Cover Girl Ines Rivero

Ines Rivero (nee Maria Ines) was born in 1976, in Cordoba, Argentina. Although it wasn't hard to see her natural beauty, Ines' mother thought that she lacked the grace of a lady, and therefore enrolled her into "ladies school."

She made her modeling debut at the age of 14, when she worked in a local fashion show. An agent discovered the now mature and more ladylike stunner at age 16 in her hometown, and one year later, she got another break when she won the preliminary of the Elite Look of the Year contest in Argentina.

Ines had more than the "Look of the Year;" she had the figure and face to make it in the modeling world, and started out appearing in a Giorgio Armani campaign.

Now calling New York home, (Ines is a Ford model in New York and Paris), she has appeared in many advertisements since the start of her career. The ads she has appeared in include H-I-S Jeans, Mossimo, Romeo Gigli, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sky, and Vitamina.

Ines has become an international face, with her cover appearances on magazines like Marie Claire France, Elle Argentina, and Mirabella US. She has also graced the pages of fashion magazines such as Vogue and Glamour.

Already a print model veteran, Ines has also strutted down catwalks for designers such as Herve Leger, Michel Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and John Galliano (whose dresses she swears by).

Apart from modeling, Ines proves that she also has vocal chords, after having recorded an album entitled Hasta Siempre and released a popular single about Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara. She also appeared in an Enrique Iglesias video, "Esperanza".

Besides intense exercising, Ines takes boxing classes, practices yoga, and enjoys riding motorcycles.

Taiwanese TV Host/Actress Rainie Yang

Yang Cheng Lin or popularly known as Rainie Yang (derived from her girlband, 4inlove, where the girls' names were the kinds of weathers), was born on June 4th 1884 and started her career when she was 14 and started appearing in Hong Kong movies and commercials. At 15, auditioned for a girlband to be launched by BMG called 4inLove and passed with flying colors, from then on, she was called "Rainie" along with other 3 girls.

Rainie standing at 164 cm, moved to Taiwan and pursue her acting career as she lived with her co-band members under one roof. She starred in various dramas starting with the mega blockbuster 'Meteor Garden' where she played a supporting yet pivotal role, the cute Xiao You (Hana Yori Dango's "Yuki" Chinese counterpart) and at that start, the rest was history as she proceeded on to be a much-loved leading lady by respectable men and starred in more bankable dramas.

In 2002, 4inLove was disbanded. Windie and Sunnie proceeded with their studies and Cloudie pursued to be a stewardess. Rainie was left in the E-circle and now as a solo artist resumed with her career and reached new heights and levels with a new alternative --- a TV host. She had discovered her hosting skills therefore hosting jobs she did left and right. She did that without recking her acting career which was she also received numorous projects. She continued singing by performing on the OSTs of her dramas.

Now, Yang Cheng Lin is considered as one of Taiwan's cutest faces, youth models and an idol. Rainie enjoys reading and loves street dancing. She was a gymnast when she was younger.

The world is your JavaScript-enabled oyster

Posted by Bret Taylor, Google Maps Product Manager

If you like Google Maps, but think you could do something better, now's your chance. Check out the Google Maps API, which lets web developers put Google Maps on their own sites, just like housingmaps.com and chicagocrime.org. You can also reach out to other API developers and the Google Maps team in the API discussion group.

Search gets personal

Posted by Sep Kamvar, Software Engineer, Personalized Search Team

With the launch of Personalized Search, you can use that search history you've been building to get better results. You probably won't notice much difference at first, but as your search history grows, your personalized results will gradually improve.

This whole concept of personalization has been a big part our lives since some of the team was in grad school at Stanford. We shared an office, which happened to be the same one Sergey had used before, and we were pretty familiar with the research he and Larry had done. Related to their work, we thought building a scalable system for personalizing search results presented an interesting challenge. We've still got a long way to go, but we're excited to release this first step. So check out this latest addition to Google Labs and tell us what you think.

Cover the earth

Posted by Bill Kilday, Google Earth Product Marketing Manager

Last October Keyhole and Google joined forces to integrate satellite imagery with Google search technology in a single product. Now we've landed on Google Earth. You can fly from space right down to any place on the planet and take in spectacular 3D views, and for major US cities you can now see 3D city models. And more: where Google Local works today (the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.), you can search Google Local from within Earth for points of interest, businesses listings, driving directions, and lots more (like some of these excellent locations). True to Google form, there is now a free version. Ready to explore?

Google Video. Now with ... video!

Posted by Matthew Vosburgh, Google Video Software Engineer

A couple of months ago we launched a video uploader so you could add your own videos to Google Video. Well, now we're ready to start displaying all that stuff.

I've been amazed by your cool videos. I had never seen a robot dog harassing an iguana before, or a monkey doing karate, and I had no idea you were such good dancers. There's more than home video, too - like this UNICEF story featuring David Beckham.

