One Internet? Not Likely
October 4, 2018
Some relationships are not made to last, but I never thought the Internet would break up with itself. I bet you are scratching your head wondering how the Internet could split apart, but the fault is one Asian country. Behind the Great Fire Wall, China could be working on its own Internet. Business Insider wrote that, “Google’s Ex-CEO Eric Schmidt Says The Internet Will Split In Two By 2028.”
Schmidt stated that by 2028, China will have their own version of the Internet. China does not like the western Internet and has a very powerful firewall that blocks unsavory Web sites. Schmidt believes the future Internet will be divided into the Chinese-led Internet and then the American-led Internet. Schmidt had this to say:
“If you look at China, and I was just there, the scale of the companies that are being built, the services being built, the wealth that is being created is phenomenal. Chinese Internet is a greater percentage of the GDP of China, which is a big number, than the same percentage of the US, which is also a big number. If you think of China as like ‘Oh yeah, they’re good with the Internet,’ you’re missing the point.
Globalization means that they get to play too. I think you’re going to see fantastic leadership in products and services from China. There’s a real danger that along with those products and services comes a different leadership regime from government, with censorship, controls, etc.”
The US is the world’s technology leader, but China has been ramping up its game since the early 2000s. China is on the verge of becoming a technological leader and could rival the US, especially in AI. The US appears to be the only option for the Internet, but if China creates its own Internet, other countries might adopt it.
This could be a big game changer in the world. The US has controlled many markets since World War II and China, probably will not topple them, but could be a strong rival.
Whitney Grace, October 4, 2018
Factualities for October 3, 2018
October 3, 2018
Believe ‘em or not.
-
- 56 percent. The number of teens who have experienced cyber bullying. Source: Pew Research Center
- 66 months in prison. Sentence for NSA thief taking work home. Source: Daily Beast
- $80 billion. Amount spent by technology companies to maintain a competitive edge. Source: Bloomberg
- 75. The number of banks joining JPMorgan Chase’s blockchain system. Source: Bitnovosti
- 800 kilograms. The world’s biggest bird. Source: CNet
- $3,499. Starting price of a Microsoft Surface Studio 2 PC. Source: Softpedia
- 90 million. Number of Facebook access tokens lost to hackers. Source: Betanews4
- More than 70. Number of new emoji in Apple iOS 12.1. Source: Apple
 |
Stephen E Arnold, October 3, 2018
Factualities for September 5, 2018
September 5, 2018
Believe ‘em or not.
- $13,470. Cost for 30 minutes of T Mobile Internet access. Source: Hardocp News
- 2.2 million customers’ data lost in data breach by T Mobile. Source: Naked Security
- $60 billion. The size of the global blockchain market in 2024. Source: Blokt
- 20%. Number of employees who share their email password with co workers. Source: ZDNet
- 2 percent. The number of teens who read a newspaper. Source: Science
- 64 billion. Number of fake emails sent each day. Source: Dark Reading
Stephen E Arnold, September 5, 2018
Gray Literature May Face a Backlash from Professional Publishing Companies
September 3, 2018
I read “Read Research Papers Trapped Behind a Paywall With This Chrome Extension.” The write up describes a Google Chrome extension which helps a user locate a pre-publication version of a journal article. This makes veering around a paywall a little easier for some people. Here in Harrod’s Creek, we just ignore articles for which someone has assigned a price tag. We believe that ignorance is bliss, and we wouldn’t want to have our halcyon life disrupted.
The write up explains:
the extension searches for the article to see if the author has posted a free version anywhere as well.
Bingo.
The write up explains in a somewhat labored manner:
Important to note: This isn’t getting you around the paywall or stealing the content. Instead, what it’s doing is seeing if there’s another legal version online that you can read instead. Emphasis on the “legal” in that sentence. If there is another copy online, you’ll see a green tab on your screen letting you know.
The visual clue is a green tag. Click it and, in theory, you will see the so called pre-publication, gray version of the write up.
Beyond Search believes that some of the professional publishers will note this innovation. We hypothesize that some of these savvy executives will come up with some ideas to nuke these unauthorized versions of the publishers’ for fee articles.
Some professional publishers charge authors for the work required to take their drafts and convert them into professional publishing recurring revenues.
Authors, some of whom are academics, often have zero choice about publishing in journals owned by professional publishing outfits. Do gooder researchers often have different ideas.
Professional publishers can make life difficult because most have outstanding legal teams, a keen desire to keep the recurring revenue flowing, and a need to make sure another Google-type existential threat does not blindside them. To be fair, some professional publishers were not able to perceive how disruptive, Google-type outfits could affect their businesses until they were in the hospital after being hit by the digital trains.
If you want the Chrome extension, navigate to the source article. We don’t use Chrome, and, as I said, we don’t use content in peer reviewed journals. Why?
Sorry, like some of the work I did in my 50 year working career, I won’t talk. Move forward I say. But here’s a question for you, “How much are those must have medical and engineering journals either in dead tree or digital form?” That’s a fact worth knowing.
Stephen E Arnold, September 3, 2018
EU Not Taking Terror Lying Down
September 3, 2018
Applause are due to the European Union, who have instituted a unique plan for battling online extremism. We learned more about this tactic and were able to think about its potential stress points from reading an interesting Inquirer article, “EU Wants Tech Firms to Remove Terror Content Within an Hour of Facetimes.”
According to the story:
“In March, legislation passed that presented the hour-long purge window, but it was only marked under voluntary guidelines. But it looks like tech firms aren’t volunteering to work to these guidelines so the EU wants to force them to do so by imposing fines on firms that are blasé about terrorism-related materials on their services, networks and platforms.”
