Google: A New Way to Search and Sell Ads Too
July 20, 2012
LifeHacker catches us up with some developments in “Remains of the Day: Google Image Search Gets Knowledge Graph Integration.” The headlining item promises smarter and more comprehensive “Search by Image” results. The article quotes Google’s blog on a feature I’ve been looking forward to (the second one):
“Google updated its Image Search with a couple of new features. One being an expanded view that lets searchers see the text around matching images, and the other being added support for Knowledge Graph to image search results, which means Google will attempt to identity any photo that you upload or link to and provide more information about the subject.”
In other news, the write up notes that the Mac video player VLC is now at version 2.0.2, updated for Windows and OS X. Several small tweaks and bug fixes are addressed, and Retina Display support has been added. Also, Sparrow, an OS X email client, released an update to its desktop version. The update includes support for Retina Display and Mountain Lion. Amazon’s Flow app, already available for iOS, now brings barcode scanning and augmented reality to Android users.
Finally, Google is continuing its name-shuffle game. The Google Places iOS app follows the Google Places service in being renamed Google+ Local. A voice-search feature is now included in the app version.
Cynthia Murrell, July 20, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
China Leads in PLM Market
July 20, 2012
Across the world companies in all industries are realizing the power of data management solutions. The manufacturing industry, in particular, is seeing a huge increase in the adoption of product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions. According to a recent Business Wire article, “PTC Named a Top Solution Provider in China’s Rapidly Growing PLM Market by Leading Industry Analyst Firm CIMdata”, China’s demand for PLM is the fastest growing in the world.
Peter Bilello, President of CIMdata, was quoted as saying,
“PTC continues to experience success in the China market due to the strength of its PLM offerings and its ongoing investment in the rapidly growing Chinese market. The China mainstream PLM market has repeatedly outpaced the growth of the global PLM market as Chinese manufacturers are paying more and more attention to product innovation and are fast improving their own R&D capabilities and processes by deploying PLM. PTC has established itself as a strong presence in the market and is well positioned to take advantage of market opportunities.”
While Chinese manufacturers may be an untapped market for PLM the United States has its fair share of equally underserved industries desperately needing PLM solutions. Small and midsized businesses (SMB) are the latest to gain access to PLM thanks to lowered costs, primarily due to cloud technology. As more American companies realize that PLM solutions virtually pay for themselves by streamlining processes, ending waste and stopping duplication we expect to see growth equal to that of China.
Catherine Lamsfuss, July 20, 2012
Facebook Scans for Criminals
July 20, 2012
It seems that Facebook is following a path already trodden by some other big outfits. Google is also fighting crime. CNet News declares, “Facebook Scans Chats and Posts for Criminal Activity.” CNet’s Emil Protalinski cites a recent Reuters interview with Facebook’s Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan. The article explains:
“Facebook’s software focuses on conversations between members who have a loose relationship on the social network. . . . The scanning program looks for certain phrases found in previously obtained chat records from criminals, including sexual predators (because of the Reuters story, we know of at least one alleged child predator who is being brought before the courts as a direct result of Facebook’s chat scanning). The relationship analysis and phrase material have to add up before a Facebook employee actually looks at communications and makes the final decision of whether to ping the authorities.”
Sullivan emphasized that the technology’s low rate false-positives is crucial. Facebook wouldn’t want us non-criminals worrying about its employees poring through our communications for no good reason. The company also seems in no hurry to publicize this public service. Protalinski found no mention of the technology at either Facebook’s Law Enforcement and Third-Party Mattersor its Information for Law Enforcement Authorities.
Is Facebook just being modest about its role as a crime-stopper? More likely, they’re concerned users will get up in arms about those pesky “privacy issues.”
Cynthia Murrell, July XX, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
KB Craw land Serda Lab Tie Up
July 20, 2012
There is an interesting new project in the works according to the article “KB Crawl: Conférence SerdaLAB” on Aboiron & Associates. If this collaborative project with KB Crawl and SerdaLAB works out, it could open a can of snails for those who make a living in intelligence solutions.
