Amazon Image Recognition: Industrial Parts
August 9, 2018
Amazon has come out with a handy little app for iOS that could save users some time and frustration. SiliconAngle reports, “Amazon Rolls Out Part Finder to Help Find Nuts and Bolts and More.” Reasonably dubbed Part Finder, the app uses image recognition to identify that little screw, bolt, washer, or nut so you can go get more of the (exact) same. Writer James Farrell tells us:
“Amazon said it identifies about 100 types of fasteners, which ‘represents thousands, if not millions of parts.’ You will, however, have to take the part and place it on a white surface next to a penny, presumably to help scale the object. Then some tilting of the phone will have to be done until the camera is aligned correctly, something the app will tell you. You might also be asked for some additional information. Although the app uses augmented reality technology, Part Finder actually employs computer vision technology. Does it work well? Early reviewers of the app have said it takes a bit of getting used to, or that it’s a great idea that just doesn’t work well enough.”
Farrell observes that Amazon released the app to little fanfare several weeks ago. No word on when Part Finder will be available for Android, but Amazon has said they plan to expand its repertoire well beyond fasteners to all manner of replacement parts.
Cynthia Murrell, August 9, 2018
Factualities for Wednesday, August 8, 2018
August 8, 2018
Beyond Search noted these factualities in the last week. Believe ‘em or not:
- TGI Fridays, The home of the loaded baked potato, allegedly doubled business and grew
“engagement” by 500 percent with… artificial intelligence. Source: Venture Beat - Machine learning is like medieval alchemy. Source: Guardian
- According to Internet Live Stats, Google conducts 40,000 searches per second. No data about relevance was provided. Source: CBS
- There will be 90% fewer attorneys in the next 5 to 10 years. No word on what happens to these proud professionals. Source: Egypt4U
- Google and Facebook together controlled about 61 per cent of all online advertising revenues in 2017 and cornered a 25 per cent share of all media advertising revenues…Google earns around 85 per cent of its revenues through ads, for Facebook that figure is close to 98 per cent. Source: Rediff
- 50 percent: The number of people who purchased electronic gadgets for their pets. Source: Shinyshiny
Stephen E Arnold, August 8, 2018
Can IBM Watermark Neural Networks?
August 8, 2018
Leave it to IBM to figure out how to put their stamp on their AI models. Of course, as with other intellectual property, AI code can be stolen, so this is a welcome development for the field. In the article, “IBM Patenting Watermark Technology to Protect Ownership of AI Models at Neowin, we learn the technology is still in development, and the company hasn’t even implemented it in-house yet. However, if all goes well, the technology may find its way into customer products someday. Writer Usama Jawad reports:
“IBM says that it showcased its research regarding watermarking models developed by deep neural networks (DNNs) at the AsiaCCS ’18 conference, where it was proven to be highly robust. As a result, it is now patenting the concept, which details a remote verification mechanism to determine the ownership of DNN models using simple API calls. The company explains that it has developed three watermark generation algorithms…
These use different methods; specifically:
- Embedding meaningful content together with the original training data as watermarks into the protected DNNs,
- Embedding irrelevant data samples as watermarks into the protected DNNs
- Embedding noise as watermarks into the protected DNNs.
We learned:
“IBM says that in its internal testing using several datasets such as MNIST, a watermarked DNN model triggers an ‘unexpected but controlled response’.”
Jawad notes one drawback as of yet—though the software works well online, it still fails to detect ownership when a model is deployed internally. From another article, “IBM Came Up With a Watermark for Neural Networks” at TheNextWeb, we spotted an interesting tidbit—Writer Tristan Greene points out a distinct lack of code bloat from the watermark. This is an important factor in neural networks, which can be real resource hogs.
For more information, you may want to see IBM’s blog post on the subject or check out the associated research paper. Beyond Search wonders what smart software developers will use these techniques. Amazon, Facebook, Google, Oracle, Palantir Technologies? Universities with IBM research support may be more likely candidates, but that is, of course, speculation from rural Kentucky.
Cynthia Murrell, August 8, 2018
Has Alexa Become Unstoppable?
August 8, 2018
But for 98 percent of Alexa users’ failure to buy stuff by talking to Alexa, the device looks like a successful one.
Some at Beyond Search believe that digital home assistants are basically spying on us. Perhaps conversations and requests are being cataloged, and in some cases used against some in court. Is it possible that Amazon’s intelligence services have access to the Alexified content.
One hopes Google and Amazon and the like aren’t aiming to be big brother, Perhaps a different objective is in play. The CNBC story, “Amazon Alexa vs. Google Home: Advertisers Weigh In.”