The clips play right in the page using the brand new Google Video Viewer, which was created by our engineer Aaron Lee using code from the open source Videolan project. It works great in both Firefox and IE, and we've designed it not to fight with any other video plugins you might have. We're releasing the Windows version first, with Mac coming soon.

A feature we're especially pleased with is search within a video, which means you will get a result pointing to the precise spot in the video that matches your query. Try looking for sergey brin and you'll see what I mean. There are even more people getting creative with video here. So have fun watching, or shoot your own videos - and keep sending them in!

Just call him Bruce

Posted by Biz Stone, Blogger team

You'll never guess how I uploaded this photo of Brewster. Okay, maybe you could guess, but I'll tell you anyway: Blogger Images.


All Blogger users can now upload photos to their blogs. There's a button in the posting interface that looks like a little image, and when you click it, you can browse for an image on your computer or input the location of an image on the web. If you don't have cat photos to share on your blog, that's okay. We accept non-cat photos as well.

Cute Singer/Actress Kyoko Fukada

Born in a tokyo hospital on Nov 2nd 1982, Kyoko to date has really grown to become a multi-talented artiste. she was exposed to various kinds of music at a tender age and as of now is very adept with playing the piano and flute. her musical talent is especially displayed in her music cd album titled "dear..."

At the age of 13, under the recommendation of her father's friends, she joined a singing competition called "pure holy" where she imitated her idol tonomi kahala song "i'm proud. she was later crowned champion and was known as miss holy for quite some time. Following that, she was talent-scouted and took her first step into stardom.

Because she was practically a nobody then, not much people paid any notice to her when she appeared in dramas. it was not until she got a minor role in the dorama "News no Onna" (which starred Honami Suzuki and Hideaki Takizawa) that she got really noticed. but the show which cast her into the spotlight in japan was the dorama "Kamisama mou sukoshi dake" (literal translation - God! Please Give Me A Little More Time). kyoko-chan who was just 16 when she took on this role displayed immense acting ability in portraying an hiv-positive student with great conviction and the will to live on with ideals and love despite her incurable disease. from this moment on, she was catulputed into the A-list of outstanding actresses in japan.

Presently, kyoko-chan has appeared in a number of doramas of which most were rather forgettable, her latest dorama is "Fighting Girl". she has also appeared in some movies, of which "Gakuensai" is the most recent movie. she has also recorded 3 music albums, 2 which contains her cd singles and the other containing her piano recitals. let's hope that kyoko-chan can quickly get a better role in doramas in the future. her new upcoming dorama with Korean hunk Won Bin looks to be a real hit already looking from the hype and fanfare surrounding it.

Supermodel Survivor Petra Nemcova

Petra Nemcova was born in Czechoslovakia, more specifically, Karvina. Her big break happened when a fashion scout - often the way these things happen - discovered her in in Karvina.

In 1999 she got her first TV gig on an American talk-back show in the vein of David Letterman. Called the "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" the smitten host declared his love for her and even went so far as to predict that she'd be in Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition by 2003. Not a bad guess...

In 2001, she starred in the French comedy flick, Absolument fabuleux. If your French is up to scratch, you'll know that the title translates to Absolutely Fabulous.

Either way, it is a 105 minute French remake of the seminal British comedy series and, while not critically acclaimed, it is said to be very similar to its precursor, providing plenty of belly laughs.

She mananged to get on the 2002 Swimsuit Issue of Sports Illustrated and she is currently signed with Next Modeling Agency and has contracts with the likes of Max Factor and Cartier. Furthermore, she has also had good coverage in Harper's Bazaar, Elle and other fashion mags.

Recently, she was in Phuket when the Asian Quake hit and she survived after clinging on to a palm tree with her boyfriend for eight hours.

Upcoming Actress Noriko Nakagoshi

Noriko Nakagoshi is sure to capture the hearts of many television viewers when she comes onto Japanese television screens as the heroine in the NHK morning and midday drama "Kokoro" (Heart).

"Kokoro" is a story full of ups and downs, about a girl brought up in a family running a restaurant in downtown Tokyo, who goes on to become an international airline stewardess and marries a divorced man with children.

Nakagoshi, 23, became a magazine model five years ago and has had previous experience in dramas and in reporting. However, she is humble about her career, still calling herself an "unhatched actress." The NHK drama, which will be screening its 68th story, is a platform that has helped many actresses become independent, and is sure to give Nakagoshi a boost on her way to success.

Babe Jessica Simpson

Born July 10, 1980, in Dallas, Texas, this sexy 5' 3" recording star and singer displays a hard core attitude in her performances. Her father, who is a psychologist, manages her career, and her mother designs her wardrobe and assists in the business affairs. Jessica first developed and nurtured her talent in the local Baptist church, where her father also works as the congregation's youth minister.

While at church camp, at the age of 13, Jessica sang Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and an arrangement of "Amazing Grace". One of the camp's visitors, a gentleman who was launching a gospel record label saw great promise and profits in her voice. Jessica began to tour with Christian youth conferences with tunes like "True Love Waits", sometimes entertaining audiences of 20,000 people.

