Author Archives: Elisabeth Leoni

The High Five: Hurricane Irma, DACA and the Pope—search trends from this week

Each week, we take a look at the most-searched trends (with help and data from the team at Google News Lab). Here are a few top trends from this week:

Hurricane Irma

Irma was on the minds of many throughout the week, as the hurricane devastated the Caribbean and headed toward the U.S. As Florida braces for impact, people are searching for how to prepare—top searches in Florida include “how to board up windows” and “how to install hurricane shutters.” Floridians are also searching for where they can stock up on supplies like sandbags and water. Across the U.S., top queries include, “Where has Hurricane Irma hit?” “How wide is the eye of Hurricane Irma?” and “How to volunteer for Hurricane Irma?”

DACA

President Trump’s administration rescinded DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which provides legal protection for immigrants—known as “Dreamers”—who came to the U.S. unlawfully as children. People searched for more information about the legislation, as well as information about how to take action. The top three questions about DACA were: “What to say to senators about DACA?” “When was DACA set to expire?” and “What do DACA recipients receive?” The top three states searching for DACA—Arizona, California and New Mexico—are ones with high populations of Dreamers.

On a lighter note

This week, celebrity news was ready to pop with baby announcements. Two celebrity couples—Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, and Princess Kate and Prince William—are expecting baby number three. Top searches for Kim and Kanye were about Kim’s surrogate, and people wanted to know who the surrogate is, why they’re using one, and how much they’re paying her. As for William and Kate, people are curious about the ages of the parents as well as the ages of their babies. If all this baby talk has you wondering about popular names these days, the top searched baby names this week were James, Isabella and Michael.

“Wow, in front of the Pope!”

That’s how the head of the Catholic Church responded when a young man proposed to his girlfriend during a papal audience. Bold move. People were searching about the proposal and for other Pope-related information like, “How long has the Pope been the Pope?” and “What country did the Pope recently visit?” And speaking of proposals … the top “how to’s” related to proposals include: “How to know if you should propose, “How to get your boyfriend to propose,” and “How to tell if he’ll ever propose.” Not sure Google (or the Pope) can help answer that one.

Roses are red, chocolates are ruby

The final trend of the week ends on a sweet note. Swiss company Barry Callebaut debuted a new natural ruby-colored chocolate this week, and chocolate lovers must know: “Where to buy ruby chocolate? “What variety bean is used in ruby chocolate?” and “Is Ruby chocolate vegan?” Other than pink chocolate, top searched pink foods this week were “pink drink Starbucks,” “pink moscato” and “pink champagne.”

Source: Search


The High Five: Hurricane Irma, DACA and the Pope—search trends from this week

Each week, we take a look at the most-searched trends (with help and data from the team at Google News Lab). Here are a few top trends from this week:

Hurricane Irma

Irma was on the minds of many throughout the week, as the hurricane devastated the Caribbean and headed toward the U.S. As Florida braces for impact, people are searching for how to prepare—top searches in Florida include “how to board up windows” and “how to install hurricane shutters.” Floridians are also searching for where they can stock up on supplies like sandbags and water. Across the U.S., top queries include, “Where has Hurricane Irma hit?” “How wide is the eye of Hurricane Irma?” and “How to volunteer for Hurricane Irma?”

DACA

President Trump’s administration rescinded DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which provides legal protection for immigrants—known as “Dreamers”—who came to the U.S. unlawfully as children. People searched for more information about the legislation, as well as information about how to take action. The top three questions about DACA were: “What to say to senators about DACA?” “When was DACA set to expire?” and “What do DACA recipients receive?” The top three states searching for DACA—Arizona, California and New Mexico—are ones with high populations of Dreamers.

On a lighter note

This week, celebrity news was ready to pop with baby announcements. Two celebrity couples—Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, and Princess Kate and Prince William—are expecting baby number three. Top searches for Kim and Kanye were about Kim’s surrogate, and people wanted to know who the surrogate is, why they’re using one, and how much they’re paying her. As for William and Kate, people are curious about the ages of the parents as well as the ages of their babies. If all this baby talk has you wondering about popular names these days, the top searched baby names this week were James, Isabella and Michael.

