Google Earth in your Browser

According to Google LatLong Blog(official Google blog) and Google Earth Blog(non-official), Google releases a new Google Earth plug-in (download here) for browser (currently only work on Windows). You can download it here or it will prompt you to download it the first time you go to a "Google Earth enabled" site.

Once you install the plug-in, you could experience most of the things that appear in Google Earth. Moreover, Google releases new Google Earth API (Application Program Interface) such that developer can now modify how you interact with the site. Google provides some demos to show off what developer can do with the API....

You could use the tradition Google Earth interface: code.google.com
Or being a MONSTER MILKTRUCK driver:

By the way, I just delivered milk to the tip of the world. (According to wikipedia - Coordinates 27°59′17″N 86°55′31″E / 27.98806, 86.92528)

Google Spreadsheet's Form.

In Google Docs Blog, they posted an easy-to-follow instruction video on how to create a Form using Google Spreadsheet. It's a good "tutorial" for those who prefer a step-by-step instruction instead of exploring by him/herself. (Actually the Form user interface is easy to pick up).




Seems like some people are confused when editing both the Form and the underneath Spreadsheet. And the Google Docs team posted a list of Do's and Don't's for creating Form to help people out. (By looking at the list, you can guess how the form and the spreadsheet are related)

	DO	DON'T
From the FORM	re-arrange questions using the up/down icons on the left of the question being edited delete questions you want removed from the form. Note: the spreadsheet column will NOT be deleted, so you won't lose any prior responses, but it will no longer be filled with any new data.
	DO	DON'T
From the SPREADSHEET	insert columns for your own data - calculations, notes, etc - which are not in the form insert rows under your column headers to create calculations of results (such as counts of each answer, etc. New form responses will always be added after the last row with any content.	DON'T try to re-arrange questions by cutting/pasting portions of columns OR whole columns DON'T delete columns that are in the form - they will not be deleted from the form and will eventually re-appear in the spreadsheet (next time you edit the form) as the first available column at the end of your current columns. DON'T change column header text, as the next edit of the form will overwrite those back to whatever they are on the form... make all changes to question titles on the form and those will be transferred to the spreadsheet column headers (overwriting what's there). DON'T expect re-ordering of questions in the form to change the order of columns in the spreadsheet

Google Sites Opens to Public

Last week, Google Sites finally open to general public. It used to be exclusive to Google Apps users. Google Sites is good for a group of people to collaborate on a topics(just like the ski club example in the following video) It seems like Google Sites will overtake Google Page sooner or later.

Here is the video showing how to start your own "Site":



Blog: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/google-sites-now-open-to-everyone.html