Jessica is boldly traveling down several fresh new musical avenues. In addition to offering more of the lush, passionate ballads that have become her signature, she has effectively expanded her creative styles. This includes ebullient rhythm pop and sultry R&B and is a collection of funk-fortified songs and sophisticated contemporary ballads. Jessica has the finesse and confidence of a well seasoned performer.

Jessica says she is part of a positive new breed of teenager and youths who welcome responsibility and propriety. In school, Jessica hung with a crowd that was popular and respected, and she was elected Homecoming Queen two years in a row at J.J. Pierce High School.

Jessica's relationship with her fans is of tremendous importance to her. "They keep me going. They inspire me. I do all I can to keep in close touch with the fans who support my music, whether it be via my shows or on the Internet. The energy I get from them is extraordinary."

Jessica states, "That's what I really wanted to come across on these songs, confidence". Jessica notes, "I wanted to show that with that inner strength and inner light, nothing is impossible." That said, Jessica admits that she does occasionally enjoy flexing a little external heat... even if it's completely innocent. "There's a cut on the album, 'Hot Like Fire', that I think will take people by surprise", she says of the self-assured hip-hop-flavored cut produced by Cory Rooney. "It's a hard-core 'attitude' song. You might not even recognize my voice at first. It's totally raw and intense. It's a shake-your-hips kind of song. I love it."

Model/Actress Maggie Q

Maggie Q was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on May 22, 1979. She was raised there and graduated from Mililani High School in 1997. A private Catholic University in Hawaii offered her an athletic scholarship for running. She started school at Chaminade. During a school break, Maggie went to Taiwan to earn some money by modeling, since college life was so expensive. She wasn't very successful and was advised to try modeling in Hong Kong, where she still is now. She got her big break when she shot a picture book with pop star Nicholas Tse: everybody wanted to know who this beauty was.

Already a successful model by 2000, Maggie started acting in Hong Kong movies despite not being able to speak much Mandarin or Cantonese. Her first movie was a low-budget film which wasn't very popular, but she managed to sign with Jackie Chan's management group and starred in Hong Kong action movie, Gen Y Cops. Other movie that she starred in, Manhattan Midnight, Naked Weapon, The Trouble-Makers, Magic Kitchen, Rice Rhapsody and the upcoming Dragon Squad. She also made a cameo appearance on Jackie Chan's Rush Hour 2 and Around the World in 80 Days.

One man's food pyramid

Posted by Michael Krantz, Google Blog Team

We may choose to eat only healthy food here at the Googleplex. The cafes serve sumptuous veggies and subtly seasoned fish, meat and pasta dishes, and the various kitchenettes always have a tempting array of fruits to choose from.

Photoblog Friday, however, is today devoted to the Dark Side.

On Friday mornings, one must resist this gooey, glazed array...



...the kitchenettes emit a psychedelic aura of caloric evil...



...and at lunchtime, how is one to avoid the table of doom?

Guess? Girl Alessandra Ambrosio

Alessandra Ambrosio was born in Erexim, Brazil, on the 11th of April, 1981. Her modeling career started when she decided to take modeling lessons in Brazil. The course led to her participation in Elite's Look of the Year contest in 1996, which eventually led to her contract with Elite Model Management. When Guess? got hold of Alessandra's shots, the clothing line signed her to the advertising campaign. The company that launched the careers of Estelle Hallyday and Laetitia Casta can add Alessandra to their long list of modeling debutantes.

Alessandra is more than a Guess? girl. She has graced the covers of magazines such as Capricho, Desfile, Elle (Brazil), Wallpaper, and Harper's Bazaar (Spanish). As for fashion shows, Alessandra has walked the catwalks for designers such as Laura Biagiotti, Christian Lacroix, Byblos, Fendi, Issey Miyake, Kenzo, Christian Dior, Nicole Miller, and Oscar de la Renta, among others. Guess? wasn't the only company to see Alessandra's beauty. She also has contracts with Revlon cosmetics, Gap (as of late), and is set to appear in advertisements for Calvin Klein eyewear and Giorgio Armani. Those who caught the Victoria's Secret fashion show in Cannes on the Internet may have noticed Alessandra in the show, among a cast of the lingerie line's staples, Tyra Banks and Stephanie Seymour.

While the Brazilian beauty was once an Elite girl, she has switched agencies and is now represented by Marilyn Gaultier. Although her modeling career is on the rise, Alessandra plans to pursue a University degree. When she's not modeling, she spends her time with her model/club promoter boyfriend of two and a half years, Jayson Lee (although she has been romantically linked to fellow model Marcelo Boldrini).

She enjoys sandboarding and lounging on the beach listening to Brazilian music. Her favorite place in the world still remains her tiny hometown, and having traveled the world has not convinced her otherwise. When not at her New York apartment or busy building a house in her native Brazil, Alessandra is leaving her mark around the world with International magazine covers, ad campaigns and big league designer fashion shows.