“Wow, in front of the Pope!”

That’s how the head of the Catholic Church responded when a young man proposed to his girlfriend during a papal audience. Bold move. People were searching about the proposal and for other Pope-related information like, “How long has the Pope been the Pope?” and “What country did the Pope recently visit?” And speaking of proposals … the top “how to’s” related to proposals include: “How to know if you should propose, “How to get your boyfriend to propose,” and “How to tell if he’ll ever propose.” Not sure Google (or the Pope) can help answer that one.

Roses are red, chocolates are ruby

The final trend of the week ends on a sweet note. Swiss company Barry Callebaut debuted a new natural ruby-colored chocolate this week, and chocolate lovers must know: “Where to buy ruby chocolate? “What variety bean is used in ruby chocolate?” and “Is Ruby chocolate vegan?” Other than pink chocolate, top searched pink foods this week were “pink drink Starbucks,” “pink moscato” and “pink champagne.”

The High Five: Hurricane Irma, DACA and the Pope—search trends from this week

Each week, we take a look at the most-searched trends (with help and data from the team at Google News Lab). Here are a few top trends from this week:

Hurricane Irma

Irma was on the minds of many throughout the week, as the hurricane devastated the Caribbean and headed toward the U.S. As Florida braces for impact, people are searching for how to prepare—top searches in Florida include “how to board up windows” and “how to install hurricane shutters.” Floridians are also searching for where they can stock up on supplies like sandbags and water. Across the U.S., top queries include, “Where has Hurricane Irma hit?” “How wide is the eye of Hurricane Irma?” and “How to volunteer for Hurricane Irma?”

DACA

President Trump’s administration rescinded DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which provides legal protection for immigrants—known as “Dreamers”—who came to the U.S. unlawfully as children. People searched for more information about the legislation, as well as information about how to take action. The top three questions about DACA were: “What to say to senators about DACA?” “When was DACA set to expire?” and “What do DACA recipients receive?” The top three states searching for DACA—Arizona, California and New Mexico—are ones with high populations of Dreamers.

On a lighter note

This week, celebrity news was ready to pop with baby announcements. Two celebrity couples—Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, and Princess Kate and Prince William—are expecting baby number three. Top searches for Kim and Kanye were about Kim’s surrogate, and people wanted to know who the surrogate is, why they’re using one, and how much they’re paying her. As for William and Kate, people are curious about the ages of the parents as well as the ages of their babies. If all this baby talk has you wondering about popular names these days, the top searched baby names this week were James, Isabella and Michael.

“Wow, in front of the Pope!”

That’s how the head of the Catholic Church responded when a young man proposed to his girlfriend during a papal audience. Bold move. People were searching about the proposal and for other Pope-related information like, “How long has the Pope been the Pope?” and “What country did the Pope recently visit?” And speaking of proposals … the top “how to’s” related to proposals include: “How to know if you should propose, “How to get your boyfriend to propose,” and “How to tell if he’ll ever propose.” Not sure Google (or the Pope) can help answer that one.

Roses are red, chocolates are ruby

The final trend of the week ends on a sweet note. Swiss company Barry Callebaut debuted a new natural ruby-colored chocolate this week, and chocolate lovers must know: “Where to buy ruby chocolate? “What variety bean is used in ruby chocolate?” and “Is Ruby chocolate vegan?” Other than pink chocolate, top searched pink foods this week were “pink drink Starbucks,” “pink moscato” and “pink champagne.”

The High Five: top searches from the week of August 28

Hurricane Harvey

This week, attention in the U.S. turned to Hurricane Harvey and its devastating impact in Texas and Louisiana. People are searching for how to help, as well as for information about future storm Hurricane Irma—which was upgraded to a Category 3 and is moving across the Atlantic. The top queries regarding the storm were “How to donate clothes to Hurricane Harvey,” “How to help Houston,” and “How much money has been raised for Hurricane Harvey?”