We learned:
“The most expensive ad space in the future will be Alexa…hey are really just integrated in the shopping platform…. This has also opened up the door for marketers to sell items through Alexa apps. VaynerMedia worked on converting popular mobile game “Heads Up!” for Alexa, and was the first to integrate a voice-activated one time payment functionality to buy add-ons.
This story is not alone in predicting this. The Wall Street Journal called your home assistant “the new battleground” for ad dollars. If that is the case, we predict the advertisers are right and Amazon will have the advantage. While it might be projecting, we wouldn’t be surprised if this is already the end of Google Home. Money talks and Amazon has a giant window into that world. But the intelligence angle continues to capture our attention.
Patrick Roland, August 8, 2018
Google and Authoritarianism: Fear or Something Else?
August 7, 2018
I read “Without Sergey Brin, Google Has Lost Its Healthy Fear of Authoritarianism.” For me the main premise is that Sergey Brin has left the building. The loss or lack of Mr. Brin’s involvement has contributed to Google’s willingness to create a search system and method for the China market.
I noted this statement attributed to Mr. Brin published in an article in Der Spiegel:
“Having come from a totalitarian country, the Soviet Union, and having seen the hardships that my family endured–both while there and trying to leave—I certainly am particularly sensitive to the stifling of individual liberties,” he told Der Spiegel not long after the pullback.
The idea is that Mr. Brin was not comfortable with a foray into China.
This statement from the write up warranted a pink highlight circle:
Since Pichai took over, Google has made a number of overtures to China, including plans for an AI research lab in Beijing. Pichai last year also attended an annual internet conference China hosts, as did Apple’s Tim Cook, a rare confluence of top US tech leadership at the controversial tech event.
Thus, the idea is that Mr. Brin feared authoritarianism. Now Google does not fear authoritarianism. Maybe? Maybe not? Other fears may be motivating the ad supported search giant.
Stephen E Arnold, August 8, 2018
DarkCyber for August 7, 2018, Now Available
August 7, 2018
This week’s DarkCyber video news program is now available at www.arnoldit.com/wordpress and on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/user77362226/ .
DarkCyber covers news related to the Dark Web and lesser known Internet services. The program is produced and hosted by Stephen E Arnold, author of CyberOSINT and the Dark Web Notebook.
This week’s program includes four stories.
The first story reviews how hardware devices can be used by an individual to compromise an organization’s computers, servers, and network. The video illustrates how a normally appearing wristwatch can transfer malware to a computer or server. The video also explains how cufflinks which are housing for men’s cufflinks can evade a physical security inspection. The object is to make clear that an insider with physical access to computing devices can compromise those devices in a matter of minutes. Stephen E Arnold said: “Anyone with access to a computer within an organization can easily create havoc on existing systems. Security guards usually overlook watches and jewelry which contain storage devices, programs, and capabilities which can penetrate cyber barriers. These direct access attacks like the Evil Maid method are a threat because interns, temporary workers, and compromised employees have the opportunity and means to perform malicious actions.”
The second report summarizes findings about successful email phishing attacks. These are seemingly innocuous and legitimate emails which are conduits for malware. The most effective phishing scams reference Amazon deliveries and requests for information from what appear to be legitimate sources like Facebook.
The third story provides an overview of the Zotero research assistant software. The software keeps track of information discovered on the Internet and performs a number of functions for a researcher, an analyst, or an investigator. The Zotero tool allows the user to maintain an archive of data and generate reports which can be submitted to a colleague or a legal team. The software is available without charge, and DarkCyber provides a link for downloading the program.
The final story revisits the mythical idea that a person can hire an assassin on the Dark Web. A physician in England tried to arrange the death of his financial adviser. The doctor suffered cold feet, but police arrested him for malicious email. The Chechen mob did not get the doctor’s bitcoin nor the opportunity to terminate a financial wizard.
Kenny Toth, August 7, 2018
Kindle: There Are Free Options
August 7, 2018
Here’s a handy resource for anyone with an Amazon Kindle e-reader—PCWorld shares “Where to Find Free Books for our Amazon Kindle.” You may want to make a note of this because one thing is for sure—you won’t find this list via Amazon. Reporter Séamus Bellamy introduces:
“When you own an Amazon Kindle, the cost of supporting a voracious reading habit can get very steep, very quickly. A quick glance at Amazon’s list of the Best Books of the Month shows that a decent read can set you back between $13 and $15 for a Kindle edition book. Sure, Amazon offers deals on great e-books, but waiting for a deal could take forever. Many titles can be had for two bucks or less, but it takes work to find the gems among the dross. What you need are some solid options for finding free, absorbing content to devour on your Kindle. We’re more than happy to point you in the right direction. (And if you need a new e-reader, find one among our reviews of the best Kindles.)”