Korean Actress Song Yun-ah

Born on June 7th 1973, Song Yun-ah graduated in humanities from Hanyang University and entered the film industry by winning the Gold Award at the KBS supertalent contest in 1995. Over the next few years she became well-known for her roles in TV dramas such as Tears of the Dragon (1997), Love (1998), Hotelier (2001) and The Present (2002). Although her first few films did not make a significant impression at the box-office, in recent years she has become more active in filmmaking.

In late 2002, Song starred in one of the bigger commercial hits of the year, Jail Breakers with actors Sol Kyung-gu and Cha Seung-won. Her energetic role in this comedy was recognized with a Best Supporting Actress award at the 23rd Blue Dragon Awards. Her next project Face was a thriller about a serial killer from debut director Yu Sang-gon, but this proved not to be a commercial or critical success.

Meanwhile Song's next project is a melodrama from Chu Chang-min, the director of hit comedy Mapado, that teams her up with actor Sol Kyung-gu.

The world in your pocket

Posted by Steven Schirripa, Software Engineer

Since millions of people across the globe already use mobile phones like there's no tomorrow, we're launching Mobile Web Search in many languages. Try it the next time you visit Google on your mobile phone - you'll see a new option to search the Mobile Web. How different is it than standard web search? There are sites out there that have already been designed for your mobile phone, which makes them more navigable on the small screen. So we've created an index specifically for these sites. And so your phone can now be that much more useful.

Actress/Model Yonekura Ryoko

Yonekura Ryoko, 30 was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. These days, former ballerina Yonekura is one of the most visible women on TV and in fashion. She and her most obvious rival Kikukawa Rei have dominated the world of glamour, appearing in dozens of TV commercials and gracing the covers of countless magazines. They are both members of the Oscar Productions agency, which represents many of Japan's most beautiful stars. Yonekura has won a slew of (admittedly meaningless) awards with titles such as Miss Brilliant, Jewellry Best Dresser, Nail Queen, and Best Leather-nist!

Yonekura made her move into the fashion world at the age of 17 when she was awarded a consolation prize at the National Young Beauty contest in 1992. Over the next seven years she built up quite a reputation as a fashion model, campaign girl and in TV commercials. In 1999 she announced her intention of getting into acting. She made her debut the following year in the TBS drama Koi no Kamisama (God of Love) and has since appeared in one drama after another almost non-stop.

She made her movie debut in Damboru Hausu Garu (Homeless Girl) and in 2002 she co-starred with Kikukawa in Gun Crazy. The duo played a pair of "gun-toting killer babes". Enough said. Her 2002 drama series Seikei Bijin (Artificial Beauty) also aired in the US. The series dealt with the curently hot topic of cosmetic surgery.

Yonekura maintains her interest in ballet and other forms of dance, such as bossa nova and salsa. These certainly seem to suit her bubbly and dynamic personality and she seems to be making this kind of acting role her niche. She may not win any awards for acting but she's always got that Best Jeanist trophy to put on the mantelpiece.

The Lovely Athena Chu

Perky Hong Kong performer Athena Chu Yan entered the entertainment industry after graduating from Hong Kong's Academy for Performing Arts. She was subsequently offered contract by the TVB television station, and worked, initially, as a children's show presenter on '430 Space Shuttle'. She progressed to drama series, appearing in such highly rated local shows as 'Edge Of Righteousness', 'Romance Beyond' and 'The Legend Of The Condor'. She has also starred in several Taiwanese t.v series.

Chu made her film debut opposite Canto comic Stephen Chow in Gordon Chan's 'Fight Back To School II'. She went on to work with Chow in his double-bill of period pieces, 'A Chinese Odyssey'. The films, based very loosely on the classic 'Journey To The West', were hugely successful. Chu appears briefly in the first film, and has a major role in the second.

Peter Chan cast Chu in a key role in his 1992 comedy 'Tom, Dick And Hairy', which featured a whole generation of fresh young performers, including Anita Yuen. Chu has also developed a following in Taiwan, and has starred in several Taiwanese features. These include the schooldays comedy 'To Miss With Love', starring Taiwanese heart-throbs Nicky Wu and Jimmy Lin, the martial arts comedy 'Shaolin Kung Fu Kids' and the slapstick funfest 'Troublemaker'.

International audiences got their first taste of her unique charm when she appeared alongside action queen Michelle Yeoh in Stanley Tong's all-action police drama 'Once A Cop' (a.k.a 'Project S'.) Chu's bright presence illuminates the lack-lustre middle section of the movie, which was a spin-off featuring Yeoh's character from Jackie Chan's 'Police Story III'.

