YouTube Censors a Government Hearing in Ohio
February 2, 2021
It is a strange world we live in. Google’s efforts to curb misinformation on YouTube have led it to take down footage of legislative testimony in Ohio. Cincinnati’s WLWT5 News reports, “YouTube Removes Ohio Committee Video, Citing Misinformation.” We are not surprised the misinformation at hand relates to COVID-19. Digital editor Brian Wiechert writes:
“The video showed Thomas Renz, an attorney for Ohio Stands Up, a citizen group, make the opening testimony during a House committee hearing on a bill that would allow lawmakers to vote down public health orders during the pandemic. In the more than 30-minute testimony, Renz made a number of debunked or baseless claims, including that no Ohioans under the age of 19 have died from COVID-19 – a claim that has been debunked by state data. … “The removal, first reported by Ohio Capital Journal, comes days after the Republican lawmakers in the Senate passed a bill that would establish ‘checks and balances’ on fellow GOP Gov. Mike DeWine’s ability to issue and keep in place executive action during the coronavirus pandemic. Proponents of the bills in the House and Senate believe DeWine and the state health department have issued orders during the last 11 months of the pandemic that have remained enacted for longer than necessary and, as a result, have unduly damaged small businesses and the state’s economy. Opponents called it unconstitutional and warned it would decentralize the state’s response during an emergency and cost lives in the process.”
Checks and balances on lifesaving measures during a pandemic—I am sure this is not what our founders had in mind. Good move, Google. Ohio is a fly over state, so maybe it is devalued because it is not intellectually as capable as the Left and Right coasts of the USA? If residents of the state disagree with that assessment, they may wish to do something about the current occupants of their Senate chamber.
Can we blame it on the Google artificial intelligence software?
Cynthia Murrell, March 2, 2021
Is Google Becoming a ‘Real’ Publisher: Moves in Australia May Signal a New Thrust for the Online Ad Outfit
January 28, 2021
I read “Google Revives Australia News Platform Launch Amid Content Payment Fight.” Feint, misstep, or gut punch? I am not sure. Australia is a long way from Harrod’s Creek, Kentucky. The write up mentions a Googler in whom I have an interest: Melanie Silva, a VP at the mom-and-pop online ad vendor Google. Ms. Silva has responsibility for managing and directing Google Australia. She has previous financial and travel sector experience and eight years at the GOOG. According to Time Auction:
She holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from Macquarie University, Diploma of Financial Planning and Diploma of Interactive and Direct Marketing from the Institute of Direct Marketing in the United Kingdom. She is a karaoke fan, amazing wife and mother of two.
Ms. Silva would be in charge of Google’s own Australian news Web service News Showcase.
Instead of paying non-Googley publishers for their content’s headlines and news extracts, Google may be jumping into “real” publishing. As I pointed out in my monograph, Google: The Digital Gutenberg, the mom-and-pop ad outfit had become the world’s largest publisher. Sorry, Facebook. But each Google search result page is a newly published item, stuffed with individualized ads and shaped content. When I wrote the monograph for a now defunct Brexit zapped publisher, no one cared. Google? A publisher? You must be kidding. Right, more craziness from Harrod’s Creek.
The idea is simple. Form partnerships with Googley outfits for content. Boom. A news site which sidesteps Australia’s keen desire to capture revenue from the mom-and-pop online ad company.
How realistic is this Googley play? The answer is, “It depends.” Google wants to avoid getting into the check writing habit for mere nation states. The French deal is not one the GOOG wants to watch diffuse like tribbles across the globe. On the other hand, maybe the wizards of Mountain View will find a way to make the “real” publisher model work. In that case, established “real” news outfits may have a problem.
What if one of the seven outfits demonstrating Google-approved qualities and publishes syndicated news just like the “real” news outfits in Australia? Well, that will keep some legal eagles in ocean front nests guarded by new BMWs happy.
As I wrote in 2008:
What sets Google’s publishing process apart is the small number of individual steps required to take in, process, and push out information. (Google: The Digital Gutenberg, Infonortics, 2009, page 24)
“Small number” means efficiencies “real” news companies cannot easily imagine or implement.
Worth watching Australia. The country may designate Google as its new red kangaroo.
Stephen E Arnold, January 28, 2021
Google Management: What Happens When Science Club Management Methods Emulate Secret Societies?
