Murdoch Insists He Never Asked a PM for Anything in Any of those Meetings
May 4, 2012
We get a glimpse of a real journalist in action in The Sydney Morning Herald’s piece, “Murdoch’s 75 Meetings with PMs Since ’88.” Though Rupert Murdoch insists that he never leveraged the power of his British paper The Sun to gain favor from those in that country’s government, evidence presented during the Leveson Inquiry suggests otherwise. That Inquiry is examining the role of the press and the police in last year’s alarming phone-hacking scandal.
Writer Tom Wald reports:
“Rupert Murdoch shed light on his fluctuating relationships with British powerbrokers as it was revealed that he had 75 meetings with Prime Ministers over the past 24 years. The latest revelations at the Leveson inquiry included current Prime Minister David Cameron flying in on Mr. Murdoch’s son-in law’s jet for a meeting with the media tycoon on his daughter Elisabeth’s yacht on the Greek resort island of Santorini. . . .
“He met Margaret Thatcher eight times, John Major 10 times, Mr. Blair 31 times, Mr. Brown 17 times and Mr. Cameron nine times.”
So. . . I guess Murdoch and Cameron were meeting about the weather, perhaps comparing that of London unfavorably with the lovely Santorini. The trip must have been research. And the other 74 meetings, perfectly innocent as well.
Right. Keep in mind, folks, this guy owns the Wall Street Journal, too. Oh, joy.
Cynthia Murrell, May 4, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Black Duck Analyzes the Decline of Copyleft Licenses
May 3, 2012
IT World recently reported on a growing disuse of copyleft licenses in the article “GPL, Copyleft Use Declining Faster Than Ever.”
According to the article, recent data analyzed by Matthew Aslett of Black Duck Software has shown that while the use of the GPL, LGPL, and AGPL set of copyleft (the method of making software free) licenses dominates free and open source projects, that use is still on the decline.
When asked his opinion on the cause for the decline, Aslett said:
“The analysis indicated that the previous dominance of strong copyleft licenses was achieved and maintained to a significant degree due to vendor-led open source projects, and that the ongoing shift away from projects controlled by a single vendor toward community projects was in part driving a shift towards more permissive non-copyleft licenses.”
He also believes that the decline in GPL specifically is not a result of projects moving away from GPL, but that new vendors are choosing community approaches enabled by permissive licenses, rather than attempting to control projects using the GPL.
This is a very interesting interpretation of the causality of declining GPL. We’re interested to see how it continues to unfold.
Jasmine Ashton, May 3, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
A Love Letter to SharePoint
May 3, 2012
SharePoint is indeed everywhere. A reader cannot avoid the topic in the blogosphere. And while SharePoint adoption at times seems obligatory, loving SharePoint does not have to be. Andy Moore tackles the topic of SharePoint devotion in, “SharePoint, I Love You.”
Moore begins:
That conquering sound you hear is SharePoint, and it is nothing short of apocalyptic. You’ll see it mentioned elsewhere a couple times in this White Paper: The fastest growing business application in Microsoft history (making it pretty much everyone’s history), 20,000 SharePoint users have been added every day for the last five years. That’s kind of astonishing.
The white paper he mentions is a KMWorld offering available for download at the above link. Among the reasons listed for SharePoint dominance are: integration between the front office solutions and back-office repository, ubiquitous nature of other Microsoft solutions, and an affordable price point. One contributor talks of a “synergistic combination of tools that you can’t find on any other platform.”
We agree but disagree. Fabasoft Mindbreeze, a leading third-party enterprise solution, boasts an integrated suite of solutions to meet all of your companies information storage and retrieval needs. Products include web site search, mobile appliances, enterprise search, and connectors to address interoperability with other software.
The center of excellence for your company’s digital knowledge, information pairing brings enterprise and Cloud together.