Athena Chu was first lady of choice for two faded kung fu idols, appearing opposite Yuen Biao in the unreleased period actioner 'Thief Of Swallow' and alongside Donnie Yen in the flop 'Shanghai Affairs'.
Chu recently signed a multi-picture deal with the prolific Hong Kong director/producer Wong Jing. He cast her opposite Andy Lau in his latest 'God Of Gamblers'-inspired movie, 'The Conman', and alongside Lau Ching-wan and Francis Ng Chan-yu in 'Hong Kong Triad'. Though still cast in variations of her 'cute girl next door' persona, Chu has shown evidence of a greater range in her recent acting outings.

Like many local artistes, Chu has launched a parallel career as a singer, and has so far released two CDs, a Mandarin album entitled 'Earthquake' and a Cantonese one called 'Glass'.

As well as her acting and singing commitments, Chu is also the 'face' of Epson colour printers, and has appeared in two successful campaigns for the company. Despite her success, she still lives with her family in the busy Hong Kong district of Mongkok, and cites her mother's home cooking as her favourite food in the world. Recently, she has been romantically linked with Paul Wong, a member of the Hong Kong-based rock band Beyond.

Victoria's Secret "Angel" Adriana Lima

Adriana Francesca Lima was born on June 12, 1981, in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. The blue/gray-eyed Brazilian beauty can attribute her exotic good looks to her French, Portuguese, Native-American, and Caribbean heritage.

Her climb from obscurity to glam girl occurred after placing second in the Ford Supermodel of the World Contest at the age of 13. Three years later, she headed to one of the fashion centers of the world, New York, and signed with Elite Model Management. Once there, her modeling portfolio began to expand exponentially, after appearing in Vogue (Italy) in 1997, as well as Vogue (UK), I-D (UK), Marie Claire (Brazil), and Vogue (Italy) in 1998. Adriana also appeared in Vogue (U.S., Germany, UK) and Marie Claire (Italy) in 1999.

One of Adriana's most notable catwalk appearances was in the Victoria's Secret summer 2000 swimwear catalog, where the Brazilian beauty shared the spotlight with a bevy of supermodels such as Heidi Klum and Laetitia Casta.

Those who have not had the pleasure of seeing Adriana in a fashion spread may have caught her in advertisements for Anna Sui Jeans, bebe, Gasoline, Mossimo, BCBG, Keds, Guess?, and XOXO.

But it's her job as a Victoria's Secret "Angel" that has fueled her fame the most, especially after appearing in network television's Victoria's Secret fashion show in 2001 and 2003. In 2001, she also appeared in the short film, The Hire: Follow, with Mickey Rourke.

In 2004, Adriana Lima received a lot of press when she appeared in a Victoria's Secret ad co-starring musician Bob Dylan, in which she's walking around Venice in nothing but lingerie, heels and a pair of wings -- it's for Victoria's Secret's "Angels" collection.

Before her modeling days, Adriana always hoped to help children and thanks to her newfound popularity, she is able to work with orphans in Brazil.

Teenage Actress Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Morgan Lohan was born in New York City, on 2nd July 1986, to Dina and Michael Lohan. Her mum is a former Radio City Rockette & her father was in the pasta business after making enough, he went to Hollywood financing independent films. She is the eldest of four siblings. Lohan has been studying dancing and singing since age 4 & a model since age 3, Lohan has the distinction of being the first red-headed child to be signed by the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency. Her freckled face is familiar from more than sixty television commercials including spots for The Gap, Jello, Pizza Hut, and Wendy’s.

At seventeen, Lindsay Lohan (Anna in "Freaky Friday") has already appeared on the cover of “Vanity Fair,” having been featured as part of the prestigious magazine’s “It’s Totally Raining Teens” July spread. She won the dual role of the two sisters in "The Parent Trap" after a six-month casting search in the United States, Canada, and Britain. She's also stars in Disney’s “Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen.” Lohan was featured in the long-running role of Alli Fowler on the daytime drama “Another World,” as well as on “Guiding Light.” On television, she starred in two movies for Disney—the Wonderful World of Disney’s “Life-Size,” with Tyra Banks, and Disney Channel’s original “Get a Clue” — and in the sitcom “Bette.”

Lohan’s first pop single, “Ultimate,” appears on the soundtrack of “Freaky Friday.” She will also perform on the soundtrack of “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.” A straight 'A' student at her local school, Lindsay excels at math and science. She also enjoys gymnastics, swimming, ice skating, roller blading, singing, biking, reading, writing, and playing with her siblings.

How is she coping with the fame? Recently Lohan has received minor injuries in a car accident after being pursued by paparazzi, won MTV's Best Female Performance for Mean Girls and her father has been sentenced to four years in prison for a range of offences committed. All this is less than a month!

Lohan currently has two homes: one in L.A., CA and another in Long Island, NY. Not only does she jet across the country, but Lohan also has movies lined up for the next several years. She has just finished filming Herbie: Fully Loaded and she has begun filming her new movie, Lucky.

Cute Yuko Ogura

Yuko Ogura, born November 1 1983 is one of the most popular cute "bikini idols" in Japan. This cute teeny bop is popular on late night television in Japan and also on variety shows.

Ogura's nickname is "Yukorin" and she was born in Mobara, Chiba prefecture.