KB Crawl SAS is a French Publisher of competitive intelligence solutions. They proposed a data collection tool that monitors and collects information on the internet. This new tool utilizes a strategic intelligence platform that allows analyzing, sharing and disseminating information.
SerdaLAB was developed with the collaborative platform solution of KB Crawl. This is the first freemium site that offers a monitoring service that specializes in information management, electronic archiving, public data, information law, electronic business information, collaborative knowledge management, libraries and Eve.
SerdaLab offers many premium services to users, and:
“This site allows you to continuously monitor the innovations, trends, product news, feedback and key figures enabling professional market players or managers of information to benefit from a professional, or save time by collecting information sorted, filtered and decrypted.”
“SerdaLAB offers a free daily news brief of (market, product, key figures, and surveys) from 800 international sources. The information professionals and IT managers can access articles analyzing charge, and in the knowledge base of market participants by subscribing to the son of eve themed newsletter or the entire platform (grants free access to school).”
Free education and freemium services? With marketing like that it is no wonder KB Crawl is the most utilized competitive intelligence solution in France. KB Crawls project with SerdaLab just got very interesting.
Jennifer Shockley, July 20, 2012
The TREC 2011 Results and Predictive Whatevers
July 20, 2012
Law.com reports “Technology-Assisted Review Boosted in TREC 2011 Results” how technology-assisted review boasts that it may be capable of ousting predictive coding’s title. TREC Legal Track is an annual government sponsored project (2012 was canceled) to examine document review methods. From the 2011 TREC, participants voted in favor of technology-assisted review, but it may have a way to go:
“As such, ‘There is still plenty of room for improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of technology-assisted review efforts, and, in particular, the accuracy of intra-review recall estimation tools, so as to support a reasonable decision that ‘enough is enough’ and to declare the review complete. Commensurate with improvements in review efficiency and effectiveness is the need for improved external evaluation methodologies,’ the report states.”
The 2011 TREC asked participants to test three document review requests, but different from past years the rules were more specific in requirements by having participants rank documents as well as which were the most responsive. The extra requirement meant that researchers were able to test hypothetical situations, but there were some downsides:
“TREC 2011 had its share of controversy. ‘Some participants may have conducted an all-out effort to achieve the best possible results, while others may have conducted experiments to illuminate selected aspects of document review technology. … Efficacy must be interpreted in light of effort,’ the report authors wrote. They noted that six teams devoted 10 or fewer hours for document review during individual rounds, two took 20 hours, one used 48 hours, and one, Recommind, invested 150 hours in one round and 500 in another.”
We noticed this passage in the write up as well:
“`It is inappropriate –- and forbidden by the TREC participation agreement –- to claim that the results presented here show that one participant’s system or approach is generally better than another’s. It is also inappropriate to compare the results of TREC 2011 with the results of past TREC Legal Track exercises, as the test conditions as well as the particular techniques and tools employed by the participating teams are not directly comparable. One TREC 2011 Legal Track participant was barred from future participation in TREC for advertising such invalid comparisons,’ the report states.”
TREC is sensitive to participants who use the data for commercial purposes. We wonder which vendor allegedly stepped over the end line. We also wonder if TREC is breaking out of the slump which traditional indexing seems have relaxed into. Is “predictive” the future of search? We are not sure about the TREC results. We do have an opinion, however. Predictive works in certain situations. For others, there are other, more reliable tools. We also believe that there is a role for humans, particularly when the risks of an algorithm going crazy exist. A goof in placing an ad on a Web page is one thing. An error predicting more significant events? Well, we are more cautious. Marketers are afoot. We prefer the more pragmatic approach of outfits like Ikanow and we avoid the high fliers whom we will not name.