Search never felt so good

If you were searching for Michael Jackson this week, You are Not Alone. It was the King of Pop’s birthday on Tuesday, and search interest in “Michael Jackson birthday” was 1,750% higher than “Michael Jackson songs.” Listening to his hits in honor of his birthday? I Can’t Help It either. Top-searched Michael Jackson songs were: “Bad,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Smooth Criminal,” and “Man In The Mirror.” We’ve Got a Good Thing Going in Nevada, where the most searches for Michael Jackson occurred.

XOXO

The iconic series “Gossip Girl” turns 10 this month. While Chuck Bass was the most searched character this week, Blake Lively was the most searched actor from Gossip Girl. Top searched questions about the show were: “Who is Gossip Girl?” (no spoilers here) “How many seasons of Gossip Girl are there?” (six) and “Who does Serena end up with on Gossip Girl?” (we said we’re not spoiling it!).

Getting better with age

A former Catholic monk has filed a lawsuit against L’Oréal, claiming that the company stole his patented formula for an anti-aging cream. One of the top related searches was “L'Oréal skin cream monk” (can’t say we’ve ever heard that phrase before), and the most search interest is coming from New Jersey. While we’re on the subject of beauty products, the top trending makeup searches from this week are “feather eyebrows,” “lipstick," “best foundation for oily skin,” “blush” and “makeup brushes.”

It’s never too early

The hallmark of the Fall season—pumpkin-spiced food and drinks—is officially back. Search interest in “pumpkin spice” spikes every September and October, and this week people were most interested to find out when the Pumpkin Spice Latte returns to Starbucks, and (the question on everybody’s mind), “Is it Pumpkin Spice Latte season?” The love for pumpkin spice goes beyond lattes: top searched pumpkin spice recipes this week were pumpkin spice cake, pumpkin spice cookies, pumpkin spice poke cake, and pumpkin spice muffins.


The High Five: top searches from the week of August 28

Here are the week’s top-searched trends, with data from the team at Google News Lab.

Hurricane Harvey

This week, attention in the U.S. turned to Hurricane Harvey and its devastating impact in Texas and Louisiana. People are searching for how to help, as well as for information about future storm Hurricane Irma—which was upgraded to a Category 3 and is moving across the Atlantic. The top queries regarding the storm were “How to donate clothes to Hurricane Harvey,” “How to help Houston,” and “How much money has been raised for Hurricane Harvey?”

Search never felt so good

If you were searching for Michael Jackson this week, You are Not Alone. It was the King of Pop’s birthday on Tuesday, and search interest in “Michael Jackson birthday” was 1,750% higher than “Michael Jackson songs.” Listening to his hits in honor of his birthday? I Can’t Help It either. Top-searched Michael Jackson songs were: “Bad,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Smooth Criminal,” and “Man In The Mirror.” We’ve Got a Good Thing Going in Nevada, where the most searches for Michael Jackson occurred.

XOXO

The iconic series “Gossip Girl” turns 10 this month. While Chuck Bass was the most searched character this week, Blake Lively was the most searched actor from Gossip Girl. Top searched questions about the show were: “Who is Gossip Girl?” (no spoilers here) “How many seasons of Gossip Girl are there?” (six) and “Who does Serena end up with on Gossip Girl?” (we said we’re not spoiling it!).

Getting better with age

A former Catholic monk has filed a lawsuit against L’Oréal, claiming that the company stole his patented formula for an anti-aging cream. One of the top related searches was “L'Oréal skin cream monk” (can’t say we’ve ever heard that phrase before), and the most search interest is coming from New Jersey. While we’re on the subject of beauty products, the top trending makeup searches from this week are “feather eyebrows,” “lipstick," “best foundation for oily skin,” “blush” and “makeup brushes.”

It’s never too early

The hallmark of the Fall season—pumpkin-spiced food and drinks—is officially back. Search interest in “pumpkin spice” spikes every September and October, and this week people were most interested to find out when the Pumpkin Spice Latte returns to Starbucks, and (the question on everybody’s mind), “Is it Pumpkin Spice Latte season?” The love for pumpkin spice goes beyond lattes: top searched pumpkin spice recipes this week were pumpkin spice cake, pumpkin spice cookies, pumpkin spice poke cake, and pumpkin spice muffins.


