Backtracking Software
September 3, 2012
If this performs as advertised, it is quite a breakthrough: ABC Science reports, “Code Tracks Crime, Rumours Back to Source.” The advancement comes from Switzerland, where researchers say their software can be used to rapidly track everything from a terror suspect to an infectious disease to a vicious rumor. The write up informs us:
“‘Using our method, we can find the source of all kinds of things circulating in a network just by “listening” to a limited number of members of that network,’ says researcher Dr Pedro Pinto of Lausanne’s Federal Polytechnic (EPFL).
“The algorithm can fast-track the route taken by the information to arrive back at its original source. A key factor is using the time at which the data is passed from sender to recipient, to help investigators follow the path as directly as possible and eliminate false trails.”
Results published in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters show that the algorithm successfully traced the 9/11 attacks back to their mastermind. A less fraught example suggests a social networker could find out who started a rumor by analyzing a few posts. The software could also be used to find the origins of a virus (organic or computer) and track down spammers.
The article points out another potential use: targeted online marketing campaigns. Ah, now we’re talking! That’s one field that might have some cash to throw at this idea.
Will it work as proclaimed? We’ll see.
Cynthia Murrell, September 03, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Informative Paper on Patents
September 3, 2012
Many folks are alarmed and confused about the current state of technology patents, and rightly so. We have found an interesting paper that explains in great detail what has been happening, why and how, and what the trajectory means for the future. To be sure, “The Giants Among Us” (PDF) from Stanford Technology Law Review is not a coffee-break-length piece. It is, however, full of important facts, insights, and observations. A must-read for anyone concerned about today’s tech patent landscape.
The paper, written by Tom Ewing and Robin Feldman, begins with this observation:
“The patent world is quietly undergoing a change of seismic proportions. In a few short years, a
handful of entities have amassed vast treasuries of patents on an unprecedented scale. To give some
sense of the magnitude of this change, our research shows that in a little more than five years, the
most massive of these has accumulated 30,000-60,000 patents worldwide, which would make it the
5th largest patent portfolio of any domestic US company and the 15th largest of any company in the
world.
“These entities, which we call mass aggregators, do not engage in the manufacturing of products
nor do they conduct much research. Rather, they pursue other goals of interest to their founders and
investors.”
Indeed. The rest of the paper supplies facts about such mass aggregators (particularly Intellectual Ventures); gives a nod to potential positive effects; delineates the potential damages from the trend; and wraps up with ideas on what can and should be done. Ewing and Feldman proscribe regulatory oversight, transparency, and undermining trolls’ profit motive.
Excellent research, analysis, and conclusions. But will the FTC and DOJ listen?
Cynthia Murrell, September 03, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Science Exchange Spearheads Reproducibility Initiative
September 3, 2012
Reuters recently reported on a new fact checker for scientific studies in the article “More Trial, Less Error – An Effort to Improve Scientific Studies.”
According to the article, After discovering that scientific literature, ranging from social psychology to cancer biology, is filled with false findings and erroneous conclusions, Science Exchange recently announced that it will be embarking on a “Reproducibility Initiative,” aimed at improving the trustworthiness of published papers.
This is how it works:
“The initiative’s 10-member board of prominent scientists will match investigators with a lab qualified to test their results, said Elizabeth Iorns, Science Exchange’s co-founder and chief executive officer. The original lab would pay the second for its work. How much depends on the experiment’s complexity and the cost of study materials, but should not exceed 20 percent of the original research study’s costs. Iorns hopes government and private funding agencies will eventually fund replication to improve the integrity of scientific literature.
The two labs would jointly write a paper, to be published in the journal PLoS One, describing the outcome. Science Exchange will issue a certificate if the original result is confirmed.”
I was shocked to learn that Bayer Healthcare reported that its scientists could not reproduce some 75 percent of published findings in cardiovascular disease, cancer and women’s health. If this initiative goes through it should be a huge benefit to the healthcare industry and scientists everywhere.
