English Majors Rejoice: WolframAlpha Does Willy
April 11, 2012
I know that quite a few search engine optimization wizards, most MBAs, and probably two thirds of the attorneys love William Shakespeare. From the wonderful days in those teen years all the way through English 410 at a top-notch school like the University of Phoenix. Willy’s passion is that which passes show to the glass of fashion, text mining. Ah, analytics, how use doth breed a habit in a man.
Well, not the entire corpus of Shakespeare. “Rape of Lucrece” warrants a “WolframAlpha doesn’t understand your query.” So for my own part, it was Greek to me.
Navigate to “To Computer or Not to Compute—WolframAlpha Analyzes Shakespeare’s Plays.” I thought immediately about Vivisimo’s academic vertical search demonstrations. These were great fun, but I am not sure that academic subjects hit the Instagram jack pot. The service may be useful to those trying for figure out which character was Desdemona’s mother’s maid, and I think the service helps educate some graduate students into the virtues of doing close reading by scanning outputs from a set of algorithms little understood. Here’s the passage in the write up I noted:
Entering a play into Wolfram|Alpha, like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, brings up basic information, such as number of acts, scenes, and characters. It also provides more in-depth info like longest word, most frequent words, number of words and sentences, and more. It’s also easy to find more specific information about a particular act or scene with queries like “What is the longest word in King Lear?”, “What is the average sentence length of Macbeth?”, and “How many unique words are there in Twelfth Night?”.
Literature teachers will face essays in which words fly up. What is below is a numerical recipes. And close reading? We have heard the chimes at midnight.
Stephen E Arnold, April 11, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Woopra Educates Users about Web Analytics
April 11, 2012
We paid attention in statistics class. The quality of the data and the questions one frames are key to making any analytics exercise work. Punching buttons and generating pretty charts and graphs are not too helpful if the underlying data and the questions are off base, incorrect, or training wheels for a hassled MBA.
Quora recently posed the question “Web Analytics: Most companies don’t use the full potential of their Web Analytics tools. What do you think?” and received eight answers.The most thought provoking response came from Natalie Issa, the Marketing Director of the web analytics company Woopra.
According to Issa, there are four key points one should keep in mind when tackling the web analytics challenge. These are: Google analytics, marketing vs. developers, large companies vs. small, and educating users.
When discussing the importance of educating users, Issa writes:
“Web analytics services need to invest and devote resources to educating users. The company I work for, Woopra, is tackling this head on by hiring individuals whose job it is to teach and create learning materials for our users to make sure they have all the support they need (if this sounds like your kind of job, feel free to message me :)). We’re also seeing more and more marketing firms and consultants helping small and medium size businesses with their web analytics needs.”
Does this mean that customers are making decisions without an appropriate understanding of what the math behind the system actually delivers? Our view: training wheels on analytics can produce some interesting consequences.
The reality is that analytics will not solve problems reliably unless the users understand the data and frame the correct question. Statistics 101. It is not the training; it is the fact that people want a silver bullet, not mental effort. Just our view, of course. Marketers have a different goal, and it is not education, is it?
Jasmine Ashton, April 11, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
New Book Helps Organizations Increase the Value of SharePoint
April 11, 2012
Frequent SharePoint blogger and author Christian Buckley has co-authored a book devoted to SharePoint 2010. Market Watch provides full details in, “Axceler Product Evangelist Christian Buckley Co-Authors New Book on Microsoft SharePoint 2010.”
“Christian Buckley, Director of Product Evangelism and a Microsoft SharePoint Server MVP, has co-authored a new book titled, ‘Microsoft SharePoint 2010: Creating and Implementing Real-World Projects.’ Buckley and co-authors Jennifer Mason, Brian T. Jackett, and Wes Preston help readers build effective business solutions with Microsoft SharePoint 2010 by following repeatable business analysis and design principles from real-world projects. This hands-on book, published by Microsoft Press, focuses on a different business scenario in each chapter, using a standard template to guide the reader through the solution-building process from start to finish. Readers can also learn how to utilize SharePoint out of the box to develop a corporate intranet, a media hub, a system to support distributed teams, and solutions to many other scenarios.”
