CPS 49SGoogle: The Computer Science

Within and its Impact on Society

Shivnath Babu

Spring 2008

Outline for Today

• Why are we interested in Google? • What we will cover in this class• Logistics

Staff

• Instructor: Shivnath Babu– Assistant Professor of Computer Science– shivnath@gmail.com – Office: D338 LSRC– Office hours: After class and by appointment

Google

• Why are you interested in Google?– Or, why are you interested in this class?– Or, both

Course Outline: Three Parts

• Google’s cool technology– Backed by Computer Science

• Science/technology Successful business

• Impact– How things have changed in the Google era

Course Logistics

• Recommended textbook: – The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the

Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture. By John Battelle. September, 2005. Portfolio Trade.

• Paperback version available, e.g., at Amazon• The Bookstore should have this book• Insightful and comprehensive book on the applications

and impact of Web-search technology

• Web site: http://www.cs.duke.edu/courses/spring08/cps049s

Work/Grading

• Class participation 40%– Attendance and participation in the discussion– Leading a discussion in class– Team Project

• Writing assignments 20%– Scribe notes– Homeworks– 1 long project report (10-12 pages)

• Four quizzes 40%– Best 4 out of 5

Work (contd.)

• Class participation– You are responsible for completing the assigned

reading for each topic before we discuss the topic in class

– Come prepared for discussion – Reading assignments will be posted on the course

web page or hardcopies will be handed out– Have to attend >= 80% of classes

• Discussion in class– Discussion leader– Scribe

For Next Tuesday (1/15)

• 1-2 page writeup on: – Why you are interested in Google; What excites you

most about Google– Give a prioritized list of five topics on which you would

like to lead the class discussion• Based on these writeups:

– I will come up with a schedule for discussions

Teams and Class Discussions

• Based on these writeups, I will:– Divide the class into 6 teams of 3 students each– Come up with a schedule for discussions

• Teams:– Computer Science Team (core technology)– Business and Economy Team (science money)– Advertising Team (core of Google’s business)– Privacy and Personalization Team– Fraud Detection and Prevention Team– Services Team (YouTube, Social Networks, etc.)

Responsibilities of the Discussion Leader

• Before the discussion– Read the assigned and supplementary reading

materials & discuss with team members– 1 week before the discussion: suggest modifications

(if any) to the assigned reading material – 1 day before the discussion: send me the discussion

points/outline • During the discussion

– Give 10-15 minute talk to open the discussion– Lead the discussion --- have concrete points

• After the discussion– Create a report on the discussion

Responsibilities of the Scribe

• Scribe will be a team member• Record important points raised during the

discussion• Submit the scribe notes to me and to the

discussion leader on the same day• Discussion leader has one more day to submit

the discussion report to me

Assigned Readings

• For next Tuesday (1/15):– First chapter in the Battelle book– Handout

• For next Thursday (1/17):– Second chapter in the Battelle book, A Taxonomy of

Web Search– Handout

• For the following Tuesday (1/22)– Early paper by the “Google guys”– Handout– Also posted on the course readings web page

Reminder: For Next Tuesday (1/15)

• 1-2 page writeup on: – Why you are interested in Google; What excites you

most about Google– Give a prioritized list of five topics on which you would

like to lead the class discussion• Based on these writeups:

– I will come up with a schedule for discussions