January 27, 2021
A secret society is one with special handshakes, initiation routines, and a code of conduct which prohibits certain behavior. Sometimes even a secret society has a trusted, respected member whose IQ and personal characteristics are what might be called an “issue.” My hunch is that the write up “Google Hired a Lawyer to Probe Bullying Claims about DeepMind Cofounder Mustafa Suleyman and Shifted His Role” may be a good example — if the real news is indeed accurate — of mostly adult judgment. [The linked document resides behind a paywall … because money.]
As I understand the information in this write up, uber wizard Mustafa Suleyman allegedly engaged in behavior the Googlers found out of bounds. Note, however, that the alleged perpetrator was not terminated. Experts in smart software are tough to locate and hire. Mr. Suleyman was given a lateral arabesque. First defined by Laurence J. Peter is that some management issues can be resolved by shifts to a comparable level of the hierarchy just performing different management or job functions. A poor manager could be encouraged to accept a position as chief quality officer in an organization’s new office in Alert, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. (Bring a Google sweater.)
DeepMind is known for crushing a human Go player, who may now be working as a delivery person for Fanji Braised Meat in Preserved Sauce on Zhubashi in Xian, China. The company developed software able to teach itself the game of checkers. Allegedly DeepMind performed magic with protein folding calculations, but it seems to have come up short on problems for solving death and providing artificial general intelligence for a user of Google calendar.
These notable technical accomplishments may have produced a sinkhole brimming with red ink. The 2019 Google financials indicate that about $1 billion in debt has been written off. Revenue appears to be a bit of a challenge for the Googlers working on technology that will generate sustainable revenue for Google’s next 20 years.,
And what about those management methods channeling how high school science clubs operated in the 1950s:
- Generate fog to make it difficult to discern exactly what happened and why Google’s in house people professionals could not gather the information about alleged bullying? Why a lawyer? Why not a private investigative group? There are some darned good ones in merrie olde Angleland.
- Mixed signals are emitted. If something actionable occurred, why not let the aggrieved go through appropriate legal and employee oversight channels to resolve the matter? Answer: Let someone else have the responsibility. The science club does science, not human like stuff.
- The dodge-deflect-apologize pattern is evident to me in rural Kentucky. How long will this adolescent tactic remain functional?
To sum up, the science club did something. What is fuzzy? Why is fuzzy? Keep folks guessing maybe? What will those bright sprouts in the high school science club do next? Put a cow on top of Big Ben?
Stephen E Arnold, January 27, 2021
Humble Brag or Majestic Wisdom: The Waymo Method of Dealing with Pesky Tesla
January 27, 2021
John Krafcik (a Googler) is the head of Waymo. That’s a name which means one get “way more” than from any other outfit. Get it? Cool?
“Waymo CEO Dismisses Tesla Self Driving Plan: This Is Not How It Works” contains some interesting and allegedly true factoids. I found this passage thought provoking:
Waymo CEO John Krafcik dismissed Tesla as a Waymo competitor and argued that Tesla’s current strategy was unlikely to ever produce a fully self-driving system. “For us, Tesla is not a competitor at all,” Krafcik said. “We manufacture a completely autonomous driving system. Tesla is an automaker that is developing a really good driver assistance system.”
Furthermore, the Google Waymo entity “rejected Tesla’ strategy years ago.” The GOOG approach? This is a characterization:
They [the Waymo experts who deliver way more] focused on building a self-driving taxi service that would never have customers in the driver’s seat…
Both approaches are interesting, but perhaps a more pragmatic approach would be to design roads that reduce the need to create really smart software. Leave a special road, and the humanoid takes over driving chores. One Highway 101, kick back and let Tesla and Waymo deliver way more than some drivers expect.
Way more than stock lift, and Google’s need to declare quantum supremacy and its greatness again an again. But, on the other hand, it’s just a down-home, mom-and-pop operation with a love for advertising and self promotion.
Stephen E Arnold, January 27, 2021
Alphabet Google Spells Union: Labor Stuff, Not AdWords for Union College, Union Pizza, or Union Bank
January 25, 2021
I wonder if the information in this Silicon Valley-type write up is accurate:
Exclusive: Google Workers across the Globe Announce International Union Alliance to Hold Alphabet Accountable. (Verified on January 25, 2021, at 1020 am US Eastern)
You can find the link to the story at this location.
The subtitle is interesting too:
Alpha Global includes workers from 10 countries, including the United States and Germany
My recollection is that Germany is “into” workers’ rights, representatives on boards of directors, and labor organizing activities.