Stephen E Arnold, July 20, 2012
Sponsored by Polyspot
Simplicity or Just Simple: Pundits Give Advice to Yahooliganette
July 19, 2012
I use Yahoo mail. Not much else now. The reason has to do with the interface, the annoying weird stuff which appears when I check my aging My Yahoo page, and the awkward 1995, Excite-style of portal clutter.
Yahoo has zoomed through CEOs, search strategies, open source plays, and acquisitions. I finally ignored the company. It was just an AOL with a different color scheme. Now like AOL, it has a Xoogler at the helm. I wish the new boss well in her job, her new life adventure, and her juggling mom stuff with Yahoo stuff.
A clueless adult provides inputs to a child. Poobahs and pundits embrace this approach to help Yahoo become a powerhouse again. How is that working out, I wonder? A happy quack to http://simplyshreya.blogspot.com/
I read two articles from hugely popular “real” journalistic wizards in big company management. I want to comment on each of the poobah’s insights and then wrap up with a few observations from Harrod’s Creek. If you are a fan of mavens and mystics, you should stop reading now. Why not license a predictive analytics system and get on with your life. That software stuff is going to take over the world anyway.
The write up is by Doug Gross of that business centric CNN. I saw the title and automatically converted it to “How Can CNN Be Saved?”, but I digress.
The main point of the CNN analysis struck me as the nugget in this passage:
By selecting Mayer over interim CEO Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo could be tipping its hand as to what users can expect. Levinsohn’s background is in content, such as Yahoo News and related offerings such as Yahoo Voices (formerly Associated Content, a publishing platform that’s been criticized as a low-quality “content farm.”) Mayer, meanwhile, comes from a product-development background. In her 13 years at Google she helped create the look of a number of services, from Gmail to Google Maps.
Now there are some amazing quotes in the write up. Let me highlight one which shows the laser like thinking that one brings to saving Yahoo:
“Yahoo!’s fundamental problem is that it has too many disparate products with no clear unifying thread that ties them all together,”analyst Shar VanBoskirk of Forrester Research wrote on the company’s blog this week. VanBoskirk, who has followed Yahoo closely, said Mayer must be open to killing the company’s lesser products as she seeks to move things in the right direction.
Yep, an azure chip consultant suggesting that Yahoo kill products. I had to sit down and catch my breath due to the intellectual stimulation.
Yep, Publish a Notice about Innovation
July 19, 2012
Short honk. I am not sure if the Web surfers, the unemployed middle school teachers, and the people with substandard reading skills are going to get the message. The UK is preoccupied with the Olympics and some of the management wizardry of that country. Some wise person does, or perhaps it is a person who was the victim of hazing who demands a big apology. Navigate to “Apple Must Publish Notice Samsung Didn’t Copy iPad in UK.” Here’s the key passage in my opinion:
Apple Inc. was ordered to put notices in U.K. newspapers and on its website stating that Samsung didn’t copy the iPad. The notice should outline the July 9 London court decision that Samsung’s Galaxy tablets don’t infringe Apple’s registered designs, Judge Colin Birss said yesterday. It should be posted on Apple’s U.K. home page for six months and published in newspapers and magazines to correct any impression the South Korea-based company was copying Apple’s product, Birss said. The order means Apple will have to publish “an advertisement” for Samsung, Richard Hacon, a lawyer for Cupertino, California-based Apple, told the court. “No company likes to refer to a rival on its website.”
Yep, that will make everything better. By the way, what exactly is the problem? Perhaps it is the need for executives at the squash club to explain the victory? Could the attorneys involved be using the “apologize” order as inspiration for bon mots to use at the golf club?
Fascinating even here in Harrod’s Creek. At the general store this morning, the geezers did not know about the dust up. One did not know that “apple” was more than fruit. Another observed, “Ain’t that Samson the outfit which done makes suitcases?”
Victory, nevertheless, smells sweet and a bit like the kindergarten cloak room to me. Whatever the cost to those involved in the matter, the money is secondary to what I call “ego value.” Breathe deep the scent of triumph.
