Google Management Method: Hive Mind, SEAL Approach
January 31, 2018
In the most unlikely source, I noted an insight about Google’s management style. The article which caught my attention appeared in the New York Post. Yep, the one with the big headlines and interesting photographs.
Titled “Why Bosses Should Let Their Employees Call the Shots” is ostensibly a book review. Navy SEAL Dave Cooper explains the key to management success in “The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups. The book is apparently authored by Daniel Coyle, but the New York Post is probably not into the bibliographic minutia.
According to the New York Post’s understanding of the book by either Cooper or Coyle:
The advantage of a hive-mind culture can be seen as simple math. Encouraging risks and participation from all allows for a greater knowledge base and a stronger chance of someone presenting a non-traditional solution that otherwise might have been missed. Organizations that can successfully establish this sort of culture are best positioned to change the world.
Changing the world triggers the association with Google, the online advertising search giant, the solver of death, the creator of the Loon balloon, and the magnet which attracts the regulatory attention of the European Union. Yep, that Google.
I learned: that ads were not good. An engineer named Jeff Dean did not wait for a boss to tell him what to do. Nope, he innovated and solved the problem, noting “By 2014,” the AdWords engine was producing $160 million per day and advertising was providing 90 percent of Google’s revenues.”
The article states:
Authoritarian leadership has shown its limits. By calling on the intelligence and creativity of a select few, rather than employing every resource, these companies reduce their pool of ideas — and their potential for success. Organizations that encourage participation and creativity from their entire workforce will be the ones that succeed in an increasingly competitive and complex world.
Are their other approaches to management? Interesting question to which the answer is, “There’s no other choice.”
I would point out that the ad engine was inspired by GoTo.com, Overture.com, and Yahoo.com. I recall that Google settled a legal spat about the “inspiration” for about $1 billion.
Also, Jeff Dean, a former Alta Vista engineer, is a sharp cookie, but I am not sure he resolved the issues with ads in a short period of time. There were, I recall perhaps incorrectly, the need to figure out Chubby and other assorted problems.
Finally, the notion of a boss or bosses who distance themselves is an interesting one. However, when there is a question of responsibility, what’s a hive mind approach do to resolve the problem? Promote another person to be the boss.
Ah, the New York Post, tomorrow’s answer to management theory and organizational behavior. Now about those SEALs?
Stephen E Arnold, January 31, 2018
Thomson Reuters: The Unwinding Begins
January 31, 2018
Years, no, decades ago, I did some work for Thomson. Today the company is Thomson Reuters, a large company with diverse businesses. When I last counted the units, I think the number was somewhere around 150. The exact number matters less than the statement, “Thomson Reuters has a lot of brands, products, business units, and companies under one corporate roof.”
Some of the businesses are related; for example, the legal information services. Others seem different from professional publishing. One example would be news and the entities set up to compete with Bloomberg for financial services or the companies jousts in financial data analysis.
Every year or so I take a look at the company’s annual financial report. My impression of the company is that it has struggled to grow. That’s not news because far bigger companies find that what worked in the past does not apply in today’s business climate; for example, IBM’s struggles are both interesting and to some amusing.
I read “Exclusive: Blackstone in Talks to Buy Majority Stake in Key Thomson Reuters Unit.” The exclusive makes sense. Thomson Reuters is, after all, reporting about Thomson Reuters. The main point is that Thomson Reuters is selling “a key business unit.” Another telling fact in the report is that Thomson Reuters is selling a “majority stake.”
For a company that exercised management control, the abrogation of control of some of its Financial and Risk business is interesting. With financial data and risk a business sector which is attracting interest from start ups and established companies, Thomson Reuters seems to be saying, “Hey, this has real value. Let’s sell. Maybe a buyer can juice up the revenues.”
Lord Thomson of Fleet is a distant memory to some at the company I assume. What’s clear is that change of a significant nature is now taking place within the company.
