Taking the Human Factor out of Technology
February 12, 2013
“Computers Are Going To Disappear,” is a thought provoking piece released by Seersuckermag.com. The title itself says it all.
The author argues that it’s all about augmentation, or the enhancement of our borne ability to complete a task. For example, I can eat spaghetti, but a fork will augment my ability to do so without making a terrible mess.
“Augmentation implies that the computer is adding something to our innate capabilities. A part of the interaction, though, has been our investment in the computer. A virtual identity is not an add-on to an offline identity, but an extension of it. As a result, the computer is becoming an integrated part of what we are.”
Simple enough.
The author also give us some pretty good examples of how current technologies are developing in order to make that complete integration possible.
Take the Nest, a smart thermostat that actually learns the users preference after being set to the users favorite temperatures and can self-regulate at a nearly spot on frequency. Because really, who wants to get back out of bed when they forgot to turn up the heat before getting under the covers. Voila! The Nest.
So, how does this same development apply to search? Google Now (go figure) is a great example of “less” computing. it utilizes relevant information and places it at your finger tip. Looking up a sports team and the game is on television? Google Now automatically pops up the score. It’s like a personal assistant that you don’t even have to talk to.
Less interaction, more answers. Sounds divine.
Leslie Radcliff, February 12, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Truth Teller Recognizes Fact Over Fiction Mostly
February 12, 2013
Cory Haik’s “Debuting Truth Teller from the Washington Post; Real-time lie detection service at your service (not quite yet)” is a look at human nature at its finest…and how we can overcome our human gullibility by utilizing technology.
“In August 2011, Michele Bachmann held a small rally in the parking lot of a sports bar in Indianola, Iowa with a few dozen people. Over the course of the event, Bachman, like many politicians repeatedly misled her audience. The Post’s National Political Editor, Steven Ginsberg, was at the event and detected a problem: No one attending seemed to realize they were being misled…”
This led Ginsberg and The Post to seek funding from the Knight Foundation’s Prototype Fund in order to build an application that will fact check (mainly politicians) in real time (or as close as they can get). Truth Teller combines many well known technologies such as Microsoft Audio Video Indexing Service (MAVIS) to aid in its endeavor. The result is been less than perfect but it’s getting there.
“Facts themselves are increasingly under attack and falsehoods can easily and instantly find their way to a mass audience. In fact, many are designed to.”
While in theory the application sounds like it could be a cure for a myriad of problems in reality, can this really be done in a way that will alleviate the spread or creation of false facts? Or is it just an attempt at swaying the publics gullibility in another direction?
Leslie Radcliff, February 12, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
The Open Source Project Manager Of Google Opens Up
February 12, 2013
Tech News World in “Google Open Source Program Manager Chris DiBona: Best Of Both Worlds” had the opportunity to sit down with Christopher DiBona, Google’s open source program manager and discuss how Chrome, Linix, Android and Google-created proprietary code come together with open source software to maintain Google’s infrastructure. DiBona reveals that Google pulls in a combination of open source and in-house developed software to make everything work.
When it comes to making the software work across multiple platforms, Google takes in account that users do not care where they get the software comes from. They want items, like Chrome, to work when they are using them. DiBona is not disheartened when users do not understand the inner workings, instead he gets his kicks out user satisfaction with a working product.
DiBona also discusses how a Google Chrome notebook allows users to access their data anywhere. Even it the laptop gets stolen, they do not have to worry about data loss because it is stored online. The Android OS comes off as the opposite where users cannot change their Android phones, because mobile providers lock down the phone. DiBona points out Google works across a number of OSes, so there will be some discrepancies. Google is aware that some of their products may conflict, but as long as they do not hurt each other Google is fine with it.
DiBona sums up his job as:
“You shouldn’t over expand on what my job actually is. The primary focus of my job — and it is very cutting-edge, actually, and is very exciting — is open source compliance; making sure that we don’t screw up with other persons’ licenses. It involves making sure that when we choose a license for a project that we release, that it is consistent with our values and our philosophies for that project.”
Google’s philosophy is to have the best Internet browsing products and services on the market. After reading DiBona’s interview, it is evident how they can maintain that philosophy.
Whitney Grace, February 12, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
SOLR Relevancy Tuning from Search Technologies
February 11, 2013
Search Technologies introduced “Solr Lucene Relevancy Tuning.” Search Technologies will supply services to improve the relevancy of results within an existing Solr/Lucene implementation. If the service works as advertised, this could be a boon to many organizations awash with extraneous data. The announcement explains:
This engagement will provide powerful relevancy ranking improvements in an existing Solr installation. This includes setting up a basic system for relevancy evaluation, based on a set of sample queries, so that improvements can be quantitatively measured. Additions to the default relevancy formula in Solr Lucene can dramatically improve search results, solving many of the most thorny relevancy problems including:
- Reducing the impact of peripheral content (sidebars, ads, tangential discussions, etc.)
- Automatically handling word phrases in a flexible manner, reducing the need to use complex query constructions to obtain good search results.”