Source: Search


The High Five: looking up, growing up and still dancing

Will Taylor Swift’s new album eclipse all others? Did I permanently damage my eyeballs this week? How did Patrick Swayze pull off that lift dance move? We had a lot of questions this week—check out some of the week’s top-searched trends.

Eyes on the sky

On Monday, some searched the sky for the eclipse while others searched on Google: “Where is the solar eclipse right now?” and “When will the solar eclipse happen near me?” And what about the people who neglected the proper eyewear? Search interest in “retina damage” spiked 760% on the day of the eclipse, with searches like “How to tell if you have damaged your eyes during the eclipse” and “Why is the solar eclipse bad for your eyes?” It took the solar eclipse a century to make a comeback, but Jim Steinman and Bonnie Rait’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” only took 34 years—search interest in the 80’s hit was at an all-time high this week.

They grow up so fast

This week, Former President Obama parked his car in the Harvard Yard—Malia moved to college, and she’s following in Dad’s footsteps by donning Harvard crimson. People are following along the move-in journey, searching, “What dorm is Malia Obama in?” “What is Malia studying at Harvard?” and “Does Malia Obama have secret service protection now?”

Still having the time of our lives

Decades later, no one puts Dirty Dancing in a corner. The film turns 30 years old this week and people are feeling nostalgic (and curious) with searches like, “How old was Jennifer Grey when she did Dirty Dancing?” “How old were the characters in Dirty Dancing supposed to be?” and “Is Dirty Dancing on Netflix?” The top region searching for Dirty Dancing is the state where it was filmed, North Carolina.

snake_blog.jpg

Snake it off

This week Taylor Swift teased her new album, Reputation, with a series of snake videos on her Instagram, and fans searched for the reason behind the reptilian reveal: “Who called Taylor Swift a snake?” and “Taylor swift snake meme.” But in the end, it’s all about the music— search interest in “Taylor Swift Reputation” was 440% higher than “Taylor Swift snake.”

Winner winner

The odds of winning the lottery are wicked low, but people still have some questions about Thursday’s $759 million Powerball ticket: “Who won the powerball?” “Where was the winning powerball ticket purchased?” and “What is power play in powerball?” Though the winning ticket was sold in Massachusetts, regions searching the most for Powerball were Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delaware and West Virginia.

Google and 826 Valencia invite you to a “planet ruled by love”

In 2015, 826 Valencia—an organization that helps under-resourced students develop their writing skills—won a Google.org Impact Challenge grant to expand their programs in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. After receiving the grant, 826 turned to a group of volunteer Googlers to figure out how to use technology to amplify students’ voices. The result was a story about a “planet ruled by love,” written by young students and told through a new medium—virtual reality.

The Keyword team sat down with two of the Googlers behind the project—Rebecca Sills and Ryan Chen—as well as Lauren Hall, Director of Grants and Evaluation at 826 Valencia.

Documentary about the "planet ruled by love."

Keyword: How did everyone get involved in this project?

Lauren: I first walked into 826 Valencia 12 years ago and couldn’t believe what I stumbled upon—it was the perfect wedding of my passions, writing and social justice. I’ve worked there ever since. Technology has changed a lot in the last 12 years, and though 826 will always make books, we’re exploring storytelling mediums that are more technologically relevant for younger generations. So we tapped into Google’s creative brainpower to incorporate technology into our programs and the way our kids tell stories.

Rebecca: The magic of 826 is the simple act of an adult sitting down with a kid to unleash the power of their voice. I wanted to be a part of that magic—and the effort at Google was scrappy from the get-go. I recruited Googlers with different skill sets to get involved and it got mightier and mightier. Our guiding principle was to use Google’s technology to empower students to tell their stories in new ways. And we thought that VR was an exciting way to do that.

Ryan: I wanted to get involved in this project in a way that only Google could, so when Rebecca and team came up with the idea of telling the story using Tilt Brush (a virtual reality app that lets you draw and paint in three-dimensional space), I jumped on it.

How did you come up with the “planet ruled by love” idea?

