Does the Google PageRank Algorithm Face a Quantum Threat?
December 23, 2011
One of the reasons that Google holds the title of the world’s leading search engine is due in large part to its PageRank algorithm. Other companies have tried to create algorithms to out compete the search giant but all have failed — until now.
According to the recent Technology Review article “Quantam PageRank Algorithm Outperforms Classical Version,” last week, Giuseppe Paparo and Miguel Martín-Delgado at The Complutense University in Madrid revealed a contender to Google’s original algorithm.
The article states:
With a tree graph, the quantum algorithm outperforms the classical algorithm in ranking the root page. However, although the algorithms average ranking of other pages produces the same hierarchy as a classical network, the quantum hierarchy may be different at any specific instant. This reflects the quantum fluctuations that can occur in these kinds of experiments. For a directed graph, the results are similar. The quantum algorithm spots the highest ranking page much more quickly than a classical algorithm but it only matches the classical hierarchy of other pages on average.
If Paparo, Martin-Delgado, and others continue to perfect quantum search, Google may lose its claim to the search engine throne more quickly than we anticipated.
Jasmine Ashton, December 23, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
YaSabe Creates iPhone App For Hispanic Users
December 23, 2011
Hispanic immigrants are the fastest growing minority group living in the United States today and 25 percent of them are iPhone users. With these two facts in mind, it is not surprising that a new iPhone application has been released that is specifically designed meet the needs of this demographic.
According to the recent YaSabe news release YaSabe Unveils Location-Aware iPhone App for U.S. Hispanics, the Hispanic local search company has created a new bilingual search application that helps users discover their options and find local businesses nearby. Users can search and browse in Spanish or English and change the distance to find out what is available around them.
The article states:
The YaSabe iPhone application lets users search in Spanish or English by name, product, service, or category for any of the 15,000,000 local businesses in the US. YaSabe highlights those businesses that speak Spanish and that particularly appreciate and welcome Hispanic customers and you can get one-click directions to any business right from your current GPS location.
By offering unique bilingual content and innovative technology to help consumers search and browse for local businesses, YaSabe is the first business that is making it a priority to address the search related needs Spanish speakers living in our country.
Jasmine Ashton, December 15, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Arabic Voice Service from Google
December 23, 2011
It’s about time. MENAFN reveals, “Google Introduces Arabic Voice Search Service.” Google is working to incorporate Arabic into its Voice Search for mobile phones. Voice Search is currently available in the United Arab Emirates on Android phones (version 2.2 and above) and iPhones.
Achieving that functionality is not as simple as it may sound. We learned from the write up:
The process would begin when Google streams sound files to their datacenters in real-time, then they would turn the audio information into phonemes, into words, into phrases, finally, Google would compare phrases against the billions of daily queries to assign probability scores to all possible transcriptions and deliver results.
Whew. This is why I’m not a developer. The Arabic speaking world is a huge market; Google’s move makes good sense. One question. How does the service work in a noisy restaurant?
Cynthia Murrell, December 23, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Protected: SharePoint: Easy Enough for Kids
December 23, 2011
Mindbreeze Deemed a Positive Force in Enterprise Search
December 22, 2011
Gartner’s MarketScope for Enterprise Search recently examined a group of generalist vendors that deliver simply priced platforms for solid enterprise search functionality. Mindbreeze is on the chart with a high rating of ‘positive’ based on evaluation criteria including product strategy, innovation, customer experience, overall viability, market understanding, and business model. Details of the evaluation and the enterprise search markets are discussed in, “MarketScope for Enterprise Search.”
“Gartner’s MarketScope for Enterprise Search reflects the changing needs and approach of users, who now generally ask first about technologies from Microsoft or Google, and then consider more platform-oriented or specialty-focused selections later. Specialized search-based applications are still priced to match their greater value for companies and organizations that must find information as a key element of strategic projects.”
Gartner’s MarketScope evaluated vendors that are ordinarily used for generalist projects, are well established, have the option to be bought and operated independently of other products, and were natively developed or founded on open-source technology.
In the report, Fabasoft Mindbreeze as a third party solution is noted for its broad product line, significant investments in federation as a means to broaden search, and its effective social search allowing user collaboration. Mindbreeze’s strong technological and functional offerings add value to your information in a user-friendly manner. Here you can read more about Mindbreeze solutions for facilitating findability:
“Our information pairing technology makes you unbeatable. Information pairing unites enterprise information and Cloud information. This results in a complete overview of a company’s knowledge – the basis for your competitive advantage – allowing you to act quickly, reliably, dynamically and profitably in all business matters.”
While there may not yet be an out-of-the-box solution for all your enterprise search needs, you’ll want to optimize your system with a professional vendor that has comprehensive solutions and an understanding of your business needs. To do this, check out the broad range of products available from Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Philip West, December 22, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
SMBs Should Seek the Benefits of PLM Systems
December 22, 2011
Many smaller manufacturing companies tend to shy away from Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems because of implementation and cost concerns. However, Apparel Magazine does not think they should hesitate and provides Five Reasons for Small to Mid-size Manufacturers to Adopt PLM”. Small to Mid-size manufacturing businesses (SMB) may find that PLM will improve their competitive advantage while increasing their bottom-line.
Apparel says that PLM will improve communication, assist in meeting growing compliance requirements and streamline each phase of the manufacturing. There are specially designed SMB solutions that:
“have a quicker implementation process and can have a company up and running within days or weeks with little or no disruption in operation.”
It also would reduce independent systems and separate silos of data. It is essential that a manufacturing company have an integrated system in place to locate needed information in a range of formats across file systems. Inforbix does just that. They make it possible to implement findability within PLM systems regardless the size of the business or the volume of data that is processed. It is a perfect fit for a SMB.