Understanding content, semantic search
Mobility – Access on smartphones and tablets
In real-time – Search as Cloud service
Access to all data sources
Extensible with connectors
Fulfills compliance requirements
While SharePoint may hold the lion’s share of the market, we expect smart third party solutions like Fabasoft Mindbreeze to make bigger and bigger market gains.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 3, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
FirstTweet Scours Twitter for Relevant Business Information
May 3, 2012
Technorati recently reported on the a new tool being launched by enterprise customer intelligence and analytics provider FirstRain in the article, “FirstRain Releases FirstTweets, Aims to Glean Business Intelligence From Tweets.”
According to the article, as of April 17, 29012, FirstRain’s new tool called FirstTweets extracts business intelligence data from the full 250 million daily tweets from Twitter and then delivered to customers’ CRM systems, social enterprise platforms, and mobile devices.
Since only about 0.1 percent of tweets are relevant to business, it is very difficult for companies to find the relevant information. In order to remedy this issue, the goal of FirstTweet is:
“Essentially being able to get the benefit out of Twitter without putting in the heavy lifting of posting, cultivating content, scouring numerous twitter search, hashtag and content discovery sites to find the 0.1 percent of relevant information for your business needs. Pretty much getting the benefit of Twitter without having to live a Twitter lifestyle.”
This is definitely a beneficial addition to enterprise search analytics software, it is not an original idea. IKANOW’s infinit.e open analytics and agile intelligence system delivers similar capabilities.
Jasmine Ashton, May 3, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Making Sense of Product Data
May 3, 2012
As more and more industries are faced with holding the responsibility of their products throughout its entire lifecycle the problem of big data is becoming much more common than ever before. A recent Enterprise Efficiency article, “Data Gold in Product Information”, examines the issues facing enterprises in regards to product lifecycle management (PLM) and the resulting data.
According to the article,
“PLM encompasses a number of systems often thought of as discrete processes, including product design, system engineering, product portfolio management, and manufacturing process management, all wrapped within product data management (PDM). For CIOs, each of these represents a significant store of intellectual property…The question is, what are you doing to make this data work for its living? Have you yet begun applying big-data business analysis techniques to the massive stores of unstructured (and structured) data sitting in the PDM repositories?”
This simple call to action has been echoing across industries for a few years now and it does not appear to be fading. Companies must realize that data is only growing and as more processes become connected the need to make sense of it all will only grow. Thankfully, PLM solutions are available for companies of all sizes. Quality data management solutions are the only way for companies to gain control of their data and begin using it to advance their goals.
Catherine Lamsfuss, May 3, 2012
Is Microsoft Trying to Rid Itself of Bing?
May 3, 2012
Now here’s a rumor that will brighten Google‘s day. ZDNet asks, “Bing, Bang, Boom: Is Microsoft’s Search Engine Secretly for Sale?” Writer Mary Jo Foley points to New York Times sources that say some folks within Microsoft suggested selling Bing to Facebook. Facebook, it seems, has little interest in such a deal. The article tells us:
“The official Microsoft stance is Bing search is ‘a pretty strategic asset for the company’ with benefits that ‘can be leveraged across our whole product set.’
“But privately it seems that some of Microsoft’s key negotiators have floated the idea of offloading Bing to Facebook as a possible strategy. That’s according to a New York Times report on April 23 having to do with the latest Microsoft-Facebook alliance — this one involving the AOL patents Microsoft bought and is now selling to Facebook.”
Now, floating an idea and pursuing it are two different things, so take the rumor with a grain of salt. Microsoft may yet stick it out with the beleaguered Bing, especially since CEO Steve Ballmerstill seems to be sweet on the search engine.
If Microsoft has trouble jettisoning a floundering product, it could turn to Google for advice. That company has taken the axe to many a project.
Cynthia Murrell, May 3, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Hired Gun Stacey Wechsler Shoots Blanks, Frightens Goose
May 3, 2012
More desperation marketing.
I admit it. After the little health event, I have been slow on the trigger. But I kept firing real ammo. Even though I spent more time in the hospital than a Medicaid Integrity Contractor, we pushed closer to 8,000 posts in this blog since January 2008. I even submitted my January, February, March and April 2012 columns on schedule much to the annoyance of the medical wizards in rural Kentucky. I am not sure what I wrote, but, hey, at age 67 and stuffed with medical goodies, I had a tough time remembering what day it was.