Have stakeholders grown weary of the reorganizations and efforts to generate Facebook and Google like growth? Have the senior managers realized that generating money from what are information businesses may be increasingly difficult going forward and now is the time to act?
I don’t know. This development is worth watching.
Stephen E Arnold, January 31, 2018
Amazon and Google Voice Recognition Easily Fooled
January 31, 2018
Voice recognition technology has vastly improved over the past decade, but it still has a long way to go before it responds like a quick-thinking science-fiction computer. CNET shares how funny and harmful voice recognition technology can be in the article, “Fooling Amazon and Googles’ Voice Recognition Isn’t Hard.” What exactly is the problem with voice recognition technology? If someone sounds like you, smart speakers like Google Home or Amazon Echo with Alexa will allow that person to use your credit cards and access your personal information.
The smart speakers can be trained to recognize voices, so that they can respond according to an individual. For example, families can program the smart speakers to recognize individual members so each person can access their personal information. It is quite easy to fool Alexa and Googles’ voice recognition. Purchases can be made vocally and personal information can be exposed. There are ways to take precautions, such as disabling voice purchasing and there are features to turn of broadcasting your personal information.
In their defense, Google said voice recognition should not be used as a security feature:
Google warns you when you first set up voice recognition that a similar voice might be able to access your info. In response to this story, Kara Stockton on the Google Assistant team offered the following statement over email: Users shouldn’t rely upon Voice Match as a security feature. It is possible for a user to not be identified, or for a guest to be identified as a connected user. Those cases are rare, but they do exist and we’re continuing to work on making the product better.’
Maybe silence is golden after all. It keeps credit cards and purchases free from vocal stealing.
Whitney Grace, January 31, 2018
Tweaking Algorithms: Touching Up Nicks and Scrapes?
January 30, 2018
Is it possible that algorithms are growing and changing along with the basic needs of our artificial intelligence? Yes, and no, is pretty much the answer. We learned how many are claiming to be revolutionizing the DNA of artificial intelligence and how they might be blowing smoke from a recent Phys.org story, “The Algorithms of Our Future Thinking Machines.”
According to the story:
“The challenge of constructing algorithms for dynamic systems is in the nature of those systems: they are in constant change. Traffic cameras, radar, and inertial sensors are some of the devices delivering the information the algorithm requires. Now another extremely dynamic system is becoming more central to Thomas Schön’s and his colleagues’ projects: the human body.”
This is some neat research and well worth a read, but the grandiose claims are a little unfounded. People have been constructing algorithms for dynamic systems for quite a while. From search engines to video games to the above mentioned, there is not a lot of undiscovered territory in this land. However, that does not mean there are not new depths to explore. We have found the mountain, so now it is time to crack it open and see what gems are hiding inside. If bright minds like this can tune their thinking that way, we could be in for some grand surprises or clumsy scratch repairs.
Patrick Roland, January 30, 2018
Sinequa Continues Its Repositioning Effort
January 30, 2018
Cognitive search is a pretty murky pool in terms of public understanding. Recently, Laurent Fanichet attempted to bridge that gap and also stake a claim for his company, Sinequa, as a leader in the field. However, we have questions. His editorial was featured in the French magazine, Journal Du Net called “Cognitive Search: A Valuable Tool to Fight Terrorism.”
According to the story (translated into English):
“Access to the right information at the right time is the promise of cognitive search. This artificial intelligence (AI) treats the “mega-data” of big data, to extract, practically in real time, relevant and contextualized information, from a multitude of sources and complex data. Cognitive search intelligent data processing combines with machine learning…”
It is exciting that France is attempting to use AI to solve its terror threats. While the plans laid out by Fanichet sound wonderful, it will still take quite a bit of work to surpass the other global leaders in the field. Namely, IBM’s Watson, which recently declared it was actually surpassing human beings in reading comprehension. Power like that seems like it would be a huge advantage to counter terror organizations wading through files and reports on suspects. We hope startups see this as a challenge to improve their power and that we all win in the end.