We think these reasons make a lot of sense for SMBs. The cost seems minimal and the benefits seem great. Small manufacturers – it is time to take that leap of faith.
Jennifer Wensink, December 21, 2011
Protected: SharePoint Is Not Made for Applications
December 22, 2011
Booz Allen Buzzword Blizzard
December 22, 2011
Yep, I used to work there. Booz, Allen & Hamilton, not the chopped up outfits that exist today. To get a feel for the buzzword blizzard, point your browser thing at “InnoCentive and Booz Allen Hamilton Form Strategic Alliance.” Now here’s a Frosty brain freeze buzzword style:
Available now, the integrated Booz Allen Hamilton-InnoCentive alliance provides commercial and government organizations with:
- The Open Innovation Diagnostic Program that includes vision and objectives definition, benchmarking, readiness, gap analysis, and strategic recommendations
- Leadership best practices and organization-wide training
- Challenge identification, prioritization, formulation, and execution
- Multi-channel Challenge program design and roadmap development
- Community (i.e. problem solver) development and engagement strategies
- Measurement and continuous improvement
- Supporting enabling technologies, platforms, and tools
Not much I can say. The pain is right behind my eyes and below my now numbed brain. This is azure chip consultant lingo. Too bad.
Stephen E Arnold, December 22, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Marketing Love in a Time of Mobile Apps
December 22, 2011
As holiday shopping hits a crescendo this week retailers are examining how to increase sales, analyze shopper data more efficiently and strengthen mobile advertising all in one fell swoop. The article, Malls, Retailers Focus on Mobile Phones to Reach Shoppers, Boost Sales and Study Consumers, on http://www.cleveland.com/, explores some controversial mobile app and Smartphone technologies retailers are employing this holiday season.
Although the Federal Trade Commission and several consumer watchdog groups have put a nix to several Big-Brother-esque programs put in place by malls and large retailers to monitor shopper activity and behavior due to privacy violations, some programs are alive and thriving. Many complain that the programs are all one sided, in favor of the retailer, but that is not necessarily the case. In most instances consumers receive a nice reward for their privacy being violated.
As the article explains of the relationship between retailer and consumer,
With traditional retailers fighting online competition from companies from Amazon to Zappos.com, the retail industry must give consumers a reason to choose brick-and-mortar. Online retailers collect data about shoppers and use that information to tailor advertising and suggest purchases. Now stores and shopping-center landlords see cell phones as a path to influencing what people buy, how long they shop and how much they spend.
Before condemning retailers for utilizing scores of data mines waltzing in and out of their stores every day, consumers should examine their habits and devotion to mobile apps. Without consumer usage these app-utilizing marketing campaigns would be a waste of time. If one doesn’t want to be exploited by a retailer, turn off the phone. Easier said than done, just like search.
Catherine Lamsfuss, December 22, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Desperate Times for Search and Selling Consulting
December 22, 2011
I saw a news story about the uptick in the housing market. Perhaps you read “Get Started ‘On’ Dec. 21: Housing Shows Recovery Signs, Lobbyists Warn against Tax Cut Expiration.” You may have seen the recent story “Home Foreclosures Jump in Third Quarter-Report.” Contradictions are one indicator which tells me that no clear signal is emerging. I wrote last night (December 20, 2011) about the Oracle financial softening and how search acquisitions will not do much, if anything, to firm up Oracle’s revenues. Since the economic meltdown became evident in the spring of 2008 with the collapse of BearStearns, we have entered a new financial territory. The maps are still being created and exploration is underway.
Most organizations are struggling to find a way to accomplish two difficult goals simultaneously. Personally I cannot multi-task, but the financial pressure is so great that many executives assume that more effort will pull the marshmallows out of the bonfire. I am not so sure.
One goal for many organizations with which I am familiar is to keep existing revenues from eroding more quickly. Since I focus on software and content, the challenge of generating new revenue from old products is a big one. Most of the executives whom I know are hard working, optimistic people. But the issues is preventing revenue from existing and reasonably well understood products and services from tanking.
The “big idea” will touch you, imparting “wisdom” and more.
The other goal is for organizations to find new revenue. The MBA types have fancy diagrams to explain strategies and tactics. I have worked out a few basic options which have worked for me when I had a “real” job (not as an azure chip consulting, journalist, or middle school teacher). Here are my non MBA options:
- Buy a company and pretend that its products and services are “new”
- Take an existing product and service, reposition or repackage it, and target a “new” market with this “new” product. Nothing material is done, but the marketing copy changes.
- Identify an existing product or service and graft something “novel” like making a search system into an iPad app or some equivalent maneuver. The “new” product is then pitched as “revolutionary” or whatever claim common sense and one’s attorney permits.
- Make a bet on something outside of one’s core competency. Believe me, this happens frequently. Examples include some of Google’s products to a local catering service’s attempt to set up a full service restaurant.
In this context of financial pressure, the need for r3evenues, and the options available to executives, I pondered “The End of the Web? Don’t Bet on It. Here’s Why” by Mark Suster, a member of the Dark Side; that is, venture capital world. The foundation of his write up was a presentation by the azurist George Colony, the CEO of Forrester Research.
I don’t have much to say about the specifics of either the Forrester notion that certain digital resources increase over time; specifically, storage, processing cycles, and network capacity. I don’t have much to say about the Dark Side analysis of the Forrester presentation.
Here’s what interests me:
First, I think these big, well publicized “thought pieces” are essentially devoid of substantive analysis. The “big idea” becomes a foundation upon which assertions, arguments, and counter arguments rest. The goal is to associated Forrester with a topic and generate buzz, visibility, or what is called a “conversation” about the “big idea”. I don’t have the energy to explain why the three “resources” are essentially one “thing.” Believe the assertion if you wish
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