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Google Founder Larry Page Splashes Out on a New Superyacht

Google founder Larry Page has splashed out $45 million on a new superyacht with interiors by design genius Philippe Starck. The internet billionaire's new toy is the 194-ft. expedition superyacht Senses, purchased from New Zealand tycoon Sir Douglas Myers. The steel-hulled yacht was designed by Kusch Yachts and built back in 1999 at Germany's Schweers yard with a refit in 2010, and features accommodation for 10 guests and 14 crew over six decks. Split-level decks provide open and shaded sun lounging areas, secluded side pods, sheltered outdoor dining and informal seating areas. There's an airy and light gymnasium and a private beach club, complete with a Jacuzzi pool and vast sun beds, all with Starck's signature flair. The centerpiece of the vessel is a spacious owners' suite with dressing room which spans the full beam of the yacht. Senses also has a helipad and is equipped to carry a variety of toys and tenders. With twin 1,600 hp Deutz diesels she has a maximum speed of 15 knots, a cruising speed of 11 knots, and a range of 6,500 nautical miles at cruising speed.

Gallery: Larry Page's Superyacht 'Senses'

[via JamesList]

Tags: billionaire, expedition yacht, Google, google+yacht, googleyacht, Larry Page, larry+page+yacht, larry+page+yacht+senses, larrypageyacht, larrypageyachtsenses, Philippe Starck, senses+yacht, sensesyacht, superyacht, yacht

The Fashion Statement: Google's Fashion Engine

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, The Fashion Statement

Who among us hasn't typed in "nude stiletto" in a search engine box and gotten back enough Lucite heels to make a stripper swoon? Well, things are looking up. Yesterday, Google launched Boutiques.com, and it greatly improves the search process when you're shopping for fashion items online.

Google posted the back story on its blog: "A year and half ago, our team (which at the time was part of Like.com) started to wonder if we could create a better experience for people to shop online. We jokingly called ourselves the computer nerds and fashion nerds (and a few of us were both). So, we set out to create a new way to browse, discover and shop for soft goods online."

The site uses visual search technology developed by Like.com (which Google acquired in August) using images to drive the search rather than text typed into a search box. You can teach the site your style by either taking a quiz or sifting through images while hitting "More My Style" tabs. When you're finished creating your own "boutique," it then helps filter out items you dislike and adds more of what you'd like. It's kind of a Pandora for fashionistas.

Tags: Boutiques.com, BryanBoy, Carey Mulligan, ginnifer goodwin, Google, lauren conrad, Los Angeles Times, online shopping, Susie Bubble

Continue reading “The Fashion Statement: Google's Fashion Engine”

Finn Jewelry For Sophie Theallet

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Fashion and jewelry go together like chocolate and peanut butter. At New York Fashion Week earlier this year the two combined beautifully at CFDA winner Sophie Theallet's runway show. Theallet's inspiration for the collection was the fairy tale story of a peasant girl that becomes a princess. Finn Jewelry created a capsule collection of pieces to match the ethereal quality of the collection. The pieces make use of little charms that are delicate and magical. An 18K gold fairy tale charm necklace includes a fixed pave diamond star, pave moon star charm, dagger charm, medallion charm, carved garnet heart charm, and bell charm and sells for $4,375. Another look is after the jump.

[via Refinery 29]

Tags: fashion, finn jewelry, google, jewelry, Sophie Theallet

Continue reading “Finn Jewelry For Sophie Theallet”

Sergey Brin's Latest Donation

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Big Givers

Google co-founder Sergey Brin seems to be finding his sea legs when it comes to philanthropy. Brin and his wife Anne Wojcicki have announced a $1 million gift to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, a group which helped his family when he was just a little boy from the Soviet Union. The society provides protection and assistance to some of the most vulnerable refugee populations around the world and also offers information, training, and expert advice on immigration laws.

Sergey Brin has an estimated wealth of $16 billion but he and his wife are learning about what their money can do. They have given away $30 million so far to various organizations including the Michael J. Fox Foundation and other research organizations devoted to Parkinson's disease. In a NY Times article on the latest donation Brin cited Bill Gates' research-heavy philanthropic model as an inspiration.

The Brin family came to the U.S. 30 years ago and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society helped them leave the Soviet Union for the United States and assisted with getting them visas and tickets and giving them money (what an excellent return on their investment). Brin started social networking site, mystory.hias.org, on the society's website to for Russian Jewish immigrants to post their stories. The gift will be used for a variety of purposes including supporting advocacy on immigration policy.

