta de Fenoll. De fet, el nou grup musical necessitava cantants i ballarines —«Qui no en necessita?», dirà més d’un—, per a fer els cors i les danses. Atenció, aquests pinxos volien nenes inexpertes. «Es valorarà la inexperiència. Interessades presentar-se al càstig que tindrà lloc el proper 23 d’abril a les 23h, a Manuel. Abstenir-se professionals, homes, drags queens, dracs Mondúver i altres sauris», anunciava qui, sens dubte, deu formar part del “trio”. I tot aquell desplegament (dansaires, cors, maraques —jo vaig estar temptat d’aconsellar-los també una kalimba o malimba—), quin objecte tenia? Cap! Anaven a interpretar jump blues, mambo o son montuno, aquestes mones? No! Acabaren recitant poesia!

En definitiva, la postdata de Davit del carré Blanc («Espere qualsevol comentari dels artistes que complemente aquest text») m’ha animat a sortir del mutisme. La veritable obra d’art no necessita paraules que l’expliquen. Tampoc no necessita etiquetes. Faulk song? Música indie? No home, no! Una excusa per a lligar! Els espectadors notarien, però, que els de Mateta de Fenoll Faulk Band actuaren sense coristes ni ballarines. Què havia passat? Potser, amb aquest vídeo, entendreu millor les coses; totes les aspirants havien fugit espaordides.

I clar, en fallar les xiques, què feren els “artistes”? Dedicar-se a la lírica, als records d’infantesa, a rememorar les nanes de la iaia... Com William Faulkner, quan evocava els porxos del seu Mississippí natal, els balancins, les plantacions de cotó... Res de nou! Són multitud els artistes que pateixen de malenconia, quan es queden sense xiques. Haurien d’aprendre d’altres artistes. Hi ha un conegut poeta xativí que alça passions entre les dones de tota edat i condició. Quan acaba els recitals, s’ha d’amagar darrere del pianista. El fotògraf captà dues fans seues.

Keeping Canada's map current

En Français

The map of Canada is constantly changing - new roads are being built, highways are being renamed, and bike trails are opening. To keep up with all these changes, we've started using new map data in Canada. This new base map is built from a wide range of sources, just as we recently announced for the US in October. In Canada, we've made use of data from organizations such as the National Hydrography Network and Canadian Council on Geomatics. Once again things like satellite imagery and Street View were also helpful to make a rich, thorough base map.

You may notice some changes like seeing a full map of your former campus, but overall the look and feel of Google Maps will be pretty similar to what you're used to. One of the biggest changes is that now you can give us direct feedback about our map of Canada - let's say a new park has just opened in your neighborhood. You'll notice a link that says "Report a Problem" in the lower right corner of Google Maps when you're looking at Canada, which will let you send your updates and feedback directly to us. We'll review it as soon as possible and keep you posted on the status of your report. We want our map to be as up-to-date as possible and reflect what's important to you, and we think these changes will help us with that goal.

--

En Français

La carte du Canada est en constante évolution : de nouvelles routes sont construites, des autoroutes sont rebaptisées et de nouvelles pistes cyclables sont aménagées. Afin de tenir compte de ces changements, nous avons commencé à utiliser de nouvelles données cartographiques pour le Canada. Cette nouvelle carte a été assemblée à partir d’un large éventail de sources, comme celles utilisées dans le cas des États-Unis (annonce effectuée en octobre). Au Canada, nous avons recueilli des données auprès d’organisations comme le Réseau hydro national et le Conseil canadien de géomatique. Des concepts comme l’imagerie par satellite et Street View nous ont également été utiles pour concevoir une carte de base riche et complète.

Vous remarquerez certains changements, comme la possibilité de consulter une carte précise de votre alma mater, mais l’aspect visuel et la navigation de Google Maps demeureront assez semblables à ce à quoi vous êtes habitué. L’un des plus importants changements est la possibilité de nous faire parvenir directement votre rétroaction au sujet de notre carte du Canada. Par exemple, si un nouveau parc a été aménagé dans votre quartier, vous pouvez alors cliquer sur le lien «Signaler un problème», au coin inférieur droit de la carte, afin de nous transmettre directement vos mises à jour et vos commentaires. Nous examinerons votre rétroaction dans les plus brefs délais et nous vous tiendrons au courant du progrès de votre demande. Nous désirons mettre au point une carte la plus actuelle possible qui répond à vos besoins, et nous croyons que ces changements nous aideront à atteindre cet objectif.