The Search Technologies’ solution changes the default Solr/Lucene functionality, which can overemphasize document size and term frequency. Search Technologies’ new Parameterized Document Similarity Function provides more control over these formulas through configurable parameters. The company’s Gradient Proximity Boost operator eliminates the need to tweak Solr/Lucene’s default “hard window,” the term-proximity parameters which can trigger a document boost. The method does this by measuring the density and completeness of terms across each document, gradually boosting documents in which terms cluster.
The post identifies the expected engagement tasks and deliverables associated with this software. The only pre-requisite listed is the presence of a working Solr /Lucene system with already-indexed documents. The firm promises ongoing maintenance and support services, including an optional round-the-clock support package.
Founded in 2005, Search Technologies bills themselves as the largest (independent) IT services company dedicated to search-engine implementation, consulting, and managed services. Staffed with veterans of the search field, the company prides itself on innovation. Search Technologies is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, and maintains two other U.S. offices as well as locations in Berkshire, U.K., and San Jose, Costa Rica.
Ken Toth, February 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
PolySpot Solutions Enable Data Scientists to Arrive at More Accurate Conclusions
February 11, 2013
We all know that big data means more information but as a recent article “Beware the Errors of ‘Big Data’” from Wired points out, there is also the potential for more false information to arise because of big data.
Antifragile, a concept explored in the article, is having the unique position and ability to be be capable of benefiting from uncertainty and complexity at the expense of others. Big data researchers or data scientists have the power to choose to stop their research and inquiries when they have the right result that they need.
We learned more about this perspective that more data does not automatically produce meaningful and correct information:
But beyond that, big data means anyone can find fake statistical relationships, since the spurious rises to the surface. This is because in large data sets, large deviations are vastly more attributable to variance (or noise) than to information (or signal). It’s a property of sampling: In real life there is no cherry-picking, but on the researcher’s computer, there is. Large deviations are likely to be bogus.
While there is certainly the potential for improper conclusions to be drawn from data due to the nature of decision-making, this could mean that data scientists need to rely further on technology to aid them in this process. Solutions like PolySpot enable departments across the enterprise to tap into the insights produced by big data and the organization wide access offers the transparency and accountability organizations are looking for.
Megan Feil, February 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search.
IBM Servers Marketed to Emerging Markets
February 11, 2013
As Big Data solutions become more accessible for medium and small sized enterprises, new markets are emerging for providers of servers and storage space. One side effect of the Big Data boom is the subsequent market for infrastructure. IBM is hoping to capitalize on that new market. The ZDNet story, “IBM Targets Emerging Markets, Offers Cheap Servers,” tells how.
The article begins:
“IBM will begin offering a new Power Systems server and storage range this month, aimed at both SMBs and emerging markets . . . Rod Adkins, a Senior Vice President in IBM’s Systems & Technology Group told Reuters: ‘Big data and cloud technologies that were once only affordable to large enterprises are now available to the masses. With these new systems, IBM is forging an aggressive expansion of its Power and Storage Systems business into SMB (small- and medium-sized businesses) and growth markets.’”
The hardware and infrastructure to support Big Data is important, but hardware is nothing without the software to do the work. For instance, LucidWorks Big Data is a strong contender in the Big Data market. LucidWorks has a cloud-hosted option for those who cannot yet invest in the hardware. As a major bonus, LucidWorks is a trusted industry standard in open source search, so the movement into Big Data solutions is a smart and natural one.
Emily Rae Aldridge, February 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Yahoo Back On Search
February 11, 2013
Before Google came into the spotlight, Yahoo used to have a series of commercials where its subjects were put in hilarious situations they wanted to get out of. By using Yahoo search, they were able to find a solution. At the end of every commercial a yodeler yodeled “Ya-ho-oo!” Everybody was “yahooing” and everyone thought Yahoo was number one. They were wrong. Computer World reports that Yahoo wants to snatch the crown, “Yahoo To Focus On Search—And Google.”
Marissa Mayer the Yahoo CEO plans on taking on Google in Internet search. She became the CEO after a successful career at Google, but Yahoo pulled her in to save its floundering tail. Mayer more than anyone else, knows what it means to take on the search giant. Yahoo needs to do something very new and very bold to have the smallest glimmer of hope in competing. Mayer will focus on building technology to improve search results and to extend the reach to desktop/mobile device users.
“’There’s a lot more potential here,’ Mayer said. ‘Overall, search is a key area of investment for us. All the innovations in search are going to happen at the user interface level going forward. We need to invest in those features, both for desktop and mobile [devices]. I think both ultimately will be key plays for us.’”
The new strategy does not call for the end of the Yahoo/Microsoft partnership, Mayer instead hopes Bing will help Yahoo. In 2010, Yahoo ditched its own search engine for Bing. In order to even make a dent in the market, Yahoo needs to grasp onto something that Google misses. Yahoo stinks and needs help. A former Googler is pulled into help. Talk about knowing thy enemy.