Buckley often focuses his efforts on getting the most out of a SharePoint deployment, knowing that most organizations will not be satisfied with its out-of-the-box functionality. This book will no doubt improve the quality of life for many a SharePoint developer.
However, we wonder if there is not a simpler solution. Third-party solutions like those offered by Fabasoft Mindbreeze provide a seamless and intuitive add-on to an existing SharePoint installation. Bringing together semantic pairing, mobile capabilities, and a scalable solution for the Cloud or an on-site installation, Fabasoft Mindbreeze can save organizations from the cost of customization suggested by Buckley.
“Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise understands you, or more precisely understands exactly what the most important information is for you at any given moment. It’s a center of excellence and simultaneously your personal assistant for all questions. The information pairing technology brings enterprise and Cloud together.”
The more information, the better, and Buckley’s book is worth a read. However, do not neglect smart third-party options like Fabasoft Mindbreeze when analyzing the customization needs of your organization.
Emily Rae Aldridge, April 11, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Federated Search: A Definition
April 11, 2012
The phrase “federated search” means subtly different things to different people, and we have noted confusion occasionally arising because of this. It is therefore good to see a new article on the Search Technologies’ Web site clarifying matters. The article defines the task of federated search as:
Deploying a search over distributed and possibly heterogeneous data sets, and receiving in return a unified search results list.
Not only does the piece provide a clear definition of the alternative strategies for implementing federated search, it also lists the fundamental pros and cons of the different approaches. Read on at Federated Search: The Options.
Iain Fletcher, April 11, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Efficiency Gain through PLM
April 11, 2012
Given the ever-increasing amount of complex product information both created by and retained by most companies, the implementation of an intuitive and scalable product lifecycle management (PLM) solution is vital to enforce the internal data management efficiency that these enterprises need to develop a competitive edge.
In a press release from the Siemens Industry Automation Division entitled “Siemens PLM Software Significantly Enhances Decision-Making with New Active Workspace‘,” which is excerpted in the blog CAM Logic, the necessity of integrating PLM into a company’s information technology infrastructure is underscored:
“Today, many companies have massive amounts of information generated throughout their product lifecycle management processes, which currently lies dormant, often spread across many sites and several different unconnected databases. This information could potentially be used to enhance decision making. However, finding, understanding and acting on all of this information can be difficult, time consuming and ultimately expensive.”
Inforbix, whose cloud-based, cost-effective, user-friendly, and highly customizable PLM product helps companies “find, reuse and share product data,” recognizes the internal and external advantages that enterprises will quickly discover once they implement a PLM solution that allows them to quickly organize and access such information and to consequently uncover the latent value of all their previously fragmented product data.
Tonya Weikel, April 11, 2012
Search Infrastructure Advice from PolySpot
April 11, 2012
We think highly of PolySpot. The open source search experts have published a new white paper titled “How Agile Enterprise Search Infrastructure Can Help CIOs.” The paper is a must-read for any organization working to bridle its data. The summary states:
“Implementing advanced enterprise search applications yields significant and helps solve major technical and business issues:
- Facilitate access to valuable information through a single gateway or profiled pushed content
- Deliver comprehensive information, not fragmented information
- Increase employees satisfaction thanks to higher relevance and findability
- Ease expertise finding
- Enhance access to legacy information systems
- Provide access to time sensitive information such as pricing, regulations, and procedures
- Federate legacy document management content locked in proprietary systems
- Reduce harmonization costs and contain software license fees”
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Paris, PolySpot designs search and information access solutions that help clients around the world boost efficiency even as big data multiplies at an astounding rate. Their tools offer universal connectivity, covering all business needs and ensuring that organizations can access the data they need, regardless of their structure, format or origin. They handle structured data with aplomb, of course, but pride themselves on their innovative cross-functional solution to unstructured data.
Cynthia Murrell, April 11, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Is Google Making a Wrong Turn?
April 11, 2012
We came across a poignant view from a person who does not embrace Google‘s pursuit of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft. Andrew Badr reminisces in his post, “The Google We Lost.” Was the past really that good? We’re not so sure.