Posted by Waleed Kadous, Software Engineer

Maria Sharapova New 5 Top Pictures

Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova

Marc Singer on teaching American Born Chinese

Marc must be near to wrapping his course at Howard up - here he is on Gene Yang's award-winning book -

Week 12: Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese
April 26, 2010

BANG! The Universe Verse highlighted in Post

Without seeing the book "BANG! The Universe Verse: Book 1" (James Lu Dunbar), I'm not sure it's a comic, but...

Comic book uses verse to describe the beginning of the universe
-- Rachel Saslow
Washington Post April 27, 2010

National Archives' Civil War manga style

Comic book-style exhibit tells Civil War saga has pictures from the interactive computer display in the new National Archives' exhibit.

Alietes, Refalete i el de les Maraquetes en Manuel: l’esperat debut

EL grup unipersonal de fans i qui escriu arribàrem a Manuel vora les onze de la nit. L’escenari estava ocupat, literalment, per una banda que havia portat tots els instruments de casa per provar-los allà. Els tres músics de Mateta de Fenoll Faulk Ban (que així sembla que podria quedar batejada la criatura), davant aquesta invasió de l’escenari i de l’esgotament de les cerveses, optaren per atrinxerar-se al camerí i preparar l’estratègia per torejar el públic en cas d’haver d’eixir a corre-cuita. De pas que rumiaven com eixir vius, assajaren uns minuts.

En eixir a l’escenari va començar la màgia. Refalete va fer sonar la guitarra, mentre Alietes calfava la gola i el de les Maraquetes buscava on deixar la tercera maraca (té tres maraques i només dues mans), que finalment va anar a parar a l’entrecuix, tot deixant veure que no va perdre el temps a les master class de bossa-nova.

En donar l’entrada va quedar claret la qualitat dels Mateta de Fenoll. En una d’eixes virgueries que només fan els grans músics i els dislèxics, Alietes va demanar a Refalete que donara l’entrada: mentre mirava cap a Refalete, fent creure al respectable que la cosa anava a començar per eixe costat i, just en eixe moment, pel costat contrari sonaven les maraques. El públic intercomarcal allà present no va poder reaccionar a temps. Igualment, potser per ser molt novedós l’estil, la gent va tardar en reaccionar quan Alietes va avisar que són un grup protesta i fan música faulk.

Podeu veure l’actuació i jutjar vosaltres mateixa. Només voldria afegir que va haver una persona del públic que va eixir a felicitar els músics en acabar l’actuació (i no l’havíem subornat amb cerveses, conste). Una felicitació merescuda.

Quan jo era menut hi havia la crema o mantequilla de tres gustos o sabors. La música és també una cosa de gustos. Alietes, Refalete i el de les Maraquetes són tres sabors clarament distingibles. Ara bé, quan estan junts fan un empastre impressionant i molt bo! Inoblidable nit i magnífica actuació.

Pd: La crònica i el video no fan honor a la divertida nit que passàrem, ni a la genial actuació dels Mateta de Fenoll; espere algun comentari dels artistes per complementar aquest text.

Smartsheet’s Success on the Google Apps Marketplace

A couple weeks ago I was up in Seattle talking about the Google Apps Marketplace with local SaaS companies. I was happy to be joined by Smartsheet, Concur and Skytap and even more excited when they all talked about their success on the Marketplace.

We’ve invited Smartsheet to talk about their success on the Google Apps Developer Blog and their founder, Brent Frei, has written an excellent post which I hope you’ll all take the time to read. He talks about how they decided to launch on the Marketplace, their technical evaluation, development process and the results they’ve achieved.

Here’s a graph that tells much of the story-- it shows their new customer leads (excluding pay-per-click-ads):

Here’s the post with their full story on the Google Apps Developer Blog:
Smartsheet - Inside Google Apps Marketplace

For more details on launching your app on the Marketplace, see our
developer site.