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Tags: anne wojcicki, AnneWojcicki, google, philanthropy, sergey brin, SergeyBrin

Google Opens Brand Name Advertising To All

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Google has decided to let more U.S. advertisers use trademarked terms in ad text on search result pages as of June 15. For advertisers who want to promote the top brand names through Google keywords, the change being made by the search engine company is an opportunity but owners of prestige brands don't see it that way. They see use of their terms in Google's "Sponsored Link" ads is a trademark violation.

Under the old policy if a company wanted to advertise the brands they sell they may not have been able to use specific keywords. But now while that advertiser can promote brands he sells this also opens the window to all sorts of attempts at fraudulent advertising and the selling of counterfeit merchandise. According to Bloomberg, Google has said it will still "perform a limited investigation of reasonable complaints about use of trademarks in ads." Google's website instructs trademark owners to go after the advertisers themselves.

For luxury brands the keywords may not be as much of a problem as Google's own native search results. Do a search for Louis Vuitton and online retailers selling "replica" bags are right there on the front page, no advertising required. Louis Vuitton parent company LVMH has already taken on Google in French court over a long and involved trademark- infringement lawsuit in Europe which is ongoing.

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Tags: advertising, google, keywords, louis vuitton, LouisVuitton

LVMH Fights Google Over Keyword Buys

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Another week, another Louis Vuitton lawsuit. This time Louis Vuitton is taking on Google in the European Court of Justice. When a person googles a brand name they can see paid search results which can belong to companies selling similar bags or replica bags and counterfeits. Parent company LVMH says that Google shouldn't be allowed to sell those brand name search words to other advertisers and that they should belong only to the brand that licenses them.

Google has already appealed the case after a French court ruled that it had violated trademark rights which is why it has been kicked up to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. Google lawyer Alexandra Neri has said that Google only makes money when a person clicks on the ad and that: "The decision to click or not to click belongs to who -- clearly to the Internet user."

Certain words are blocked from being chosen as keywords in France and according to Bloomberg, when Google's French unit receives proof of a registered trademark it then adds it to the blocked list. In the U.S., Google blocks advertisements that include protected trademarks but LVMH has said Google didn't act quickly enough and only makes a move when it is told there is an infraction (this sounds a lot like LVMH's complaints with eBay over the policing of their site).

This case will take a while, the advocate general on the case is expected to give a non-binding opinion by June 4 but the final ruling may not come until the end of the year.

Tags: google, lawsuit, lvmh

Google Founders' New Fighter Jet Works For NASA

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

H21 LLC, the company controlled by Google's top executives, to manage their planes, has added an interesting new purchase, a Dornier Alpha Jet. What does Google need with a fighter jet?

The NY Times reports that the Alpha Jet is being outfitted with scientific instruments for NASA missions. H21 LLC already has an agreement with NASA to fly out of Moffett Field which is located near the Google campus. The plane will be used by the Google executives' pilots would use the Dornier Alpha Jet mainly for "training and pilot proficiency."

Last year,H21 LLC signed a contract with NASA giving them rights to use Moffett Field with NASA receiving $1.3 million in rent every year and the right to put scientific instruments on the planes for use by its researchers. It turned out they couldn't make the necessary alterations to the existing planes without getting new certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration each time. Because the Alpha Jet is considered an experimental aircraft and not a passenger jet it is not subject to the same restrictions.

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Tags: alpha jet, dornier, google

Google.org Pledges Over $10 Million to Geothermal Energy

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Big Givers

Google.org recently announced its investment of over $10 million in "breakthrough geothermal energy" to further its goal to develop clean energy alternatives to coal. Functioning as the philanthropic arm of Google (effectively the 1% co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin initially pledged toward global concerns), Google.org has already donated or invested over $85 million across five focus areas which include renewable energy and the improvement of public services.

If you're into videos about geothermal energy, check out this one. It's all about drilling for energy in the Australian outback. You'll learn words and phrases such as "exajoules" and "distributed indigenous nature" -- just in time for your Labor Day cocktail parties!

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Tags: australia, exajoules, geothermal, google, google.org, larry page, LarryPage, renewable energy, RenewableEnergy, sergey brin, SergeyBrin

Google Cofounder To Become Space Tourist

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has announced he'll be join the ranks of the ultra-wealthy booking a space flight. Brin's date with the sky will be in 2011 when he will be one of the passengers aboard Russian Soyuz rocket. Brin has put down a $5 million deposit with Space Adventures, a company which has already sent five tourists into space for $20 to $35 million each. Brin is the first of six founding members of an "Orbital Mission Explorers Circle" who will each contribute $5 million to pay for the company to launch its first private mission to the International Space Station. Visitors to the space station may be allowed to take their own space experiments with them.

Google has previously demonstrated an interest in space travel, funding the Google Lunar X Prize, a $25 million competition to get a spacecraft to the moon.