Ogura is 162 cm tall; her measurements are B80 W56 H83. Ogura's blood type is B and her favorite color is pink.

She regularly, if not entirely seriously, claims to be one "Princess Apple-Momoka" of the apple-shaped planet Korin. This is apparently an in-joke dating back to her middle school days. Having an alternate name was trendy at one point, and one of her friends told her that she looked like a Momoka. She liked the name and still uses it today.

Ogura has recently started a singer career with the release of he first album "frui-chu-tarte". Due to her cute style, her songs were mostly used in the opening and closing sequence of animes.

Google got me a camera...

Posted by Michael Krantz, Google Blog Team

...so from now on, we can all look forward to weekly slices of digital-photography life from the Googleplex, along with contributions from Googlers in our offices around the world.

A few hours ago, in honor of Photoblog Friday's maiden voyage, I walked over to the volleyball court, where, every lunchtime, a group of disturbingly fanatical volleyballers gathers to spend an hour or two in fierce competion, to the briefly entertained delight of hundreds of less athletically inclined Googlers passing by on our way to getting in even worse shape in the Cafe.

Is the ball going up or down here? I can't remember.

A giant yellow globe falls from the roof of Building 41.


The eternal triumph of the human volleyballing spirit.

The Myth's Kim Hee-Sun

Kim Hee-Sun (Kim Hee-Seon) born in February 25 1977, debuted on TV in 1993, and has since become famous both at home in South Korea and abroad as one of Korea's best-looking actresses. Having acted in many TV dramas, Kim has also gradually built up a career in film, beginning in 1997 with Repechage opposite Jang Dong-gun.

Kim's most high-profile role of her early career was the big-budget martial arts fantasy Bichunmoo, shot in China and released in the summer of 2000. Although criticized for her acting in the film, it gave her more local and international exposure than any of her other works. In late 2001, Kim took on a completely different kind of role, cutting her hair short and starring as an animator in Wanee and Junah. Although her acting in this film drew a favorable response from critics, the film itself was not as popular with audiences.

In 2003 her career took a bit of a downturn, when the environmentally-themed melodrama A Letter From Mars, in which she starred with Shin Ha-kyun, proved to be an utter bomb at the box office. Over the next year or two she made her name in China. Following that, she took the role of a blind woman in the blockbuster TV drama Sad Love Story.

With her popularity among Chinese viewers, she was casted in Jackie Chan's The Myth, which would give her the more international exposure. Recently, was invited to participate in the Cannes festival for The Myth. Like many actors, Kim plans to establish her presence in Hollywood as well as in Europe by visiting the festival,

Pregnant Britney Spears

Lovers' life ... Britney and Kevin say their love has 'grown' over the pregnancy. The Baby One More Time singer who once traded on virginal virtue says that since getting pregnant, sex is "better than it was before". Spears and husband Kevin Federline revealed all in an interview with America's People magazine.

The couple talk openly about their relationship and pop's most-watched pregnancy in the interview, with Spears revealing she has been munching heavily on pickles and had occasional temper tantrums.

"I've lost my temper like twice. I just get really mad," she told People. Federline compared Spears in a tantrum to hapless hunter Elmer Fudd, "where his face just gets red and steam comes out of his ears."

The couple said they had no plans to get their child into show business. "We think a child can go to school, go to college, and when they're old enough to make their own decision, they can," Spears said.

Sports Illustrated's Marisa Miller

1980 was a great year because it gave us the wonderful Marisa Miller, who was born in the coastal city of Santa Cruz, California, on the northern part of Monterey Bay, a little more than an hour south of San Francisco.

In high school, Marisa was a star volleyball player. In fact, in her junior year, thanks to her position as outside hitter, her team never lost a game during the entire season.

Another sport she had a passion for was surfing. Even though this activity is more associated with Southern California, there was no way Marisa could do without it.

She drove south in 2001 to enjoy the bigger waves of Santa Barbara, and her entire future changed forever. Famous fashion photographer Mario Testino happened to be on the beach and he spotted her.

Mesmerized by Marisa and her singular appeal, he took some pictures of her. As it had been the case with Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, who was discovered in the same manner, Marisa was offered a chance to become a model.

Her mother Krista encouraged her to pursue this profession by saying, "You can always go back to school, but you can't always model." Stimulated by these words, Marisa took the plunge.

Like everyone else, she had to start at the bottom, so she became a nude model for Perfect 10 magazine. Soon after, she was offered the opportunity to appear within the pages of the 2001 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

Obviously, this secured her place within the modeling industry. As a result, Victoria's Secret knew she would be a great sight in lingerie and hired her to model undergarments for its catalogs.

Other companies also took advantage of her newfound popularity. Marisa has since worked on publicity campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger, J.Crew and Nordstrom.

With her stock rising, her face was seen on the cover of magazines like Vogue, Fitness and Shape. It's no wonder Sports Illustrated called her back for the 2003 and 2004 Swimsuit Editions.