The first two sources on the list, Project Gutenberg and OverDrive, offer free content. Founded by the creator of e-books, Michael Hart, it is no exaggeration to say Project Gutenberg has made a crusade of digitizing public-domain books. Meanwhile, OverDrive allows anyone who holds a card from a (participating) public library to access their facilities’ digital collection. The next two items are actually little-touted Amazon features: It turns out you can “loan” someone a Kindle e-book for 2 weeks, during which time they can view it but you cannot. Furthermore, two adults from each household may freely share each e-book purchased form the Kindle store. See the article for more on each of these options, including click-by-click instructions for the latter two.
Cynthia Murrell, August 8, 2018
Insurance Risk? Let an Algorithm Decide
August 7, 2018
Perhaps Big Data will save us from the vexing problem of credit reports, in one industry at least. The SmartDataCollective posits, “Is Big Data Causing Insurance Actuaries to Move Away from Using Credit Scores?” For twenty-some-odd years, insurance companies have relied on credit scores to assess risks and set premiums. Whether bad credit really means someone is more likely to, say, get into a car accident is debatable, but no matter. It seems some actuaries now think predictive analytics will provide better gauges, but we suggest that could lead to a larger and more complex can of worms. What data do they consider, and what conclusions do they draw? I doubt we can expect much transparency here.
Writer Annie Qureshi explores why the use of credit scores by insurance agencies is problematic, then describes:
“This is why insurers are using big data to make more nuanced decisions about the credit risks that their customers present. They may find that certain variables that are incorporated into credit scoring algorithms overstate a customer’s dependability. A customer could have a high credit score, because they have made the vast majority of their payments on time over the past seven years and have used little of their debt. However, they may have recently started using or if their credit card debt and missed three of the last seven payments on their existing insurance policy. This could be an indication that they have recently suffered a job loss or other financial setback, which is not reflected in their current credit score. There are other reasons that insurers are skeptical of using credit scores in the age of big data. One analysis shows that big data has helped insurers recognize that credit-based insurance policies are increasing the risk of unjust racial profiling.”
Indeed, but at the moment the data analytics field is suffering its own bias crisis (though a solution may be at hand). It will be interesting to see where this goes. Meanwhile, many of us would do well to be more careful what details we share online, since we cannot be sure how any tidbit may be used against us down the line.
Cynthia Murrell, August 8, 2018
IBM Watson Workspace
August 6, 2018
I read “What Is Watson Workspace?” I have been assuming that WW is a roll up of:
- IBM Lotus Connections
- IBM Lotus Domino
- IBM Lotus Mashups
- IBM Lotus Notes
- IBM Lotus Quickr
- IBM Lotus Sametime
The write up explains how wrong I am (yet again. Such a surprise for a person who resides in rural Kentucky). The write up states:
IBM Watson Workspace offers a “smart” destination for employees to collaborate on projects, share ideas, and post questions, all built from the ground up to take advantage of Watson’s cognitive computing abilities.
Yeah, but I thought the Lotus products provided these services.
How silly of me?
The different is that WW includes cognitive APIs. Sounds outstanding. I can:
- Draw insights from conversations
- Turn conversations into actions
- Access video conferencing
- Customize Watson Workspace.
When I was doing a little low level work for one of the US government agencies (maybe it was the White House?) I recall sitting in a briefing and these functions were explained. A short time thereafter I had the thankless job of reviewing a minor contract to answer an almost irrelevant question. Guess what? The “workspace” did not contain the email nor the attachments I sought. The system, it was explained to me by someone from IBM in Gaithersburg, was that it was not the fault of the IBM system.
Amazon and Special Data
August 6, 2018
Amazon Web Services is ubiquitous with cloud computing and big data power. We all know dozens of companies use these tools, but until recently it was all a little hazy as to who was and how. But, a Silicon Angle gives us some tea leaves to read. According to the story, “In Conversation With: AWS Serverless Chief Tim Wagner Peers at the Future of Cloud Computing:”
“If you have traded any stocks, or had any stocks traded in your behalf, FINRA processes those stock trades at the end of the closing day using Lambda, so there’s a big chance here that the trade you made was evaluated and validated by FINRA using Lambda. Thomson Reuters does four thousand transactions every second with it, Fannie Mae runs its 20 million mortgage calculations through there. So these are not ancillary, some line-of-business, or over-in-the-marketing-department kinds of pieces These are mission-critical software that is now tied at the hip to a serverless architecture.”
This is significant, because we get a little first hand confirmation of AWS client base. Doing a little more research, it suddenly comes as no shock that Fannie Mae reported big earnings in its last quarter and Thomson Reuters is venturing into new territories. It’s fascinating to finally get to put a story to AWS’ offerings and it would not shock us if more big name corporations jump on board.
Quick question: What new revenue opportunities do these data create?
Patrick Roland, August 6, 2018
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