Sinequa continues to associate itself with the hot trends in content processing. Its roots in search and retrieval are now a secondary or tertiary part of the company’s 2018 marketing it appears.
Patrick Roland, January 30, 2018
FnaS or Fake News as a Service Is Now a Thing
January 30, 2018
The above acronym “FNaS” is our own invention for “fake news as a service”; if you did not catch on it is a play on SaS or software as a service. We never thought that this was a possible job, but someone saw a niche and filled it. According to Unhinged Group in the article, “Fake News ‘As A Service’ Booming Among Cybercrooks” describes how this is a new market for ne’er do wells. It does make sense that fake news would be a booming business because there are many organizations and people who want to take advantage of the public’s gullibility.
This is especially true for political and religious folks, who have a lot of power to sway those in power. Digital Shadows, however, conducted a research survey and discovered that fake news services are hired to damage reputations and cause financial distress for organizations through disinformation campaigns.
How does this work?
The firm’s research stated that these services are often associated with “Pump and Dump” scams, schemes that aggressively promote penny stocks to inflate their prices before the inevitable crash and burn. Scammers buy low, hope that their promotions let the sell high, then flee with their loot and little regard for other investors.
A cryptocurrency variant of the same schemes has evolved and involves gradually purchasing major shares in altcoin (cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin) and drumming up interest in the coin through posts on social media. The tool then trades these coins between multiple accounts, driving the price up, before selling to unsuspecting traders on currency exchanges looking to buy while prices are still rising.
One “Pump and Dump” service analysis discovered that they made an equivalent of $326,000 for ne’er do wells in less than two months. Even worse is that Digital Shadows found more than ten services that sell social media bot software for as low as $7.
It is not difficult to create a fake “legitimate” news site. All it takes is a fake domain, cloning services, and backlinking to exploit these fake news stories. Real legitimate news outlets and retailers are also targets. Anyone and anything can be a target.
Whitney Grace, January 30, 2018
DarkCyber for January 30, 2018, Now Available
January 30, 2018
DarkCyber for January 30, 2018, is now available at www.arnoldit.com/wordpress and on Vimeo at www.vimeo.com at https://vimeo.com/253109084.
This week’s program looks at the 4iq discovery of more than one billion user names and passwords. The collection ups the ante for stolen data. The Dark Web database contains a search system and a “how to” manual for bad actors. 4iq, a cyber intelligence specialist, used its next-generation system to locate and analyze the database.
Stephen E Arnold said:
“The technology powering 4iq combines sophisticated data acquisition with intelligent analytics. What makes 4iq’s approach interesting is that the company integrates trained intelligence analysts in its next-generation approach. The discovery of the user credentials underscores the importance of 4iq’s method and the rapidly rising stakes in online access.”
DarkCyber discusses “reputation scores” for Dark Web contraband sites. The systems emulate the functionality of Amazon and eBay-style vendor report cards.
Researchers in Germany have demonstrated one way to compromise WhatsApp secure group chat sessions. With chat and alternative communication channels becoming more useful to bad actors than Dark Web forums and Web sites, law enforcement and intelligence professionals seek ways to gather evidence.
DarkCyber points to a series of Dark Web reviews. The sites can be difficult to locate using Dark Web search systems and postings on pastesites. One of the identified Dark Web sites makes use of a hosting service in Ukraine.
About DarkCyber
DarkCyber is one of the few video news programs which presents information about the Dark Web and lesser known Internet services. The information in the program comes from research conducted for the second edition of “Dark Web Notebook” and from the information published in Beyond Search, a free Web log focused on search and online services. The blog is now in its 10th year of publication, and the backfile consists of more than 15,000 stories.