Lauren: The Google team proposed creating a story in Tilt Brush as a totally new experience for the kids, and our immediate reaction was “what the heck is Tilt Brush?” But the idea had so much energy that it was an emphatic “Yes!” on our end. Leading up to the election in the U.S., we felt a division in the country, in our communities, even on school campuses. Someone suggested that we prompt the kids to write a story about a planet ruled by love, and we immediately went for it. It felt like an antidote to the division and drama around us.

How did the kids write the story?

Rebecca: We wanted to honor what already works at 826—helping kids express themselves through writing—and add a new layer. Students worked with volunteer tutors to develop, write and edit their own stories about the planet ruled by love. So many creative ideas came out of that! And then we worked with 826 staff to pull a line from each of the kids' story—homes made of marshmallows, unicorn wolves, and love spread by nice words, to name a few—to make a version that represented all of their visions. From there, we turned the combined story into a 360-degree experience that they could watch in Cardboard.

Ryan, what was it like working in Tilt Brush?

Ryan: Prior to this project, I had been a 3D animator and illustrator working on screens and tablets. With Tilt Brush, you are creating in VR—it’s a cross between drawing and sculpture. When you first do it, you’re like, “OMG this is crazy. I’m inside the drawing.” After the students wrote the story, I drew rough storyboards and thumbnail sketches, then created the color pallet of the planet ruled by love. I wanted viewers to feel like they had one foot in Google world and one foot in another world. Then, I moved into Tilt Brush and created the final scenes. 

6
Early thumbnail sketches of the Tilt Brush story: hugs for everyone.
r

Early thumbnail sketches of the Tilt Brush story: Yes, that's a flying taco truck. 

qu
Early thumbnail sketches of the Tilt Brush story: It’s raining ice cream!
cheetas
One of Ryan's early color explorations for the planet ruled by love.
ea
One of Ryan's early color explorations for the planet ruled by love.

How has 826’s approach to incorporating technology changed? Will you incorporate VR and AR into storytelling projects in the future?

Lauren: Technology has helped us create a wider audience for students’ stories. For example, we’ve started a program for kids to make their own podcasts. We put them on SoundCloud and the links get tweeted and forwarded, and now thousands of people can hear these students’ voices. But in terms of VR, we’d love to keep exploring—we think of it as a 21st-century version of storytelling. VR allows viewers to experience a story in a way that builds greater empathy, context and understanding.

What aspect of the project are you most proud of?

Rebecca: The moment when the kids first put on their Cardboards and stepped into their imaginary world—it was a definite career high! Most of the kids and their parents were experiencing Cardboard for the first time. We watched as they were transported to a new world, and it was so sweet to see the kids recognize their own voices and contributions.

Lauren: I agree! I loved watching them reach out to touch the homes made of marshmallows and the families spending time together. It was magical.

u
All smiles after 826 Valencia students saw the planet they wrote about.
1
826 Valencia students creating their stories.
826_Valencia-2291_lores.jpg
Reaching out to touch the planet ruled by love (at the book release party).

Google and 826 Valencia invite you to a “planet ruled by love”

In 2015, 826 Valencia—an organization that helps under-resourced students develop their writing skills—won a Google.org Impact Challenge grant to expand their programs in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. After receiving the grant, 826 turned to a group of volunteer Googlers to figure out how to use technology to amplify students’ voices. The result was a story about a “planet ruled by love,” written by young students and told through a new medium—virtual reality.

The Keyword team sat down with two of the Googlers behind the project—Rebecca Sills and Ryan Chen—as well as Lauren Hall, Director of Grants and Evaluation at 826 Valencia.

Documentary about the "planet ruled by love."

Keyword: How did everyone get involved in this project?

Lauren: I first walked into 826 Valencia 12 years ago and couldn’t believe what I stumbled upon—it was the perfect wedding of my passions, writing and social justice. I’ve worked there ever since. Technology has changed a lot in the last 12 years, and though 826 will always make books, we’re exploring storytelling mediums that are more technologically relevant for younger generations. So we tapped into Google’s creative brainpower to incorporate technology into our programs and the way our kids tell stories.