Jasmine Ashton, September 03, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Amazon Out Googles Google Again
September 2, 2012
Google is about ads. I read in the dead tree edition of the Wall Street Journal about the alleged ad supported Kindle. You can read the pay wall version of “Amazon Heats Up Gadget Wars” direct from the Murdoch outfit’s mouth. You may also find the variations on a theme in “Amazon to Debut Two 7-inch Kindle Fire Models Next Week (and One Is Ad-Supported)” interesting. Here’s a passage I noted:
I’m using a Kindle Touch with ads and haven’t been bothered by them one bit. For $100, I’m sure many consumers could feel the same about an ad-supported Kindle Fire.
Yep, personal testimony about ads on a book reader type gizmo from a real pundit.
My view is quite different.
Assume Amazon rolls out an ad supported, semi-Android tablet book reader. Assume it is supported by ads from vendors who want to reach book readers.
The question that crossed my mind was, “With the Android goodness flowing through the Google and with the manufacturing powerhouse Google bought for $12 billion, why did not the Googlers move on this product?” Is it possible Google “knows” from its predictive analytics that this dog won’t hunt? Is it possible the Google was preoccupied with other, higher priority issues? Is it once again a situation in which Amazon out Googles Google?
The ad supported Kindle is as I write this, speculation. If the ad supported Kindle becomes a reality, we will have to ask the professor pundit, “What will Google do?” Pundits and academics have this sort of question for breakfast. Will these folks read the “real” journalists on the device too?
Stephen E Arnold, September 2, 2012
Sponsored by Augmentext
Smartphones and Travel Plans
September 2, 2012
Many forecasters expected that widespread adoption of smartphones would lead to a boom in mobile-based travel purchases. Now, citing a new study from eMarketer, OnlineMediaDaily informs us that “Travel Research Trumps Bookings on Smartphones.” Hmm. All is not lost, though, for those who would capitalize on the confluence (Google, perhaps?) The article also tells us where and when travelers are truly relying on their phones.
It seems that folks are using their smartphones to research and plan their travel, but when it comes to purchasing, the desktop still reigns supreme. There are a couple of reasons for this. Perhaps most importantly, many people are still uncomfortable making financial transactions through thin air. The nature of travel planning also plays a part—it is more complicated than filling a virtual shopping cart and clicking “check out.”
There is financial opportunity at the other end of that first flight, however; hotels and airlines are now finding ways to capitalize on the situation. Writer Mark Walsh tells us:
“Beyond travel planning and booking, the report also looks at the role of mobile in transit and once people reach their destinations. This is where smartphones come into their own, serving as digital Swiss Army Knives for travelers eager for information about their flights, car rentals, nearby restaurants, and checking into hotels. All that activity opens up new opportunities for travel marketers.
“Almost all travelers take their mobile devices with them, and 80% said they used them all the time while away, according to a Mobile Insights study this year, cited by eMarketer.”
And that is why Google will be buying more travel content. It is not search; maybe it can be considered search and proprietary content. Whatever they call it, Google is sure to find a way to tap into this revenue stream.
Cynthia Murrell,September 02, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Googles Latest Plan to Rule the Web
September 2, 2012
InfoWorld recently reported on a new algorithm by Google that targets torrents sites in the article “It’s Google’s Web, We Just Search in It.”
According to the story, Google recently announced its plan to penalize sites accused of copyright violations by lowering their search rankings. Since Google is not a copyright holder, and can not identify whether or not a site is violating copyright laws, it will not be removing any web pages completely unless it receives a valid copyright removal notice.
On of the potential downfalls of this plan is:
“that Google is only counting complaints lodged with Google. If you own a content site and your biggest competitor spams Google with removal requests naming your URLs but doesn’t send the removal requests to you, how will you know? Will Google notify you, or will your site just stop showing up on the first page of search results? As Public Knowledge blogger John Bergmayer notes, Google’s new policy could actually encourage more companies to file bogus removal requests.”
