CPS 49S
Google: 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