Google "20-percent time" going to help Japan

Advertisement
By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 15 June 2012 15:39 IST
Highlights
  • Legions of Google workers are devoting a fifth of their work time or more to building technology to help to deal with the disaster in Japan.
Legions of Google workers are devoting a fifth of their work time or more to building technology to help to deal with the disaster in Japan.
Google has long allowed employees to spend 20 percent of their time on engineering projects that interest them but which don't fall into their usual area of focus.

The havoc and death wrought on Japan by a powerful earthquake and ensuing tsunami has prompted many "Googlers" to devote their "20-percent time" to crafting Digital Age tools for handling the crisis.

"A lot of 20-percent time is being spent on Japan," Google spokesman Jamie Yood told AFP on Thursday.

"There is definitely a group of people in our Tokyo office spending a lot more than 20 percent of their time on this, and that is supported by Google," he said.

Google has established a multi-lingual Crisis Response Page with links to resources such as emergency hotlines, relief organizations, maps, and a service for finding loved ones.

"Like the rest of the world, we've been transfixed by the images and news coming out of the northeastern part of Japan over the past six days," Google product manager Nobu Makida said in a blog post on Thursday.

"Googlers in Japan and elsewhere around the world have been working around the clock to try and help improve the flow of information."
The Japanese military Thursday used trucks and helicopters to dump tons of water onto the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant in efforts to douse fuel rods and prevent a disastrous radiation release.

The operation aims to keep the fuel rods inside reactors and containment pools submerged under water, to stop them from degrading when they are exposed to air and emitting dangerous radioactive material.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale 2025: Check Early Deals on Tablets
  2. Xiaomi Announces Offers on These Products Ahead of Amazon, Flipkart Sales
  3. Amazon Sale 2025: Check Top Deals on These iQOO Smartphones
  4. iQOO 15 Design Leak Reveals Colour-Changing Panel: See Benchmark Scores
  5. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Deal Revealed Ahead of Amazon GIF Sale
  6. DJI Mini 5 Pro With 1-Inch Camera Sensor Launched at This Price
  7. These Samsung Phones Will Get Price Drops Ahead of Festive Season
  1. Astronomers Reveal Sudden Explosion of Small Asteroid Over France
  2. Rare ‘Crescent Sunrise’ Solar Eclipse to Grace Skies Over Antarctica and New Zealand
  3. Sun Shows Signs of Rising Activity Following Decades of Weakening, Study Finds
  4. IMAP Space Weather Mission to Lift Off Soon, NASA Confirms Broadcast Plans
  5. Microsoft's Xbox Full-Screen Experience Leaks on Other Windows Handhelds Ahead of ROG Xbox Ally Debut
  6. Cellecor Comet CBS-05 Pro Bluetooth Speaker Launched in India: Price, Features
  7. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24 FE, Galaxy A55 5G and More to Go on Sale With Discounts During Festive Season
  8. Coinbase Urges US DOJ Action as SEC Mulls Dropping Lawsuit Against Crypto Exchange
  9. Vivo V60 Lite 4G Design, Specifications Leaked; Tipped to Launch With Snapdragon 685 SoC, 6,500mAh Battery
  10. Nothing Ear 3 Launched With Super Mic Feature, Up to 45dB Active Noise Cancellation: Price, Features
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.