By Ryan Boyd, Google Apps Marketplace Team

"Free Comic Book Day, and How It Helps You" up at Washington City Paper

Free Comic Book Day, and How It Helps You

Posted by Mike Rhode on Apr. 27, 2010

Iron Man 2 (id., 2010)di Jon Favreau

POSTATO SU

Pochi film negli ultimi anni avevano riscosso un successo e un gradimento come Iron Man. Tutti a tutti i livelli sembravano esserne rimasti entusiasti, fan in primis.
L'incontro del cinema di Jon Favreau (quello di Swigners) e della personalità di Robert Downey Jr. con l'inconsueto personaggio di Tony Stark (un eroe senza problemi: miliardario, bello, intelligente, simpatico e supereroe) aveva creato il film d'intrattenimento perfetto, capace di fare sul serio quello che gli altri si propongono solamente: essere avventuroso, essere affascinante, essere divertente e, a tratti, sinceramente sentimentale.

Il seguito conferma tutto il cast (tranne Terrence Howard, opportunamente sostituito con Don Cheadle) e la troupe tranne, ad inspiegabile sorpresa, il comparto degli sceneggiatori. I 4 responsabili del primo film sono stati rimpiazzati da una nuova entrata, Justin Theroux che alle sue spalle ha unicamente la collaborazione alla stesura di Tropic Thunder.
Quello che accade è che a fronte di un'azione ugualmente forsennata e un'idea di film molto simile al precedente, in cui il protagonista ha dei problemi ma è sostanzialmente una figura altamente desiderabile, manca totalmente l'identificazione tra chi guarda e chi realizza. Iron Man 2 non sembra più un film tutto centrato sulla storia che mette in scena quello che gli spettatori ancora non sanno di voler vedere ma un film consapevole dei propri punti di forza, che preme su di essi per ottenere il massimo risultato.
Così Tony Stark è ancora più arrogante e banalmente fascinoso così come la sua ostentazione di denaro e tecnologie è ancora più estrema e futile.

Manca inoltre un'altra componente importante, ovvero l'azione. Nel film ce n'è ben poca e tocca attendere parecchio per la prima sequenza davvero interessante, quella cioè dell'autodromo (uno dei pochi momenti in grado di tenere testa all'originale). Allo stesso modo lo showdown finale è di un semplicismo disarmante, specie rispetto alla maniera arguta in cui nel primo film veniva risolta la medesima situazione (Iron Man combatte contro un cattivo dotato di un'armatura più potente della sua).
Così, se Mickey Rourke è assolutamente all'altezza di Jeff Bridges (e non era facile), nel ruolo dello specchio del Tony Stark inventore (mentre Bridges era lo specchio del Tony imprenditore) e Gwyneth Paltrow sembra ancora una volta aver fatto una delle scelte più azzeccate della sua carriera, il resto della trama intorno a loro procede per inerzia, come capita a molti film d'azione (e di fumetto) che si vedono in giro.

Non è stata mostrata la scena presente dopo i titoli di coda perchè non venga fatto spoiler ma io lo faccio lo stesso. Gente della produzione mi ha confidato essere sostanzialmente il martello di Thor che viene sbattuto a terra. Mo' ve l'ho detto.

Google acquires Labpixies

Not everyone likes to start their day with just a search box and logo (no matter how cool it is!). Many users want email, videos, news, weather, games, and other information to be at their fingertips each time they open up a browser window. We launched iGoogle in 2005 to address this need by providing a truly personalized homepage with access to any RSS feed and well over a hundred thousand gadgets.

One of the first developers to create gadgets for iGoogle was Labpixies. Over the years, we worked closely together on a variety of projects, including the launch of a number of global OpenSocial based gadgets. Recently, we decided that we could do more if we were part of the same team, and as such, we're thrilled to announce the acquisition of Labpixies.

The team will be based in our ever-growing Tel Aviv office and will anchor our iGoogle efforts across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. We are looking forward to working with Labpixies to develop great web apps and leverage their knowledge and expertise to help developers and improve the ecosystem overall.

In the meantime, have fun trying to beat me at Flood-It!

By Don Loeb, iGoogle Team

Comic Riffs on let's not "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day"

Post-'South Park': Cartoonist retreats from 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!' [UPDATED], By Michael Cavna, Washington Post's Comic Riffs blog April 26, 2010.

I'm a pretty irreligious guy, and dedicated to free speech, but even I feel this is all getting ridiculous. To use a loaded analogy, it's starting to remind me of the Islam conquest, and countering Crusades, where you 'convinced' the other side by brute force.