The write up asserts:
Minority unions like AWU get their power by building worker solidarity. The structure allows AWU to include Google contractors as well as full-time employees, but it also means the union isn’t currently recognized by the National Labor Relations Board, and can’t force Google management to negotiate.
If true, Alphabet Google has additional management issues to resolve with its algorithm-centric, big data, and technology-centric systems and methods.
These have worked like a Timex watch for a number of years. You recall the ad, “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.”
The ad reference may be appropriate because Google search results for union displayed links to a college, a pizza joint, and a bank. Not much about unions like those in Germany, which are recognized. Unrecognized unions don’t buy ads with the frequency of the aforementioned college, pizza joint, and bank.
Worth monitoring. Perhaps try queries on The links were about organizing workers.
Stephen E Arnold, January 25, 2021
Google: One Trial Balloon Up and Another Launched
January 25, 2021
I read “Alphabet Loon Internet Balloon “Other Bet” Gets Grounded Forever.” Unlike the Graf Zeppelin’s performance, no one appears to have been killed by the Loon balloon.
I quite like the idea of airships; however, unpredictable weather and all-too-predictable smart software make balloons bouncing Internet signals a somewhat unusual idea. Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, and odd spots in the US once were on the globe floating Loon’s itinerary. Not now. I learned:
Project Loon will be winding down operations and its remaining balloons in the coming months while employees are shuffled across Alphabet, Google, and X. It’s definitely disappointing news to hear, especially given how Loon Internet played critical roles in some natural disasters in the past two to three years.
But, rejoice. There is another Google balloon which may be trialed in Australia. “Google Threatens to Remove Search from Australia over New Law” contains the company-versus-country news:
Google on Friday threatened to disable its search engine function in Australia if the government passes new regulations that would force large tech companies to negotiate with news organizations to present the content they produce.
France and Google have reached some agreement about news and money. Australia is the testing ground for a less fromage-and-wne centric rapprochement. But Australia has sheep and coal. The write up noted:
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded during a press conference later Friday, stating, “We don’t respond to threats.” “Let me be clear: Australia makes our rules for things you can do in Australia,” he said. “That’s done in our Parliament. It’s done by our government and that’s how things work here in Australia.”
If a country will not meet Google’s demands, then Google search won’t find anything for the kangaroo crowd.
Wait!
Google does not find anything when some people run queries.
It is clear that Google does not want fromage-and-wine deals with other countries. The costs would be too much for the Google to stomach. Lamb chops versus fromage and wine? Is this a fair contest.
Beyond Search believes that Google’s policy of threat is a trial balloon. Will that policy fly like the Loon?
Stephen E Arnold, January 25, 2020
Secrets of Google Human Resources: You Too Can Capture World Headlines and Generate Opportunities to Apologize
January 20, 2021
I read “A Former Google People Manager’s Advice on Designing Teamwork in Silicon Valley.” The subtitle is a Googley wonder:
Distribute authority with design thinking
How will Timnit Gebru react to the article? What about those involved in the quasi unionization of the Google?
I don’t know. I do know that the essay is a good example of high school science club management in action. Let me explain.
First, forget the human resource moniker or the more plebian personnel manager. The Google way is to use the term people manager.
Second, the metaphor which snagged my attention was “autonomous slime mold.” Tasty, just the thing for a science club member’s essay on “How to Win Friends Like a Slime Mold.”
Third, engage in bias busting. Here’s an example of what I call Gebru empathy:
By incorporating experts from other fields, you might come to outcomesthat weren’t available using previous methods but could be utilizedin new ways based on what’s been done in other industries, otherexpertises, and different perspectives. This _bias busting_ can help your specialized teams uncover their blind spots and assumptions about the problem space with new insightsfrom other disciplines. A healthy dose of humbleness works wonderswhen problem solving.
Fourth, deal with disagreements by setting expectations. Yes, but are those expectations written down in an employee handbook? Is the handbook updated on a regular basis? Ho ho ho.
Fifth, define success. Do good work? But what at the Google is good work? Hooking on a team which has the backing of the big bosses? Generating lots of revenue via a clever hack to advantage the GOOG? Being a friend or high school chum of a Board member or another top dog? What about having expertise which sheds light on what an assumed rival is doing?
To sum up, the litigation, the chatter about employee discrimination, and the Gebru research dust up illustrate the fruits of high school science club management applied to humanoids.
Stephen E Arnold, January 20, 2021
Google Deflections: After 20 Years of Gnawing, Are Rationalizations Long in the Tooth?
