Algorithm Complexity Simplified
February 23, 2015
I know the experts in search and content processing have nailed sleek, efficient algorithms. For the very few who have no idea what algorithm complexity embraces, may I suggest a romp through “A Gentle Introduction to Algorithm Complexity Analysis.” If those algorithms are not fir like Euell Gibbons, the hyped benefits of a particular system may not be available. In the world of content processing, I am not sure a connection between the flowery assertions of marketers and the code itself are necessarily connected. The document appears to be available in Greek, Russian, and Spanish as well as English. Worth a glance in my opinion.
Stephen E Arnold, February 23, 2015
Tidying Tweets. Twitter Next?
February 23, 2015
I read “Meet the Tweet-Deleters: People Who Are Making Their Twitter Histories Self-Destruct.”
Here’s the passage I noted:’
There are a handful of services—TweetDelete, Tweet Deleter, and TwitWipe among them—that can automate the tweet-deleting process for those who don’t feel like writing their own scripts. 1.3 million people have signed up for TweetDelete, according to the company, and 533,000 accounts are actively using the timed auto-delete feature.
Do these services remove items from systems which perform automated collection, analysis, and reporting?
Stephen E Arnold, February 23, 2015
WCC Smart Search and Match Partners with Diona Mobility
February 23, 2015
We learn of a recent deal from PR Newswire’s post, “Government Employment Services Brought into the 21st Century Through WCC and Diona Partnership.” The deal will bring WCC’s search-and-match technology to Diona Mobility’s human-services solutions. The write-up tells us:
“The partnership will integrate WCC solutions with Diona Mobility solutions to provide clients in the employment market with unique options when using mobile devices to find sustainable and appropriate jobs. WCC and Diona will deliver leading-edge solutions to help clients and their caseworkers efficiently find jobs that match the clients’ skills. Clients and caseworkers can locate timely employment positions through their smartphones and tablets while on the go.
“The mobile solution pioneered by WCC and Diona will provide jobseekers with:
*Real-time notifications of available matching jobs;
*The ability to manage their profile and skills, and search for jobs on the fly;
*Benchmarking, analytics and insight into career opportunities; and
*Access to enrollment and referral services for courses and training programs.”
WCC’s CEO Peter Went emphasizes his company’s experience with some of the biggest staffing firms and public employment services around the world, and praises Diona’s focus on quality and customer access. Launched in 1996, WCC is headquartered in Utrecht, The Netherlands, and has locations in the U.S., Serbia, and Saudi Arabia. Founded in 2012 and based in Ireland, Diona maintains several offices around the world. They aim to make social services globally accessible through mobile platforms by 2020.
Cynthia Murrell, February 23, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Kelsen Enters Legal Search Field
February 23, 2015
A new natural-language search platform out of Berlin, Kelsen, delivers software-as-a-service to law firms. Basic Thinking discusses “The Wolfram Alpha of the Legal Industry.” Writer Jürgen Kroder interviewed Kelsen co-founder Veronica Pratzka. She explains what makes her company’s search service different (quote auto-translated from the original German):
“Kelsen is generated based on pre-existing legal cases not a search engine, but a self-learning algorithm that automatically answers. 70-80 percent of the global online data are very unstructured. Search engines look for keywords and only. Google has many answers, but you have to look for them yourself thousands of search results together and hope that you just entered the correct keywords. Kelsen, however, is rather a free online lawyer who understands natural language practitioner trained in all areas of law, works 24/7 and is always up-to-date….
“First Kelsen understands natural language compared to Google! That is, even with the entry of long sentences and questions, not just keywords, Kelsen is suitable answers. Moreover, Kelsen searches ‘only’ relevant legal data sources and provides the user with a choice of right answers ready, he can also evaluate.’
“One could easily Kelsen effusive as ‘the Wolfram Alpha the legal industry,’ respectively. We focus on Kelsen with legal data structure and analyze them in order to eventually make available. From this structuring and visualization of legal data not only seeking advice and lawyers can benefit, but also legislators, courts and research institutions.”
Pratzka notes that her company received boosts from both the Microsoft Accelerator and the IBM Entrepreneur startup support programs. Kelsen expects to turn a profit on the business-to-consumer side through premium memberships. In business-to-business, though, the company plans to excel by simply outperforming the competition. Pratzka seems very confident. Will the service garner the attention she and her team expect?
Cynthia Murrell, February 23, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Partition the Web to Manage It
February 22, 2015
I noted that the mid February 2015 Forbes article did not get much coverage. “US Defense Giant Raytheon: We Need To Divide The Web To Secure It” contains a suggestion that could, if implemented, force changes upon Bing, Google, and other Web indexing outfits.
Here’s the passage I highlighted in lovely ice blue:
But some, including Michael Daly, chief technology officer for cyber security at US defense giant Raytheon, believe that the web needs to be divided into communities. As more critical devices, from insulin pumps to cars, connect to the internet, the more likely a genuinely destructive digital attack will occur. To stop this from happening, some people just shouldn’t be allowed into certain corners of the web, according to Daly.
There are some interesting implications in this notion.