John Kelly on the post-cartoon Smokey the Bear

The biography of Smokey Bear: the cartoon came first
By John Kelly
Washington Post April 25, 2010; C03

Zadzooks reviews licensed comics

Comic book reviews: Terminator, Star Wars and Conan, Thursday, April 22, 2010 - Zadzooks - Worlds of Comics, Gaming and Action Figures by Joseph Szadkowski

Nate Beeler chosen for Cartoons for the Classroom

Nate Beeler's drawing of the Iceland volcano was chosen for the April 26th Cartoons for the Classroom educational feature. One can enter a caption contest as well.

Post on South Park censorship

I completely missed this until Cavna's Comic Riffs linked to it -

Comedy Central censors "South Park"
By Lisa de Moraes
Washington Post April 23, 2010

Day late - Iron Man 2 poster in USA Weekend

There's an Iron Man 2 poster by John Romita Jr in USA Weekend, which was distributed in yesterday's Examiner. There's a story on the movie by Brian Truitt as well.

Cellulite e Celluloide - Il podcast

AVVERTENZA! L'indirizzo del feed è cambiato. Tutti i link da ora in poi rimanderanno nei posti corretti. Compreso iTunes.

Il consueto podcast settimanale della trasmissione in onda su RadioRock (106.600 FM) ogni venerdì alle 20.30, che vede ai microfoni oltre a Prince Faster anche il sottoscritto sotto lo pseudonimo di Gabriele Vasquez.

Si comincia con alcune precisazioni su notizia date in precedenti puntate e poi subito La città verrà distrutta all'alba e la delusione di Agorà, poi si racconta con sorpresa di Matrimoni e altri disastri, si velocemente a Sotto un Celio Azzurro e si tessono le lodi di Vendicami.
Torna l'attesissimo appuntamento con i film in televisione.

LA PUNTATA DEL 23/04/10
Ordunque adesso anche se non siete di Roma o dintorni potete godere pure voi di queste perle radiofoniche sottoscrivendo i podcast come più vi aggrada. O consultare l'archivio e l'archivione storico.

Earth view comes to Google Maps

Five years ago, shortly after Google’s acquisition of Keyhole, we introduced the first integration of Keyhole technology into Google Maps -- Satellite view. Suddenly, you could see what places actually looked like from the air, and easily switch between this view and the map view. Mapping has never been the same. A few months later, the desktop Google Earth application was released, and now we have over 600 million downloads. Today we are proud to announce the next major step in the marriage between Google Earth and Google Maps -- Earth view.


Those of you who aren’t as familiar with Google Earth might be wondering how Earth view differs from the satellite view that’s currently available in Maps. First of all, Earth view offers a true three-dimensional perspective, which lets you experience mountains in full detail, 3D buildings, and first-person dives beneath the ocean. The motion is fluid, and you can see the world from any viewpoint. Because Earth view is built right into Maps, you can switch back to cartographic view simply by clicking on the “Map” button. The view will even adjust automatically to a top-down, north-heading perspective as you transition. In essence, you now have all the best mapping tools at your fingertips, all in one place.

New to 3D? We’ve collected some cool places around the world for you to explore with a single click. Ever been to the Taj Mahal? How about the Sydney Opera house, or South Africa’s Table Mountain? You can even dive under the ocean and check out the wreckage of the Titanic. Just click one of the icons in the left panel and you’ll be flown from space down to your chosen location, which you can explore further by clicking and dragging the map or by using the navigation controls in the top of the view. We have 36 places set aside for you to explore, and you can cycle through them by clicking the "More places" link. We've also included a short video introduction to Earth view.



Earth view uses the same technology that powers the Google Earth desktop application. It allows you to view the same high-resolution imagery, terrain, and 3D cityscapes, all from right within your browser. We built the new Earth view on the Google Earth API and browser plugin, which make it easy for web developers to include Google Earth in their own websites. If you’ve already installed Google Earth, you can start using Earth view right away. Otherwise, with one click you can download and install the browser plugin and you’ll be ready to start exploring in 3D. The Earth plugin is currently supported on most Windows and Mac web browsers.

Get started today by going to maps.google.com/earthview, and explore your world in 3D.


Posted by Peter Birch, Product Manager