Google Still Forced To Remove Information
September 29, 2014
Just when you think it couldn’t get worse, Google is being forced to remove more information on people because they have the “right to be forgotten.” MailOnline reports “A Multi-Millionaire Tory MP, A Drug-Dealing Aristocrat And Josef Fritzl: MailOnline Has Yet More Articles Removed From Google Under Controversial ‘Right To Be Forgotten’ Law.” The Daily Mail is a popular British periodical and it has been forced by the European Data Protection Regulation Article 17 to remove articles seen as detrimental to a person.
Google has received over 90,000 removal requests and per order of the law, Google will not list them in search results. MailOnline’s article will still remain on the Internet, but Google will not index them. Even more frustrating is Google will remove an article if a name only appears in a comment section.
“MailOnline publisher Martin Clarke has described the move by the search engine as “the equivalent of going into libraries and burning books you don’t like.’”
Many criminals are abusing the “right to be forgotten” to cover up their crimes and keep a glossy image in the press. People who have made requests to Google, include a drug dealer with ties to Prince William, a failed helpline, a politician who spy on party members, and a man who abused his family. Some of the requests are good, such as a victim of abuse and a man falsely accused of a crime.
Despite the benefits for some people, the “right to be forgotten” is still censorship. It is probably the first move towards scrubbing information in a long line of problems set to come.
Whitney Grace, September 29, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Google Secrets Revealed
September 29, 2014
Google is not the first name that comes to mind when you think about big data, but it is the first one for search. Google has even become a verb for searching and many people use it refer for any sort of Web browsing. Google is an accurate and reliable tool, but how does Google retain its title as top search engine in the world? Wired has an inside look at Google’s world and shares the information in ”Ex-Googler Shares His Big Data Secrets With The Masses.”
The ex-Googler discusses the tools the search giant uses to find information. One is Dremel, which is only available to Google employees. Dremel helps analyze data stored on a lot of machines at high speeds. The data is manipulated in a language similar to SQL.
While Dremel is limited to Google usage, a similar tool called Quest allows the common code developer to have access to Google quality tools. Theo Vassilakis developed Quest and its only one of the many tools people are working on to copy Google’s success. Vassilakis created Quest and quit his job at Google, because he wanted to help other companies have the same advantage as Google does. He formed the company with Metanautix with Toli Lerios with Quest as its headlining product.
How does Quest work?
“The idea behind Quest is to make it simple for analysts to query data from anywhere in a company with a single tool, regardless of where that data is stored, without the need to learn new programming languages. Using Quest, analysts can query traditional sources such as Oracle’s flagship database, “big data” storage systems like Hadoop, log files, Word documents, images and media files, and more. But it isn’t just a search engine. Just like Dremel, Quest lets you query data using a SQL-like language.”
The article stresses that Quest does not store data, but it can be used to move data across systems, analyze data, copy data, and keep track of changes made to it.
The article does not revel many Google secrets other than explaining that Google-like tools are available for purchase. Quest is only one of several tools on the market to analyze Big Data. Unlike other big data tools that explain all the benefits you can have from managing data, this one actually explains how it is done.
Whitney Grace, September 29, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Big Data, the NFL Fan, and Music
September 28, 2014
The yada yada about Big Data drones on. I found “Billboard Crunches Facebook Data to Chart Music Tastes of NFL Team Fan Bases.” Analytics can be useful. Forget Ebola, the data about ISIS/ISIL, and precision/recall scores for a Google search.
The article explains a dramatic application for number crunching. I learned:
Billboard asked Facebook’s data crunchers to tally the music pages “liked” by fans of each NFL team and figured out who likes to blast what from their stereos.
Here are three insights generated by the intrepid data scientists. How many of these outputs resonate with you?
- Oakland Raiders’ fans like Snoop Dogg
- Buffalo Bills’ fans like The Beatles.
- Chicago Bears’ fans like Michael Jackson.
And my favorite. Arizona Cardinals’ fans prefer Pitbull. (Who? A bird and a dog type?)
Essential insights for decision makers. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Stephen E Arnold, September 28, 2014
Hotels and Advanced Technology
September 28, 2014
I read “For Marriott, the Future of Travel Is a Virtual Reality Teleporter Phone Booth.” The article illustrates how Google’s and Facebook’s moves into augmented reality have influenced organizations not known for their mastery of bits and bytes. Finding a hotel is getting more difficult. But won’t virtual reality make it easier? Sure, according to the write up. Technology will just make travel so much better.
The examples presented in the article are important because:
- The craziness of an advanced technology companies’ engineers can infect professionals who may struggle to update their iPhone’s operating system
- The ease with which a writer can create an impression in a reader that “this stuff is just around the corner.”
- The money that a consulting firm can be made by shotgunning a suite of technologies into the strategic thinking of executives with degrees in food service and accounting, among other quasi technical fields.
What did the write up state about virtual reality as a business opportunity for a hotel and food outfit? Try this passage:
“We talked about the idea of virtual reality being another metaphor for the ‘future of travel,’” Dail says. “How can we take what was existing and use content to start the conversation, and really engage people with the brand on a whole new level, because you don’t think of hotels as being part of VR.
Navigate to Hotels.com or any other site that allows a hotel management team to post an image of their “property”. Now rent a room and show up at midnight. How often does that room match what you actually get?
In my experience, not too often. The spacious reception area for a Marriott property or the beautiful bed in a Marriott suite hotel is often not exactly what appears in the online service’s write up.
How will virtual reality address this issue? I have zero doubt that marketers will make hotel properties look their best. Food photographers have this art figured out. Those Whoppers look just like the pictures in ads.
The issue with technology is distortion. Reality, just like search results, may be sweetened. For example, slapping on a headset is unlikely when I book a hotel from an airport taxi. Believing what is presented online is not something I will buy into.