Whitney Grace, February 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Google Steals Customers From Amazon
February 11, 2013
As the world’s largest online marketplace, offering millions of products from wholesalers and individual entrepreneurs one would think that Amazon has made its own bed and no one would be able to mess up the starch cotton sheets. Wired says otherwise in“Google’s Plan To Snatch Shopping From Amazon Is Working.” Last fall Google transitioned to all-paid product listing display ads in search results, which is making more than a couple bucks role in. Advertisers spent 600% more on Google product listings, says Marin Software, and advertisers will skip to whatever tune Google plays.
Advertisers do not seem that upset about it, because when they pay their products get shown more. Google has drawn the usual criticism, because the search results would be biased. The response is that users click on these ads, because Google is simply putting more effort into them. It is a common concept, put more work into something and it shows.
“What does any of this have to do with Amazon? Lawson and Marin Software CEO Chris Lien say that online shoppers today tend to start in one of two places for product information: Google or Amazon. In effect, Amazon has become a “commerce search engine,” which cuts into Google’s core function. To compete, Google wants to give shoppers every reason not to go straight to Amazon by becoming as reliable a destination not just to learn about products, but to buy them.”
Google wants to nab sales from window-shopping to check out, leaving the shipping and inventory to individual sellers. It provides direct competition to Amazon with their warehouses. The fight is on, but no one is KO yet.
Whitney Grace, February 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Google Is Not Evil
February 11, 2013
It is so easy to put a black cape, top hat, and dastardly mustache on Google, because nobody gets that successful without a few skeletons in their closet, right? Also the company has a “Don’t Be Evil” motto that gives them more flak than the average company. They must be evil, right? Or maybe it is the simple, natural process called change. Blind Five Year Old outlines“Google’s Evil Plan Is Simple (And Not So Evil)” by explaining the search engine is not evil, the users are. The article even details what Google’s “nefarious plan” is:
“Get people to use the Internet more. That’s it. The more time people spend on the Internet the more time they’ll engage in revenue generating activities such as viewing and clicking display ads and performing searches.
The way Google executes on this strategy is to improve speed and accessibility to the Internet. Google wants to shorten the distance between any activity and the Internet. Lets look at some of Google’s initiatives with this in mind.”
The article outlines a bevy of Google products and services meant to increase Internet accessibility and usage. More Internet usage means Google gets used more and Google makes more revenue. At the same time, Google is saying that this will improve people’s lives. Google is trying to find the best ways to make its products and services available everywhere at anytime. It sounds more like economics than world domination theory.
Whitney Grace, February 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
From Jeopardy to Cancer Treatment: An IBM Story
February 10, 2013
I read “IBM Supercomputer Watson to Help in Cancer Treatment.” I am burned out on the assertions of search, content processing, and analytics vendors. The algorithms predict, deliver actionable information, and answer tough questions. Okay, I will just believe these statements. Most of the folks with whom I interact either believe these statements or do not really care.
Watson, as you may know, takes open source goodness, layers on a knowledge base, and wraps the confection in layers of smart software. I am simplifying, but the reality is irrelevant given the marketing need.
Here’s the passage I noted:
A year ago, a team at Memorial Sloan-Kettering started working with an IBM and a WellPoint team to train Watson to help doctors choose therapies for breast and lung cancer patients. They continue to share their knowledge and expertise in oncology and information technology, beginning with hundreds of lung cancers, the aim being to help Watson learn as much as possible about cancer care and how oncologists use medical data, as well as their experiences in personalized cancer therapies. During this period, doctors and technology experts have spent thousands of hours helping Watson learn how to process, analyze and interpret the meaning of sophisticated clinical data using natural language processing; the aim being to achieve better health care quality and efficiency.
There you go. For the dozens of companies working to create next generation information retrieval systems which are affordable, actually work, and can be deployed without legions of engineers—game over. IBM Watson has won the search battle. Now for the optimists who continue to pump money into decade old search companies which have modest revenue growth, kiss those bucks goodbye. For the PhD students working on the revolutionary system which promises to transform findability, get a job at Kentucky Fried Chicken. And Google? Well, IBM knows your limits so stick to selling ads.
IBM is doing it all:
Manoj Saxena, IBM General Manager, Watson Solutions, said:
“IBM’s work with WellPoint and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center represents a landmark collaboration in how technology and evidence based medicine can transform the way in which health care is practiced. breakthrough capabilities bring forward the first in a series of Watson-based technologies, which exemplifies the value of applying big data and analytics and cognitive computing to tackle the industry’s most pressing challenges.”
How different is Watson from the HP Autonomy, Recommind, or even the DR LINK technology? Well, maybe the open source angle is the same. But IBM needs to do more than make assertions and buy analytics companies as the company recycles open source technology in my opinion. I thought IBM was a consulting firm? Here I am wrong again. Watson probably “knew” that after hours of training, tuning, and talking. But in the back of my mind, I ask, “What if those training data are inapplicable to the problem at hand? What if the journal articles are fiddled by tenure seekers or even pharmaceutical outfits or institutions trying to maximize insurance payouts or careless record keeping by medical staff? Nah, irrelevant questions. IBM has this smart system nailed. Search solved. What’s next IBM?
Stephen E Arnold, February 10, 2013
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