Google is giving a team of Cornell researchers $800 K to try to make internet social interactions more representative of real life.

Like a best friend, movie buff, a website like Netflix can give users recommendations based on their search histories.  According to Thorsten Joachims, computer science, Netflix is one of many “systems that act smart.” Smart systems pick up information from a large amount of people and consolidate that information into regularity. 

Google’s mission to put all “the books of the world” on the web is rapidly dividing the academic community. As the debate comes to a crossroads on Oct. 7 — when Justice Denny Chin must decide to either hear oral arguments for a pending class action or dismiss the settlement — the Cornell Library is trying to straddle a rapidly vanishing middle ground.

University Librarian Anne Kenney stated in a letter to the court, dated Sept 2, that despite reservations, the Library supported the deal as providing an “inestimable … potential benefit to research.”

As part of a transition to third-party e-mail vendors, the University is slated to announce later this week that starting on Thursday students will be able to access their Cornell e-mail through a Google-based server, like Gmail, called “Cmail”

Cmail, provided by Google Apps Education Edition, is currently available to new, incoming students when they activate their Net ID. The University will offer another third-party e-mail alternative –– through Microsoft-based services, Microsoft Live and Outlook Live –– starting this fall.

Features such as Google Talk (instant messaging and video chat), Google calendars, Google sites, and Google Docs will be available to all Cornell students using Cmail. In addition, students will keep their current NetID@cornell.edu with Cmail.

When we think of making the world a better place, we often think of large-scale accomplishments, for instance, donating millions of dollars to research or helping end hunger in third-world countries. And while those are absolutely important, we shouldn't forget to recognize the small-scale accomplishments--the ideas that make our lives easier and more trouble-free.

It's in that spirit that this blog post honors Google engineer Jon Perlow, who has created a feature called Mail Goggles for GMail users. It is intended to prevent people from "drunk emailing", or sending embarrassing emails while under the influence of alcohol.