Rebecca: The magic of 826 is the simple act of an adult sitting down with a kid to unleash the power of their voice. I wanted to be a part of that magic—and the effort at Google was scrappy from the get-go. I recruited Googlers with different skill sets to get involved and it got mightier and mightier. Our guiding principle was to use Google’s technology to empower students to tell their stories in new ways. And we thought that VR was an exciting way to do that.

Ryan: I wanted to get involved in this project in a way that only Google could, so when Rebecca and team came up with the idea of telling the story using Tilt Brush (a virtual reality app that lets you draw and paint in three-dimensional space), I jumped on it.

How did you come up with the “planet ruled by love” idea?

Lauren: The Google team proposed creating a story in Tilt Brush as a totally new experience for the kids, and our immediate reaction was “what the heck is Tilt Brush?” But the idea had so much energy that it was an emphatic “Yes!” on our end. Leading up to the election in the U.S., we felt a division in the country, in our communities, even on school campuses. Someone suggested that we prompt the kids to write a story about a planet ruled by love, and we immediately went for it. It felt like an antidote to the division and drama around us.

How did the kids write the story?

Rebecca: We wanted to honor what already works at 826—helping kids express themselves through writing—and add a new layer. Students worked with volunteer tutors to develop, write and edit their own stories about the planet ruled by love. So many creative ideas came out of that! And then we worked with 826 staff to pull a line from each of the kids' story—homes made of marshmallows, unicorn wolves, and love spread by nice words, to name a few—to make a version that represented all of their visions. From there, we turned the combined story into a 360-degree experience that they could watch in Cardboard.

Ryan, what was it like working in Tilt Brush?

Ryan: Prior to this project, I had been a 3D animator and illustrator working on screens and tablets. With Tilt Brush, you are creating in VR—it’s a cross between drawing and sculpture. When you first do it, you’re like, “OMG this is crazy. I’m inside the drawing.” After the students wrote the story, I drew rough storyboards and thumbnail sketches, then created the color pallet of the planet ruled by love. I wanted viewers to feel like they had one foot in Google world and one foot in another world. Then, I moved into Tilt Brush and created the final scenes. 

  • 6
    Early thumbnail sketches of the Tilt Brush story: hugs for everyone.
  • r

    Early thumbnail sketches of the Tilt Brush story: Yes, that's a flying taco truck. 

  • qu
    Early thumbnail sketches of the Tilt Brush story: It’s raining ice cream!
  • cheetas
    One of Ryan's early color explorations for the planet ruled by love.
  • ea
    One of Ryan's early color explorations for the planet ruled by love.

How has 826’s approach to incorporating technology changed? Will you incorporate VR and AR into storytelling projects in the future?

Lauren: Technology has helped us create a wider audience for students’ stories. For example, we’ve started a program for kids to make their own podcasts. We put them on SoundCloud and the links get tweeted and forwarded, and now thousands of people can hear these students’ voices. But in terms of VR, we’d love to keep exploring—we think of it as a 21st-century version of storytelling. VR allows viewers to experience a story in a way that builds greater empathy, context and understanding.

What aspect of the project are you most proud of?

Rebecca: The moment when the kids first put on their Cardboards and stepped into their imaginary world—it was a definite career high! Most of the kids and their parents were experiencing Cardboard for the first time. We watched as they were transported to a new world, and it was so sweet to see the kids recognize their own voices and contributions.

Lauren: I agree! I loved watching them reach out to touch the homes made of marshmallows and the families spending time together. It was magical.

  • u
    All smiles after 826 Valencia students saw the planet they wrote about.
  • 1
    826 Valencia students creating their stories.
  • 826_Valencia-2291_lores.jpg
    Reaching out to touch the planet ruled by love (at the book release party).

Source: Education


All dogs go to Google: a story of adoption in Chile

Google is a dog company. Googlers often bring their dogs—affectionately referred to as Dooglers—to work, but our company-wide love for dogs goes even deeper than that. 

Google’s affection for our canine friends is an integral facet of our corporate culture. We like cats, but we’re a dog company." Google Code of Conduct

We recently heard a pretty cool story about dogs at our data center in Quilicura, Chile, and in honor of National Dog Day tomorrow, we’re sharing it with you.