January 15, 2021
Two items snagged my limited attention this morning (January 15, 2021). The first is the write up called “Google Completes Fitbit Acquisition.” The mom-and-pop online ad business has purchased Fitbit. Some government authorities have not officially said, “Hey, okay, Google.” But the mom-and-pop shop has quite a bit of work to do. The digital calendars are brimming with important meetings. I did note this statement in the mom-and-pop shop’s blog post:
This deal has always been about devices, not data…
Yep, I think I have heard this explanation before. But perhaps I am misremembering comments made to me by a no-departed Googler. Yep, Google wants to do devices. Look at the wood the company put behind the Loon balloon. That’s a heck of a device. Oh, there is the “new” Google mobile device. Another horsehide ball knocked aloft.
I also spotted this write up a few minutes ago: “Google Throwing Its Weight Around by Burying Links to Some Commercial News Sites, Experts Say.” Some discontents in Australia apparently believe that the mom-and-pop online information service is discriminating. I circled this passage:
Google has decided to hide some Australian news sites from its search results, in a move that is being interpreted as a response to the Australian Government attempting to make the tech giant pay for original news content.
Google’s ever efficient customer service professionals named A Google Spokesperson allegedly said:
The search algorithm tweak affects a small percentage of users and buries links to some commercial news sites …Every year we conduct tens of thousands of experiments in Google Search…”
Two explanations to the mere country with sheep and coal and a darned good law enforcement apparatus. Maybe I should say, “Excellent enforcement?” Yep, excellent.
Let’s step back. Here are three rationales:
- We don’t care about data. We care about devices.
- We make a change only a teeny weensy percentage of our users are affected.
- We do a lot of testing, and maybe — just maybe — a test affects a user’s experience.
These rationalizations are intended to sound oh-so reasonable. But the one I was disappointed to note excluded from these two articles is the bigly one:
It is easier to say “sorry” than ask for permission.
What else does a mom-and-pop shop need to do to stay in business? Formulate you own answer, gentle reader.
I can’t answer. The dog ate my homework. That excuse is long in the tooth.
Stephen E Arnold, January 15, 2021
Google: Big Is Good. Huge Is Better.
January 15, 2021
I spotted an interesting datum factoid. The title of the article gives away the “reveal” as thumbtypers are prone to say. “Google Trained a Trillion-Parameter AI Language Model” does not reference the controversial “draft research paper” by a former Google smart software person named Timnit Gebru. The point at issue is that smart software can be trained using available content. Bingo, the smart software reflects the biases in the source content.
Pumping up numbers is interesting and begs the question, “Why is Google shifting into used car sales person mode?” The company has never been adept at communicating or marketing in a clear, coherent manner. How many blog posts about Google’s overlapping services have I seen in the last 20 years? The answer is, “A heck of a lot.”
I circled this passage in the write up:
Google researchers developed and benchmarked techniques they claim enabled them to train a language model containing more than a trillion parameters. They say their 1.6-trillion-parameter model, which appears to be the largest of its size to date, achieved an up to 4 times speedup over the previously largest Google-developed language model (T5-XXL).
Got that?
Like supremacy, the trillion parameter AI language model” revolutionizes big.
Google? What’s with the marketing push for the really expensive and money losing DeepMind thing? Big numbers too.
Stephen E Arnold, January 15, 2021
Google: Doing the Travel Agent Thing
January 13, 2021
Just a brief honk to draw our dear readers’ attention to in interesting development. India’s Zee News tells us, “Now, Book Vistara Flight Ticket Directly from Google.” Yes, one can now purchase a ticket for Vistara, an airline that operates in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, directly from one’s Google search. The succinct write-up reports:
“Vistara customers can directly search and book Vistara flights on Google through the integrated ‘Book on Google’ feature. Recently the airline adopted the New Distribution Capability (NDC), through a technology partnership with Amadeus, passengers will now be able to book Vistara flights while searching for them on Google. The biggest advantage is that now customers will be able to search and book air tickets, without getting redirected to any other website. Vistara airline is a joint venture of Tata and Singapore airlines.”
Amadeus is a travel technology company and NDC is an XML-based data transmission standard created specifically for airline ticket distribution. Users must log into their Google account to book their flights, which the service uses to manage contact and payment information. Naturally, one also chooses optional upgrades, baggage allowances, and seat selections here. Just one more way Google aims to save users a few clicks—and collect more of their data in the process.
Here’s an idea. Why not do an AirBnB / VBO mash up with some Google secret spices?
Cynthia Murrell, January 13, 2021
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