The majority of complaints so far have been filed by members of the music industry, porn industry, and Microsoft. It is also no surprise that Google owned YouTube will not be affected by this new policy. It seems like Google could easily use this new policy as a way to take down its competitors along with accused copyright violators.
Jasmine Ashton, September 02, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Reuters Blog and Twitter Hacked
September 2, 2012
The Next Web recently reported on the recent hacking of the blogging platform of the Reuters website after a false posting appeared in the article, “Reuters Hacked, Again.”
According to the article, not only is this the second time that the blog has been hacked in recent weeks, but the news sites Twitter account was also recently infiltrated. The content of the Tweets were changed from technology news to focusing on the Middle East and pro-Syrian government. Similarly, the recent blog hacking included a false posting saying Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal had died.
Despite still not knowing the identity of the hackers, Reuters commented:
“Although the identity of those hackers is not known either, there is an intensifying conflict in cyberspace between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Saudi Arabia has emerged as a staunch opponent of Assad.”
It is difficult to determine whether or not the hacking was a practical joke or part of a political overtaking. Regardless, we hope that Reuters gets its story straight and puts in some security measures.”
Jasmine Ashton, September 02, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
There Is an App for That
September 1, 2012
That may be. I just read “400,000 Apps in the App Store Have Never Been Downloaded Says Report.” The big fact is that 60 percent of the apps have never been downloaded. Of the apps downloaded, my hunch is that the money goes to a small percentage of the apps on offer. We have a couple of clients with apps. Not too much action seems to be the consensus from these high profile outfits. So there’s an app for that? How does one find it? How does the author get traction? Is there an app for that?
Stephen E Arnold, September 1, 2012
Sponsored by Augmentext
Free Data Mining Book
September 1, 2012
We love free stuff! We’ve found a free data mining book from Cambridge University Press titled “Mining of Massive Datasets.” Act fast, though; the link could go bad at any time. The description tells us:
“The publisher is offering a 20% discount to anyone who buys the hardcopy Here. By agreement with the publisher, you can still download it free from this page. Cambridge Press does, however, retain copyright on the work, and we expect that you will obtain their permission and acknowledge our authorship if you republish parts or all of it. We are sorry to have to mention this point, but we have evidence that other items we have published on the Web have been appropriated and republished under other names. It is easy to detect such misuse, by the way, as you will learn in Chapter 3.”
A subtle plug, there. Version 1.0 is available for download, as is a draft of the in-progress version 1.1. Chapter titles include such topics as “Large-Scale File Systems and Map-Reduce”, “Mining Data Streams”, and “Mining Social-Network Graphs.” (See the description for a complete list.) Authors Anand Rajaraman and Jeff Ullman also throw in related course materials, with the plea that authorship be preserved, of course.
We recommend you download this gem while you can.
Cynthia Murrell, September 01, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Does EM Shuffle at HP Bode Ill for Autonomy?
September 1, 2012
HP does not have much patience for underperforming divisions. TechEYE.net reveals, “HP Posts $8 Billion EDS Charge, Shuffles Enterprise Management.” HP acquired Electronic Data Systems Corp. in 2008 and changed its name to Enterprise Services (ES). The article tells us:
“Hewlett Packard has shuffled about its Enterprise Services top brass, appointing Mike Nefkens, senior veep and GM at HP ES, to run the lot – for now. As for John Visentin, he will be leaving the company to ‘pursue other interests’. The company also warned that it will post an $8 billion Q3 charge tied to its Electronic Data Systems corp.
“Along with Nefkens’ promotion, Jean-Jacques Charhon, senior VP and CFO at HP ES, has become chief operating officer and will account for ‘increasing customer satisfaction and improving service delivery efficiency’, which the company is hopeful will lead to profits.”
There’s always hope. But what about our friends at search firm and HP property Autonomy? Is this a harbinger of more pressure for that acquisition? We don’t know if search can deliver to HP’s satisfaction. What we do know—there are big dollars involved. We hope none of the Autonomy folks suddenly find themselves “pursuing other interests.” Stay tuned.
Cynthia Murrell, September 01, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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