Now that I am back at my desktop command center, I am wading through email. I have to say, “I get a great deal of spam.” Those with whom I work either buzz my mobile or send me a text message. The high value content in email forms a smaller and smaller percentage of the total bitage each day.
Imagine my surprise when I get email from public relations “experts” who address me by my first name, enjoin me to attend a Kentucky Derby event, and inform me of ever-so-cute Twitter handles. Right, I am going to follow a person who uses this type of desperation marketing method.
So what did I receive?
Style Icon Luxury Gifting Suite Presented by New Era…Featuring Luxury & Lifestyle Brands: New Era, Wonderful Pistachios, Connor Custom, Jewelers, The Teaologist, Infiniti , Koma Unwind, Amanda Burns Jewelry, Street Moda, Ceela Naturals Skincare, Marena Scientific Shapewear, Sharp Images Salon & Spa, Pureology Luxury Hair Care & Cardaroos. Beverages by Woodford Reserve & Given Liqueur with Signature “POM Juleps” by POM Wonderful **Benefitting: March of Dimes, Dress for Success Louisville, Cure Duchenne, & Blessings in a Backpack*
What does this message mean? And the asterisks. How is this irresponsible verbal barrage relevant to search and content processing?
Who sent this misdirected, “blank”? An outfit called Hired Gun, located in New York City. Yep, that explains it. New York ethos. I am just a hick in Kentucky. A spam magnet.
So I wrote Stacey Wechsler, owner of Hired Gun. I asked her to remove me from her spam list. I said, “Stop writing me.”
What happened?
She fired back more quickly than the Googler on Top Shot:.
Get over it. You were on a damn media list. Shoddy? Ok. Stacey Wechsler, Hired Gun Publicity
Yep, and and I thought the expletive was a deft touch. I really appreciate advice and a curse word. Just what a person recuperating from a life threatening illness needs to face the fine health care service in Harrod’s Creek.
Ms. Wechsler’s LinkedIn profile suggests she organized the Sundance Film Festival. Ah, nice gig. What did Robert Redford do? Chop liver? Ms. Wechsler asserts on Twitvid that she is:
A girl who loves sports, music, work & the people in my life.
I was disappointed that she provided so little information about her work for Playboy and her pledge mistress activities at St. John’s University.
Thin content, but I love the ampersand. A useful short cut. I am quite tired of the spam news releases young people send me.
Hey, “real” journalists, I don’t do news. I capture information which interests me. The blog is for me and free. I don’t write “real” journalists and I keep my PR experts at arm’s length.
Do the desperation marketers and PR mavens avoid me? “The Publicist Behind Snooki’s Success” has spammed sickly me right here in Harrod’s Creek, Kentucky. Obviously to the hired gun shooting wildly is more important than hitting a target. Ms. Wechsler has been guided in the “Fire, Aim, Ready” school of public relations. Dangerous?
Does Ms. Wechsler and her ilk expect me to process the baloney generated by unemployed middle school teachers, self appointed experts, failed webmasters, and “real” journalists who have lost their “real” jobs and are looking for some type of approbation. Don’t I point out that “real” journalists manage to Murdoch themselves?
My goodness, I made fun of AtomicPR’s clumsy efforts to explain that MarkLogic had morphed into an enterprise search vendor at an Autonomy or Endeca type level. Oh, please, PR mavens. Doesn’t MarkLogic offer an XML centric data management system?
The hired gun metaphor is less powerful than the AtomicPR metaphor. But I have to admit, having blanks shot near my one good ear has given me a headache. Pop. Pop. Pop. I find the gun metaphor threatening. Worth monitoring with Overflight.
Stephen E Arnold, May 3, 2012
Sponsored by HighGainBlog
Will Harvard Library to Jettison Paid Access Academic Journals?
May 3, 2012
In what could be another step toward knowledge failure, BoingBoing reports “Harvard Library to Faculty: We’re Going Broke Unless You Go Open Access.” Struggling with the high costs of academic journal access fees, the Harvard Library Faculty Advisory Council has decided to cancel all the library’s paid scholarly subscriptions.