Tags: expire-images2009-6-12, google, sergey brin, SergeyBrin, space adventures, space tourism, SpaceAdventures, SpaceTourism

Google Co-Founder To Tie the Knot on Branson's Island

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping

It's official, as of this weekend both of Google's billionaire co-founders will be off the market. Larry Page will marry his girlfriend, Lucy Southworth this weekend (his parter-in-search Sergey Brin married earlier this year). Page and Southworth are getting married on Richard Branson's private playground, Necker Island, in the Caribbean and Richard Branson will serve as Page's best man.

The NY Post's Page Six reports that the wedding is a "logistical nightmare" because planners have to coordinate lavish places to stay for all of Page and Southworth's 600 guests which are said to include the Clintons, Bono and a whole gaggle of billionaires. The wedding hasn't just taken over Branson's island, most guests will be staying at Little Dix Bay Resort on Virgin Gorda with boats and ferries being pressed into service to get the guests over to Necker Island. Page is also booking private jets to fly guests in from all around the world.

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Tags: expire-images:2008-12-6, google, larry page, LarryPage, lucy southworth, necker island, richard braonson

The Fabulous Lives of "Googlaires"

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

There are different breeds of millionaire in the world, and one of the latest to develop is the "Googlaire." It refers to that exclusive group of people (estimated at around a few hundred) that have come into money and new lifestyles as a result of striking gold with Google stock options. And although some are obviously blowing their money frivolously and will soon have dwindled it down, there are many who are finding a nice balance between fun (buying dream homes and dream cars) and responsibility (investing the money for the future and starting businesses).

Good to know the Google founders, with their fleet of over-sized private jets and countless other amenities, aren't the only ones getting rich!

Source

Tags: googlaire, googlaires, google, googleaire, googleaires, luxury, money, rich, stock options, StockOptions, stocks, wealth, wealthy

Sixteen billionaires push big numbers in age too!

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

There are cougars and kittens in the world of dating but in the world of billionaires there is young, old and "wow, people live that long?". Sixteen billionaires have hit the ripe old age of 90 as of this month and they are an elite crowd for sure. But they weren't born with silver spoons in their mouths. Most began in traditional roles of agriculture, banking and oil spending their 20's and 30's toiling and moving up the ladder. Only three of the sixteen were handed their fortunes such as David Rockefeller. Compare that to the young billionaire group who are mostly tech driven like Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page and you will see the distinct difference. The good thing to note is that for all of us working our hearts out at average paid jobs we have another 60 years to get it right and strike it rich!

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Tags: billionaires, David-Rockefeller, Google, John-Simplot, Larry-Page, old-money, oldest-billionaires, Sergey-Brin

Google Founders Get Yet Another New Jet

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Those Google guys must really be into over-sized private jets, because they're at it again! Apparently having 3 private jets, including a Boeing 767, with landing rights on NASA's Moffett Airfield wasn't good enough for them as they've now added a Boeing 757 to their ever-growing fleet.

Although smaller than the 767 they already have, obviously the 757 is still a large aircraft. Why does Google need so much in the way of wings? Who knows really, but a move like this sure is to get people talking.

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Tags: 757, 767, air, airplane, boeing, boeing 757, boeing 767, Boeing757, Boeing767, google, jet, jets, NASA, plane, private, private jet, private jets, PrivateJet, PrivateJets

The Google Private Jet Gets to Park on NASA's Runway

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Google is getting more and more famous for spoiling and splurging on its employees every day it seems. A couple of years ago the two founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, made headlines when they purchased a used Boeing 767 which they converted to a large customized private jet. Now they're making headlines again as they have negotiated a $1.3 million deal to with NASA to both use the Moffett Field runway and to have parking spaces for Google's over-sized private Boeing jet and 2 other smaller jets. The Google execs get an exclusive parking spot within mere minutes of headquarters, and NASA gets both the annual income and the chance to put scientists on board Google flights for research purposes.

All the other high rollers in the area are just drooling with envy.

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Tags: boeing, boeing 767, Boeing767, google, jet, larry page, LarryPage, NASA, plane, private jet, PrivateJet, runway, sergey brin, SergeyBrin

Don't Get Lost In Your Mercedes

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos

Ahh, GPS systems are so passé all by themselves. Why bother with all that programming when you can simply send the directions to your car from Google or Yahoo! Maps?

Mercedes-Benz appears to be the first automaker to implement the idea, which simply involves sending the directions to your car, pressing the i-button and either loading up the directions or saving them for later via the Mercedes-Benz Tele Aid System.

According to Mercedes-Benz, the Search & Send is available starting on the 2007 S-Class, CL-Class, and 2008 C-Class with the Multimedia Package and Navigation System.

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Tags: google, gps, maps, mercedes, navigation, yahoo

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