Larry Page’s new focus on what Badr calls “human problems” (social, design, and product) bothers the blogger because he feels it does not play to the company’s strengths. Google has spent the last ten years, he says, almost exclusively hiring engineering talent. The best engineering talent, to be sure, but engineers just the same.
Badr posits that the reason for the focus on more touchy-feely issues springs from a “fear of Facebook” as well as the influence of Apple. He charges:
“Google trying to become more like Apple smacks of a nerd who decides to try to be popular. Even if you succeed, you lose something valuable about yourself. Making a decision based on principles like ‘be true to yourself’ is heuristic and long-term; it would be hard to justify to shareholders. But it sure would feel better. ‘Beat Facebook’ is not an inspiring vision, and Google needs to keep inspiring developers if it wants to keep hiring the best ones. And the world loses something — the company that could have been.”
Grousing employees are common today. Grousing that evokes pity is a different type of complaint.
Cynthia Murrell, April 11, 2012, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Thetus Rolls Out Multi Int Upgrade
April 10, 2012
Thetus is rolling out multi-intelligence software, we learn in Online PR’s “Thetus Debuts Newest Release of Multi-Int Analysis Solution, Savanna, at DoDIIS 2012.” The application builds on existing intelligence community investments, supporting the development of mission-specific functionality and enabling integration between agencies. Both worthy goals.
Savanna3 was just debuted at the Department of Defense Intelligence Information Systems Worldwide Conference in Denver, Colorado. The conference is a place for defense and intelligence IT pros to share current and future capabilities, investigate solutions, and share best practices.
The write up reveals:
“Savanna is a multi-Int, model-enabled analysis solution that builds on customer’s existing investments and programs bringing together multi-source analysis techniques to enable faster, more informed decision-making. Savanna is a solution that provides an integrated user experience for search, visualization, discovery, and output of actionable intelligence all while providing robust, analytic capabilities.”
Founded in 2003 in Portland, Oregon, Thetus focuses on predictive semantic modeling, outcome evaluation, and ongoing development of best practices. They embrace the challenges of complex systems; that’s a very good thing for someone serving the defense/intelligence community! The company also boasts clients in the fields of energy, law enforcement, and environmental services.
Cynthia Murrell, April 10, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Self Service Price Quotes from Thunderstone
April 10, 2012
Here’s a useful site: Thunderstone offers a self-service price quote for enterprise search. Four simple steps and you get hard numbers. Nice and easy.
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Thunderstone is a privately held maker of data management software. >From 1980 to 1995, most of the company’s product licenses were distributed through other organizations’ OEM packages. Their flagship product is Texis, a comprehensive text retrieval and publishing application. The company’s About page declares:
“Thunderstone remains dedicated to its mission of product-oriented R&D within the area of advanced Information Retrieval and Management. Its steadfast high-quality, low-profile approach is intended to attract and retain a more educated and discriminating client base. Many new vendors of retrieval technology have surfaced within the past few years, but at this time no other company possesses the product depth and scope to deliver a solution as robust, reliable and well-equipped as Thunderstone.”
If you are, or will soon be, in the market for an enterprise search solution, check out the quote site. Perhaps you’ll find just what you need. Even if you don’t go with Thunderstone, you can get a ballpark figure.
Cynthia Murrell, April 10, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Google and European Commission Questions
April 10, 2012
Tech Crunch recently reported on new developments in the European antitrust investigation of Google in the article, “Consumer Group Turns the Screws In Euro Google Antitrust Investigation.”
According to the article, a consumer rights group known as the European Consumers’ Organization (BEUC) says that they expect the Competition Commission to release its findings within days– quite a feat considering the fact that it usually takes years for these decisions to emerge.
The article quotes a letter alleging that Google has used search results to restrict access to its competitors while driving traffic to its own services.
The article states:
“Within search, BEUC points out that it provides specific results that also drive traffic to its other services covering areas like maps, video and books (Google Maps, YouTube and Google Books, respectively). It doesn’t mention advertising, although ultimately that is the glue that connects Google’s business, and is another area where the company has created a strong position as a result of its position in search.”
Whether or not Google’s search dominance is enough to stifle competitors, it is difficult to ignore this potential threat when the search giant holds 91 percent and 97 percent of the search market.
Jasmine Ashton, April 10, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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