There’s no doubt that these charges are out of control, and steadily encroaching on the budgets for other acquisitions. Writer Cory Doctorow quotes the Council’s Memorandum on Journal Pricing:
“Harvard’s annual cost for journals from these providers now approaches $3.75M. . . . Some journals cost as much as $40,000 per year, others in the tens of thousands. Prices for online content from two providers have increased by about 145% over the past six years, which far exceeds not only the consumer price index, but also the higher education and the library price indices.”
We understand that the library must control costs. It is unfortunate, however, that that knowledge will no longer be at students’ fingertips. The open access academic world is still sparsely populated, and the Council makes this plea in hope of a richer open access community in the future:
“It’s suggesting that faculty make their research publicly available, switch to publishing in open access journals and consider resigning from the boards of journals that don’t allow open access.”
Perhaps the scholarly open access options will grow, in time. In the meanwhile, it will be the students who miss out on key knowledge.
Cynthia Murrell, May 3, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Sponsored by PolySpot
MuseGlobal and Info Library Team for Mobile Access to Libraries
May 3, 2012
As many book retailers are being shut down due to an increase in e-book and tablet use, many are worried about what will become of our public libraries. Info Library and Information Solutions recently reported on a partnership that may provide a solution to this problem in the article, “Muse Global and Info Library and Information Solutions on Mobile Search Platform.”
According to the write-up, MuseGlobal and Info Library and Information Solutions have come together to make libraries more mobile friendly by offering a custom mobile search platform usingMuseGlobal’s cloud-based mobile search interface and platform.
Info Library and Information Solutions also brings quite a bit to the table. Kristina Bivens, MuseGlobal’s CEO stated:
“Info Library and Information Solutions is well known for their end-user oriented product focus in delivering innovative technology solutions that help libraries serve, interact with and empower users with customizable, on-demand information discovery tools. The NOW platform clearly reflects this commitment and we are delighted to collaborate with Info Library and Information Solutions in extending the NOW platform’s offerings to bring together all of the library’s collections, third-party content, and custom services in one convenient mobile interface.”
MuseGlobal’s technology will allow Libraries the convenience of having a platform that is easy to implement and offers users access to their entire catalog without having to allocate additional time and resources. Sounds like an excellent idea to me.
Jasmine Ashton, May 3, 2012
Sponsored by Ikanow
Oracle and SAP: The Milagro Database War
May 3, 2012
I received an email inducing me to read “Hana and Exalytics: SAP’s Hype Versus Oracle’s FUD.” The write up takes a serious or at least semi serious at Milagro database war. If you are not familiar with the Milagro Beanfield War, you might find the write up a loose allegory of what’s happening in traditional data management companies and the NoSQL farmers.
The Information Week write up does not talk about the real story, however. What we get is two giants of traditional enterprise software squabbling over which traditional data management system is most likely to keep the Fortune 1000, government agencies, and big educational institutions within the traditional enterprise software corral.
With regard to Oracle, the write up asserts:
Oracle’s Larry Ellison and Safra Catz have missed few opportunities to discredit Hana in recent months. But executive VP Thomas Kurian took the slams a level deeper on Friday with a one-hour Webinar clearly intended to sow seeds of fear, uncertainty and doubt in the minds of would-be Hana customers. The session was billed as an Exalytics seminar, but each point set up a contrast with Hana. Kurian claimed, among other things, that SAP’s product costs five times to 50 times more than Exalytics and that it doesn’t support SQL (relational) or MDX (multidimensional) query languages, requiring apps to be rewritten to run on the new database.
The Information Week write up reports:
SAP’s hype about these apps is getting a little ahead of deployed market reality. Both Hana and Oracle Exalytics can point to dramatic before-and-after differences in query speeds. (Even SAP grants that Exalytics can accelerate queries.) SAP says the real payoff from Hana will be in transforming business processes, not just accelerating queries. But we haven’t seen enough solid, real-world customer examples documenting transformed business competitiveness.