Stephen E Arnold, July 19, 2012
Sponsored by HighGainBlog
Siri or Google Voice. Experts Battle. Tears Shed.
July 19, 2012
In a recent article on Search Engine Land, self-appointed experts squabble over the capabilities and accuracy of Siri versus Google Voice.
The study mentioned in the article, “Piper Jaffray ‘Street Test’ of Google vs. Siri Misses the Point,” was completed by Piper Jaffray and gave Google a “B+” and Siri a mere “D.” However, the author of the SEL article argues that the comparison is “apples to oranges” because Siri is not a search engine and should not be judged as such. The article goes on to explain:
“Siri’s mission isn’t to ‘organize all the world’s information.’ Rather Siri has a much more narrow range of functions as an ‘intelligent assistant.’ True, one of those functions is to deliver information in certain circumstances. But nobody involved with Siri would likely argue that it’s a substitute for Google in all but a handful of situations.
That’s mainly because Siri has a quite limited range of datasets that it’s working with, which are admittedly being expanded in iOS 6.”
The arguments continue throughout the article about the fundamental errors of the study and the true capabilities purposes of the two programs.
Yikes. We thought the point of these programs was simply churning shares and getting coverage. What’s with this accuracy stuff? How quickly folks forget the Madoffs and the JP Morgan misstep.
Andrea Hayden, July 19, 2012
Sponsored by IKANOW
Developing a Framework for SharePoint Success
July 19, 2012
In “The Art of SharePoint Success: Epilogue – The Call to Action,” Symon Garfield writes his 20th and final installments of the Art of SharePoint Success series. The series explains a framework which aims to ensure long term, measurable return on your SharePoint investment with four elements: governance, strategy, architecture, and transition.
Garfield explains his consulting approach:
Broadly the aim of these engagements is to align SharePoint investments with strategic objectives and deliver a high-level medium term SharePoint roadmap. Depending on the client and their particular strategic lens I call the engagement something along the lines of, ‘Knowledge & Information Management Roadmap,’ ‘Collaboration Strategy,’ ‘SharePoint Roadmap.’…Regardless of the size of the organization, the numbers of people involved, or the size of the budgets, I aim to deliver the engagement in five days of work.
Garfield’s in-depth article may be worth bookmarking if you are in any stage of a SharePoint deployment. And we know budgets are tight and the economy has been shaky for a while. Everyone is taking a close look at dollars coming in and out of the business. The series may be worth a read to help you develop a roadmap for measuring ROI. Consider adding a comprehensive and cost-effective solution to your system for maximum ROI. Mindbreeze snaps seamlessly into the SharePoint system to give your users an enhanced search and navigation experience with secure, reliable, and efficient action. Read more about the solutions at http://www.mindbreeze.com/.
Philip West, July 19, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
New Report Declares 2011 Set New PLM Records
July 19, 2012
Not so long ago the manufacturing industry was the primary user of product lifecycle management (PLM). All that has changed, however, thanks largely to advances in technology like the introduction of the cloud. Now, PLM solutions span across all industries and companies of all sizes. That has led to record breaking profits as described in the Ten Links article, “CIMdata Publishes PLM Trends Report”.
Stan Przybylinski, CIMdata’s Director of Research, was quoted as saying,
“While the global economy sputtered, the PLM economy grew faster than in 2010, which was a very good year. Most segments of the market that CIMdata tracks saw high double digit growth, with very strong license sales. Given that new license sales are often precursors to more software and services investment, this is a strong indicator that 2012 could be another solid year for PLM solution and services providers.”
One of the reasons PLM solutions has continues to grow despite economic challenges is the global awareness of data management. Big Data news tops headlines in all industry journals and data analytics providers are reaching out to new audiences at an increasing speed. PLM is simply a practical use of new data management solutions. We agree that 2012 will most likely top records once again proving that PLM is the answer to most production and cost related problems.
Catherine Lamsfuss, July 19, 2012
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