Recently, Marisa was inspired by her mother, who returned to college to become a nurse and fulfill her dream of working in pediatrics. This made Marisa understand that modeling isn't forever, and that she should set her sights on a career in which she can grow old.

After her in-demand status in modeling subsides, Marisa intends on returning to university to get a proper education. In fact, Marisa, who now lives in the Californian town of Calabasas, would love to be a sportscaster someday.

Actress/Model Kikukawa Rei

Kikukawa Rei is more than just a pretty face. She is one of the few showbiz peple to have graduated from Tokyo University, the most pretigious third-level institution in Japan, and one of the hardest to get into. She had so much success as a model while still a student that, though she graduated with a degree in architecture, plans to go on to graduate school were put aside. Her academic background made her stand out but it is certainly her looks that have made her one of the most visible faces in Japan.

She is currently queen of the highly lucrative TV commercial world with dozens of corporate sponsorships under her 23" belt. She has also won many of the dubious awards given out each year that are thinly disguised publicity stunts. They include things like Best Slimming Award, Hair Coloring Award, Japan Bag Up Award, and the slightly nauseating Natto Queen (if you've ever smelled or eaten natto - fermented soybeans - you'll know what I mean).

Kikukawa is a member of the Oscar Productions agency. She made the move from the fashion runway to the world of TV acting in 1999. Kikukawa made her TV debut in the CX TV drama Kikenna Kankei (Dangerous Association). Since then she has been appearing in dramas and commercials almost constantly. Kikukawa has done particularly well as a front-woman for dozens of products, from cosmetics and glasses to oil and insurance. On TV, she has appeared in such series as How to Marry a Millionaire (NTV, 2000) and Let's Go! Nagatacho (NTV, 2001). She starred in the direct-to-video Hollywood movie Double Deception in 2001, in which she played "the beautiful daughter of a rich and powerful Japanese businessman". There was talk of her appearing as a geisha in a Spielberg movie but that didn't materialize.

Kikukawa often appears in a kimono and is considered more of a classic Japanese beauty. Whatever she's wearing or selling, Kikukawa is sure to be gracing TV screens and magazine covers for some time to come.

In-Demand Jennifer Hawkins

FRESH from her reign over the universe, former cheerleader Jennifer Hawkins is now set to conquer the world of movies.

Only days after handing over her title of Miss Universe, the Australian beauty has received her first film offer - from Hollywood heavyweight Adam Sandler to join a stellar cast in his movie Click. Hawkins has no previous acting experience but her first co-stars would include acclaimed actor Christopher Walken and star of The Aviator, Kate Beckinsale.

After watching Hawkins during last week's Miss Universe pageant, Sandler - who stars in The Longest Yard - rang Hawkins' Sydney manager with the offer at 6am on Friday.

The news has stunned Hawkins, 21, who is on holidays with friends in Bali.

"I love Adam Sandler, I think he's hilarious," Hawkins told The Sunday Telegraph yesterday.

"The fact that he wants me in his new movie is totally unbelievable. I don't know whether I'm able to free up July and August to shoot it, but if it works out then it would be fantastic."

Hawkins recently signed with Channel Seven to become a regular presenter on its travel show, The Great Outdoors.

If the network agrees to reschedule her commitments to the show, Hawkins will relocate to Los Angeles in July for two months.

Hawkins' manager Sean Anderson said he initially thought the call from funnyman Sandler was a prank.

"He said he'd watched her on TV during the pageant and thought she looked awesome and loved the way she communicated," Anderson said.

"He then went on to say he would love to have her in his next film."

Sandler's cult following could pay huge dividends for the girl Donald Trump once referred to as "the most beautiful Miss Universe ever".

Taiwan's Top Model Lin Zhi Ling

Taiwan has a new hottie to love. Her name Lin Zhi Ling (Chiling), Taiwan's top model. Besides modelling, she has appreared in many electronic and print ads, international fashion shows and a host for a TV show.

Graduated from Toronto University with a double degree in economics and western art history, this gorgeous 174cm model has everything going for her. 5 things you should know about her:

1. The 29-year-old is rumoured to be the lover of Taiwan's boyband F4, Jerry Yen.

2. Men want to be with her. She's the star most desired by Hong Kong businessmen, who will reportedly pay top dollar - HK$1 million to dine with her. Apparently, even Chinese megastar Zhang Ziyi doesn't command that much.

3. Moviemakers want to work with her. The Emperor Group, whose stable includes Nicholas Tse, has asked her to star in a film. But she says she is happy hosting TV shows for now.

4. Born Lin Chi-ling, she likes to be known by the more Anglicised Chiling Lin.

5. Her photos were made into stamps. Lin Zhi Ling herself ordered 500 sets!

Picture Gallery: Click Here!

Dot what?