Chile_DogAdoption.png
This is Nala, who was adopted by a family in the U.S.!

While the data center in Chile was being built in 2014, the workers on site noticed a problem: about 40 stray dogs repeatedly visited the site in search of food. Cute dogs without loving owners? This was certainly a problem we could solve.

We built a kennel on the construction site to feed the dogs and keep them safe and healthy. We brought in a veterinarian to spay and neuter the dogs, give them antiparasitic treatment and ensure they had proper vaccinations. And most importantly, we named the dogs—Nala, Luna, Burro (translation: donkey), and Perro Chico (translation: small dog) are just a few.

From there, we created an adoption program for the dogs and spread word to the surrounding community. Within a year and a half, every dog found a new home.

We’ll bark to that. 

A Megamovie volunteer on snapping photos and contributing to science

On August 21—for the first time in 100 years—a total solar eclipse will cross the the United States.

Last week we shared an interview with Vivian White, who is coordinating a mighty team of volunteers capturing photos of the eclipse. In collaboration with UC Berkeley, the Eclipse Megamovie project will take these photos and algorithmically align and stitch them together to create a continuous view of the eclipse: the Eclipse Megamovie.

Today we’ll hear from a volunteer whose contributions will make Megamovie possible. By day, Steven Madow works as a product analyst for Shop Disney Parks (the app and website that let you buy as much Disney swag as your heart desires), and for the last 12 years, videography and photography have been his passion projects. Now he’s bringing his passion to Megamovie.

Keyword: How did you hear about this project, and how did you get involved?

Steven: I listen to NPR a lot, and they talked about Megamovie on two of my favorite shows—Planetary Radio and Science Friday—which got me interested. According to my fiancée, I’ve been talking about this eclipse since 2015, so I guess I’ve been excited for it for a while!

sm
Steven and his telescope

Where are you going to watch? And what will you do when you get there?

I’m heading to Madras, OR, where there’s the lowest probability of cloud cover on the path of totality. It seemed like a good excuse for a trip! I’m bringing two cameras—a Panasonic and a Nikon—to capture photos for Megamovie, as well as a couple other cameras I'm planning to use just for my own photos. I can connect these cameras to a telescope (which tracks the sun), and it’s all automated. I’ve heard that watching the eclipse is like being in 360 degrees of a sunset, so the automation will allow me to actually watch and enjoy the eclipse.

How long have you been interested in astronomy?

I like outdoorsy things and have always been interested in natural events. I’m from Baltimore but went to college in Florida, and when I first saw a rocket launch from a balcony 60 miles away, I thought, “Wow, that’s so cool. I have to learn more about this.” Since then I’ve seen dozens of rocket launches up close, as well as amazing shots of night launches, which inspired me to make the jump to more serious camera gear. I got into drones before they were called drones—they were called “quadcopters” then—and I started making videos as a side project. People saw my work and started hiring me to make more videos.

What kind of prep work do Megamovie volunteers have to do?

Volunteers attend webinars and need a certain level of photography gear. We’ve been doing practice tests—shooting the moon and sun—and testing out a special uploader that was created for this project. It was created for different camera types and allows for uploading with very low bandwidth, which is key since most of us will be using heavily overloaded cell networks.

Have you been able to connect and create a community with other citizen scientists through this project?

There are volunteer forums where you can ask questions about all aspects of planning—traveling with equipment, traffic predictions, image uploading and everything else imaginable.

Through a forum I met Xavier Jubier, the creator of Solar Eclipse Maestro, an eclipse photography automation program, and worked with him to add support for Panasonic cameras (which I’m using during the eclipse). There were a lot of tests and back-and-forth on email, but now a few of the Panasonic cameras are supported and I’ve been able to teach other volunteers how to use the software.

So people share expertise but they also get to know each other. I started a thread called "Introductions,” asking people to reply with a few simple things about themselves including why they are interested in the project. It has 114 replies (114 new people I’ve gotten to know!), and most of them—like me—are psyched to contribute to a larger scientific cause.