The blend of marketers and technology has made information retrieval anything but objective. A hotel “selling” virtual reality is going to follow the same path.
Lucrative for marketers. Not so good for others. Pumping up expectations contributes to twisting one’s ankle on reality. Will some folks care? I doubt it.
Stephen E Arnold, September 28, 2014
Hewlett Packard Autonomy: A New 3D Printer Will Not Distract Litigation Scrutiny
September 28, 2014
I read “Hewlett Packard Autonomy Lawsuit Accord Questioned by Judge.” I marked this passage as an indication that HP’s announcement about a new 3D printer is not distracting US District Judge Charles Breyer. The write up states:
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco, who earlier held up approval of the settlement over how much lawyers would be paid, Friday told company attorneys he’s concerned the deal would rob investors of the right to sue management over matters unrelated to the purchase.
Also, one big bucks outfit expressed some concern that certain aspects of HP management behavior may need some sunlight. Navigate to “CalPERS Says HP/Autonomy Shareholder Settlement Needs More Work.” I noted this passage in the article:
In a letter to U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer dated Tuesday, CalPERS said the judge should not approve the deal before both sides disclose the amount of fees plaintiff attorneys would recover. As it stands, the proposed civil settlement would leave shareholders “in the dark” about one of its key terms, CalPERS said in the letter.
Now about that 3D printer? “Market Brands HP’s 3D Printing Comments “Worrisome.” As long as a mid tier consultant explains HP’s 3D printer play in this way, HP will have to deal with the buzz about Autonomy:
In the end, HP will target the 3D printer opportunities that align with its technology and overall strategy. And as the company has said but which has been misunderstood by many people, HP will make technology announcements this fall only to make its 3D printers available later.
Does HP have control of its communications or will tweets from an outfit like IDC turn the tide? The September 22, 2014 tweets about HP are similar in the impact to the “In the end” statement above:
Dave Schubmehl @dschubmehl · Sep 22 HP #IDOL and #Vertica power #HPHAVEn to deliver new insights from structured and unstructured information to impact marketing #HPEngage2014 Replied to 0 times
I quite like the zero times.
Stephen E Arnold, September 28, 2014
Yahoo Kills Its Directory
September 28, 2014
Yahooooo. Remember that sound. Once it was a happy yodel. Soon it will be a howl of agony. The Directory created by the original Yahoos, Messrs. Filo and Yang is to be terminated with extreme prejudice. The top Xoogler has decided I learned in “Yahoo to Shut Down Another Batch of Products as Activist Investor Pushes for AOL Acquisition.” The Directory spawned Web search. Web search spawned online advertising. Online advertising created the environment that killed precision and recall. In 20 years, finding information related to what the user actually wanted arrived and will soon depart.
The article asserts:
Directory, meanwhile, is one of Yahoo’s oldest services. As the name suggests, Directory is basically a directory listing designed to help users find the types of websites they’re looking for. Years ago, services like this were a valuable resource but times have certainly changes and Directory will come to an end on December 31.
My hunch is that Yahoo itself may experience the departure of a senior executive in about the same time frame. And the AOL clarion call? Two aged sparrows do not a peacock make.
Stephen E Arnold, September 28, 2014
Quote to Note: Julian Assange about Larry Page (Google)
September 28, 2014
I read “Julian Assange Makes digs at Google’s Eric Schmidt.”
Here’s the quote I noted:
“[Co-founder] Larry Page is an apolitical genius,” Assange admitted. “His ambition is a megalomaniacal ambition, but it’s the same ambition that many CEOs have, which is just to make Google as big as possible . . . [Page] is constructing this giant machine . . . but it has no color. It’s like white rice . . . and it will adapt to any flavor put on it.”
I don’t agree. Mr. Page is worried about money. Yep, I know that sounds crazy. Also, there seems to be some tension related to Google from some corners of the world, not Harrod’s Creek, of course.
Stephen E Arnold, September 28, 2014
NSA Catalog Available
September 27, 2014
Short honk: I you want a copy of National Security Agency 2014 Technology Catalog: Technology Transfer Program, you can download it for now from this link. If found pages 26 to 40 fascinating. Will IDC issue its own version of this document, using its surfing technical demonstrated by Dave Schubmehl with my content? I will keep my eye open.
Stephen E Arnold, September 27, 2014
Russia Asks Nicely…Then
September 27, 2014
I read “Russia Wants Facebook, Google, Twitter to Comply with Censorship Laws “ The idea that a nation state has laws makes sense to me. In my experience, when one does business in another country, common sense suggests that one follow the laws of the land. In Singapore, it is not a great idea to do spray paint marketing of blank concrete walls or spit gum on the sidewalk in front of a government intelligence facility. In China, it sees prudent to figure out how to work within the guidelines of a country not into the type of public complaining that takes place on talking head television shows. In Russia, I would conclude that a “request” is something to which one would attend.
The question is, “Will Facebook, Google, and Twitter get with the program?”
Another question is, “What was Mr. Putin’s nickname in Grozny?”
The write up states:
President Putin signed a law back in July that obliged all web services that are collecting data on Russian citizens to store said data in local datacenters. Of course this is not exactly good news for the likes of Twitter and Google who are storing data in much more open and democratic countries across Europe.
Okay, here are my answers to the two questions above:
Nope and the butcher of Grozny.
I do not want to predict the possible paths for those who ignore the request.
Stephen E Arnold, September 27, 2014
IBM and JSON: Everything Is Better with an X
September 26, 2014
Short honk: “WTF Is Wrong with IBM?” is a glimpse of how a standard becomes something that an IBM engineer must fix. Why does this happen? Er, billing big companies down the road? How easy will it be to work with IBM’s version of Lucene?
Stephen E Arnold, September 26, 2014
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