Kenny Toth, January 30, 2018
Palantir: Accused of Hegelian Contradictions
January 29, 2018
I bet you have not thought about Hegel since you took that required philosophy course in college. Well, Hegel and his “contradictions” are central to “WEF 2018: Davos, Data, Palantir and the Future of the Internet.”
I highlighted this passage from the essay:
Data is the route to security. Data is the route to oppression. Data is the route to individual ideation. Data is the route to the hive mind. Data is the route to civic wealth. Data is the route to civic collapse.
Thesis, antitheses, synthesis in action I surmise.
The near term objective is synthesis. I assume this is the “connecting the dots” approach to finding what one needs to know.
I learned:
The stakes for big data couldn’t be bigger.
Okay, a categorical in our fast changing, diverse economic and political climate. Be afraid seems to be the message.
Palantir’s point of operations in Davos is described in the write up as “a pimped up liquor store.” Helpful and highly suggestive too.
The conclusion of the essay warranted a big red circle:
So next time you hear the names Palantir or Alex Karp, stop what you’re doing and pay attention. The future – your future – is under discussion. Under construction. This little first draft of history of which you’ve made it to the end (congratulations and thanks) – the history of data – is of a future that will in time come to be seen for what it is: digital that truly matters.
Several observations:
- The author wants me to believe that Palantir is not a pal.
- The big data thing troubles the author because Palantir is one of the vendors providing next generation information access.
- The goal of making Palantir into something unique is best accomplished by invoking Fancy Dan ideas.
I would suggest that knowledge about companies like Gamma Group FinFisher, Shoghi, Trovicor, and some other interesting non US entities might put Palantir in perspective. Palantir has an operational focus; some of the other vendors perform different information services.
Palantir is an innovator, but it is part of a landscape of data intercept and analysis organizations. I could make a case that Palantir is capable but some companies in Europe and the East are actually more technologically advanced.
But these outfits were not at Davos. Why? That’s a good question. Perhaps they were too busy with their commercial and government work. My hunch is that a few of these outfits were indeed “there”, just not noticed by the expert who checked out the liquor store.
Stephen E Arnold, January 29, 2019
Facebook Is Making People Depressed. We Are Socially Sad
January 29, 2018
As anyone who has spent even a moment on social media knows, jealousy and depression are practically part of the algorithm. Seeing others’ success and happiness tends to put us in a funk, no matter how hard we try not to look. Turns out, this is a pretty common reaction as we discovered after reading a recent Phys.org piece, “A Secret History of Facebook Depression.”
The story tells us what we pretty much already know:
“If the research is any indication, you may actually be finding Facebook and other social media sites aren’t so great for your mental health. Instead of feeling blissfully open and connected with your friends, you feel inadequate or maybe even a bit depressed.”
Yep, that sounds about like our usual experience seeing an amazing family vacation photo by an ex, or news of another promotion by your enemy at work. It turns out the youngest generation is actually ahead of the rest of the world on this one. According to the Independent, millennials are leaving social media and finding quite a bit of happiness in the process. The tricky part is taking advice from 20-somethings in order to overcome the destructive side effects of social media. The bright side is that the approach spins cash.
Patrick Roland, January 29, 2018
Big Data, Search, and Artificial Intelligence: Quite a Mash Up
January 29, 2018
I read a consultant-technology mash up marketing essay. The write up is “Big Data and Search: The Time for Artificial Intelligence Is Now.” The write up is mostly jargon. I wonder if the engineer driving the word processing train pushed the wrong button.
Here are the “keywords” I noted in the write up:
Analytics
Artificial intelligence
Big Data
Blockchain
Business action and business use cases
Chatbots
Cognitive (presumably not the IBM which maybe doesn’t work as advertised)
Consumer services
Customer / citizen facing (some government speak too)
Digital assistants
False or biased results (yes, fake news)
Keywords
Machine learning
Natural language processing
Platforms
Real time results
Resources
SQL databases
Search
Transparency
Trust
Video
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