Posted by Tom Stocky, Product Marketing Manager

There's been a lot of talk lately about ICANN's preliminary approval of some new top level Internet domains (.cat, .jobs, .mobi, .post, .travel, and .xxx), some more controversial than others. I've followed the various social and political debates only peripherally, but it seems like this could lead to a broader trend of sites assigning themselves to categories like jobs and travel.

Using the Site Search feature, you can narrow searches to a specific website [admissions site:www.mit.edu]. But what many people don't know is you can also use Site Search to narrow searches to a top level domain, which I found handy during tax season: [1099 site:gov].

Right now, Site Search can be used for top level domains (.org, .edu, .mil, .com, and .net), as well as country domains like .it (Italy) or .sz (Swaziland). As more of these come into play, topic-specific searching could become even easier.

Webmaster-friendly

Posted by Shiva Shivakumar, Engineering Director

We're undertaking an experiment called Google Sitemaps that will either fail miserably, or succeed beyond our wildest dreams, in making the web better for webmasters and users alike. It's a beta "ecosystem" that may help webmasters with two current challenges: keeping Google informed about all of your new web pages or updates, and increasing the coverage of your web pages in the Google index.

Initially, we plan to use the URL information webmasters supply to further improve the coverage and freshness of our index. Over time that will lead to our doing an even better job of delivering more search results from more websites. (Danny Sullivan interviewed me about this if you want to read more.)

This project doesn't just pertain to Google, either: we're releasing it under the Attribution/Share Alike Creative Commons license so that other search engines can do a better job as well. Eventually we hope this will be supported natively in webservers (e.g. Apache, Lotus Notes, IIS). But to get you started, we offer Sitemap Generator, an open source client in Python to compute sitemaps for a few common use cases. Give it a whirl and give us your feedback.

The Invisible Girl Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba will be seen in three of 2005's most anticipated films. In addition to Sin City, she will next be seen as Sue Storm/The Invisiible Girl in Marvel Comics' action-franchise The Fantastic Four, directed by Tim Story; and in Into the Blue, this summer's underwater action-adventure co-starring Paul Walker, Josh Brolin and Scott Caan. Alba also has a deal with Universal Pictures and Strike Entertainment to produce and star in a film derived from the limited-series comic book Beautiful Killer, from Black Bull Comics.

Alba made her major studio film debut starring as the title character the 2003 release, Honey, which grossed over $60-million worldwide. Earlier, Alba achieved worldwide recognition as the lead character in James Cameron's television series Dark Angel, Cameron's first project after Titanic. Playing Max, a genetically enhanced human prototype in 21st Century Seattle, she was nominated for a Golden Globe and a People's Choice Award. Alba was also voted the TV Guide Award as Breakout Star of the Year by readers, and won Favorite TV Actress at the 2001 Teen Choice Awards.

Alba fell in love with acting at a very early age, becoming active professionally at the age of 12. She began studying with acting coaches in Los Angeles and, shortly thereafter, landed at the Atlantic Theatre Company, where she studied with founders William H. Macy and David Mamet.

Alba's first feature film credits include Never Been Kissed, Idle Hands and The Sleeping Dictionary. In recent years, Alba has appeared in a select handful of iconic campaigns including L' Oreal cosmetics, the famous milk mustache Got Milk? campaign and the 30th Anniversary Fall ‘04 campaign for The Gap. An exotic beauty, Alba was raised in a traditional American family in California. Her mother's family has a French-Danish heritage, while her father is from Mexican-Indian and Spanish lineage.

The Summer of Code

Posted by Chris DiBona, Open Source Program Manager

We're very excited to launch our newest Open Source initiative, the Summer of Code, a program that aims to help students enter the world of Open Source software development by honing their skills on real problems with real programmers. It's not only intellectually rewarding, though - we're offering stipends to each student who successfully completes a project by the end of the summer. If you're up for it, go for it!

Beauty and Brains Laura Shields

MENSA queen Laura Shields is one of a new breed of beauty queen- with a beautiful mind as well as stunning vital statistics.

The 22-year-old graduate, from Rochdale, who won the Miss England crown, has an IQ of 150 to go with her 32-24-35 figure.

She is in the top two per cent of the smartest people in Britain. And she is one of dozens of university-educated girls who are leading a revolution that has swept the catwalk.

Mensa member Laura said: "The Miss World competition is changing. Most of last year's contestants spoke several languages. All the girls I've met so far have been lovely.

"They know that in this life you have to use everything you've got."

Things could have turned out differently for Laura if she had gone into modelling when she was first spotted by a scout in Manchester at 15. She tried it for a while, but then decided to concentrate on her school work.

She left Cardinal Langley High School in Middleton with 10 GCSEs - nine of them grade A - and A-levels in physics, chemistry and maths. She graduated with a degree in chemical engineering at Leeds University.

Today, she's the first woman from the U.K. to become a Miss International semifinalist in over a decade, and was voted as the Sexiest Woman Alive in 2004! Over 4,000 people voted in the two rounds of competition, both won by the British contender (19 and 23%, respectively, of total votes). She is also tipped to become the future bond girl.