Stephen E Arnold, February 22, 2015
Yes, Watson, an Accurate Description
February 22, 2015
I noted a post in the Atlantic. The article is “IBM’s Watson Memorized the Entire Urban Dictionary, Then His Overlords Had to Delete It.” I am not sure how a machine memorizes, but that is an issue for another day. The point is that Watson responded to one researcher’s query with a one word curse. Key point: Watson is supposed to do marvelous smart things. Without context, Watson is more likely to perform just like any other Lucene and home brew script system. Here’s the passage I noted because it underscores the time and expense of making a unicorn work just like a real animal:
Watson couldn’t distinguish between polite language and profanity — which the Urban Dictionary is full of. Watson picked up some bad habits from reading Wikipedia as well. In tests it even used the word “bullshit” in an answer to a researcher’s query. Ultimately, Brown’s 35-person team developed a filter to keep Watson from swearing and scraped the Urban Dictionary from its memory.
IBM, you never fail to entertain me.
Stephen E Arnold, February 22, 2015
Antidot Semi-Pivot to eCommerce Search
February 21, 2015
I wanted to capture Antidot’s semi pivot from enterprise search to eCommerce search. The French company provides a useful description of its afs@store product. If you bang this product name into the GOOG, you find that the American Foundry Society, Associated Food Stores, and the American Fisheries Society push Antidot’s product down the results list. In general, names of search and content processing systems often disappear into search results. Perhaps Antidot has a way to make the use of the “@” sign somewhat less problematic.
The system, according to Antidot, system delivers features that sidestep the unsticky nature of most eCommerce customer visits. Antidot asserts:
- Rich, tolerant and customizable auto complete featuring products, brands, categories…
- Fully typo-tolerant search
- Semantic search that understands your customer’s words
- Dynamic filtering facets to rapidly select desired products
- Web interface to simply monitor and manage your searchandising
the company offers a plug in for Magento, the open source eCommerce system, that enjoyed love from eBay. It is difficult to know if that love is growing stronger with time, however.
I did notice that the “See and read more” panel had zero information and no links. Hopefully this void will be addressed.
Stephen E Arnold, February 21, 2015
CyberOSINT Wrap
February 21, 2015
The invitation only seminar seems to have kept attendees from experiencing a spike in blood pressure. There were, in my opinion, three takeaways from the presentations from a dozen organizations providing next generation information access systems. Information about the program may be available online.
First, CyberOSINT is maturing as an enterprise software sector.
Second, use cases permit standard return on investment measures to be used.
Third, the organizations working in this niche are tightly integrated with the intelligence and law enforcement communities and with vendors providing services to sidestep the problems presented by using old style methods such as keyword search.
At some point in the near future, there will be an invitation only webinar about cyber OSINT available. To be considered as an attendee, send an email to benkent2020 at yahoo dot com.
I want to thank the companies presenting. The presentations were of exceptional quality and contained significant information payloads.
Stephen E Arnold, February 21, 2015
Simplifying Google and Microsoft: Okay, Just a Wild Swing
February 20, 2015
I know the feeling. A deadline looms and the “real writer” casts about for a trope, an angle, a hook on which to hang a story. I read “Microsoft Is the New Google, Google Is the Old Microsoft.” The write up is a stuffed with product names and MBAisms. Here’s a passage I noted:
Meanwhile Microsoft makes the point that it is still thinking big with arguably the most interesting moonshot program in all of tech right now: Windows Holographic. Holographic is an eye to the future to excite consumers and investors while the company still remains laser focused on the present.
Prior to 2006, Google wanted to squish Microsoft. After 2006, Google began to show signs of progeroid syndrome. The problems had more to do with management issues than flaws in the company’s engineering. By 2010, engineering showed signs of reduced blood flow to the brain of Google. The manifestation of these problems were evident in the reorganizations and the drift from the company’s push to capitalize on research computing harvested for ideas that could be integrated into the firm’s information factory. The problems Google faces are rooted in management and engineering. The visible effects are some wild and crazy decisions about products, what the company can do to deal with the non Google world, and the realization that the business model inspired by GoTo, Overture, and Yahoo was getting long in the tooth.
Microsoft, on the other hand, had its own set of problems. These ranged from bureaucratic hardening of the arteries to really bad engineering. Toss in the shift from the desktop monoculture to a more diverse ecosystem. Microsoft became a value stock and uninteresting to all but the most devoted resellers, Windows lovers, and corporate information technology gurus certified by Microsoft. After much thrashing, the company moved from Gates Ballmer to a manager less inclined to chase his tail without snagging it.
Net net: Both companies have challenges, but there firms have not swapped outfits like twins in a slapstick comedy. Both companies are making decisions in an effort to maintain their revenue and profitability. It is unclear how each company will deal with the challenges in enterprise markets, consumer markets, non US markets, and management processes.
Forbes wants to paint a simple word picture for these two large and deeply stressed organizations. My focus is search. So consider that utility function. Neither company delivers high value findability for its constituents. When two firms whiff at bat, one must look beyond the appearance of failure to identify the root cause. Why has Google search gone off the rails? What’s up with the Bing thing? Is a failure with a utility function a manisfestation of more substantive issues?
For now, considered analyses of the weakness of Google and Microsoft is what I want to find in “real journalism”, not generalizations about goofy products or “moon spoon” metaphors. Even I tire of referencing the Loon balloon.
Stephen E Arnold, February 20, 2015
Bayes Explained with Lego Blocks
February 20, 2015
At yesterday’s successful CyberOSINT conference, several presenters who referenced Bayes. LaPlacian and Markovian methods. I came across a visual explanation of the good Reverand’s theorem. Navigate to “Bayes’ Theorum with Lego.” Worth a gander if the theorem does not coo to you.
Stephen E Arnold, February 20, 2015
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