This is a very exciting prospect in the war on disinformation and violence planned online. However, it’s not time to celebrate quite yet. As reported recently, the EU is a complex machine itself and several countries failed to step in line with the cybersecurity deadline that loomed this summer. Beyond that, we are very curious to see how the various nations and governing bodies work together to oversee this new security measure. We hope it makes some headway, but will be watching from afar.
Patrick Roland, September 3, 2018
Quote to Note: Walled Gardens
August 30, 2018
I spotted a quote which I immediately tucked into my “Research” folder. Here it is:
The trouble with a walled garden is that if the thing outside the garden is bigger and better than the thing inside the garden, then the wall only serves to keep new customers out rather than lock them in.
The statement appears in “What the Hell Was the Microsoft Network?” The history of this early Microsoft adventure is fascinating. The write up does a good job of bringing alive the thought process of smart people essentially unable to think about a problem outside of their beige cubicle.
But the quote has relevance today because walled gardens may be coming back in vogue. Apple is a walled garden. Facebook is a walled garden. Even Twitter is a walled garden. And if services are not becoming walled gardens, the gardeners are busy fixing fences, locking gates, and planting thorny hedges.
Worth reading the cited article.
Stephen E Arnold, August 30, 2018
Factualities for August 22, 2018
August 22, 2018
Believe ‘em or not. This week’s factualities are:
- 25,000. The number of illegal gambling apps removed from Apple store due to the Chinese government. Source: Wall Street Journal with a pay wall at this link.
- Museum puts sewage on display. Source: Ars Technica
- 33, the number of clinical trial centric scientific papers published by a Japanese expert. How many identified as containing made up date? Just 23. Source: Science Magazine
- Get paid to watch dirty movies. Yep, but you get a special crypto currency. Source: Metro Newspaper at this link
- 500. The number of English speaking robots to be deployed in Japanese schools. Source: ZDNet at this link
- Who is the leader, according to Forrester and IBM, in industrial Internet of Things platforms? IBM. Source: IBM at this link
- The secret to managing millennials? Don’t assume they are millennials. Source: Inc. at this link
Ah, the modern world with mobiles and online.
Stephen E Arnold, August 23, 2018
China Charts a Course in Cyber Space
August 19, 2018
I am not much a political thinker. But even with the minimal knowledge I possess about world affairs, it seems to me that China has made its cyber technology objective clear. Of course, I am assuming that the information in “When China Rules the Web” is accurate. You will have to judge for yourself.
The write up states:
Chinese President Xi Jinping has outlined his plans to turn China into a “cyber-superpower.”
My reaction to this statement was to ask this question, “When US companies make changes in order to sell to China, does that mean those companies are helping to make the Chinese cyber space vision a reality?”
There are other questions swirling through my mind, and I need time to sort them out. Companies define the US to a large part. If the companies go one way, will other components of the US follow?
Worth considering. A stated policy that is being implemented is different from a less purposeful approach.
Stephen E Arnold, August 19, 2018
Factualities for Wednesday, August 15, 2018
August 15, 2018
Believe these items or not. We found them interesting:
- China has built 350000 5G cell sites; the US, 30 000
Source: CNBC - Five billion videos are watched around the world each day, with the vast majority of viewers being between 18 and 49-years-old. Source: Express tabloid newspaper
- Americans are now spending 11 hours each day consuming media. Source: Quartz
- Criminal activities account for just 10 percent of Bitcoin transactions. DEA via CCN.com
- Google will lose $50 million or more in 2018 from Fortnite bypassing the Play Store. Source: Techcrunch
- Baltimore will pay a person $176,800 to maintain Lotus Notes. Source: Baltimore Sun newspaper
Real or fake? A question smart software will have to answer. We cannot.
Stephen E Arnold, August 15, 2018
Internet Platforms Are Something New. But What Does “New” Mean?
August 12, 2018
“New” is an interesting concept. A new car suggests a vehicle that emits the mix of polyvinyls, warm electronics, and snake oil. “New” in a camp in Yemen means a T shirt abandoned by a person and claimed by another. “New” in a temple in Kyoto means repairs made a century ago.
But I learned in “Platforms Are Not Publishers”:
Google, Facebook, Twitter, and the internet are not media. They are something new we do not yet fully understand.
Would it be helpful to have the context and intended connotation of “new” defined?
Nah, after the Internet revolution, everyone knows the meaning of the word.
The problems generated when flows of data rip across the digital landscape is that these bits and bytes erode. The impact is more rapid but less easy to detect than the impact of a flash flood gushing through the streets of a Rio hillside slum.
The notion that commercial enterprises are the context. The platforms emerged from the characteristics of digital technology; that is, concentration, velocity, disintermediation, etc.
The large platforms are like beavers. Put a beaver in the observation deck of the Chrysler Building in Manhattan and the beavers are going to do what beavers do. They may die, but their beaverness makes them behave in a way that to some degree is predictable.
I like the idea that individuals in the “media”—another term which warrants defining—have to shoulder some of the blame. Better hurry. I am no longer sure how long the real media and the real journalists will survive.
Their future will be finding a way to exploit the digital flows.
In short, Internet platforms today are not much different from the BRS, DataStar, Dialog, and Lexis type systems before the Internet.
What’s different is the scope, scale, and speed of today’s digital flows. In the context of the information environment (what I continue to call the datasphere) is unchanged.
The problem is that today’s digital experts have a limited perception of “new” and the context of online systems and services.
In short, too late folks. Russia, Turkey, Iran, and other countries have figured out that the shortest distance between A and B is censorship.
Censorship is now a content fashion trend. That’s “new” as in governments are punching the “off” button. The action may be futile, but it is a reminder that old school methods may deliver because responsible commercial organizations ignore what may be their “duty.” Publishing? What’s that?
Stephen E Arnold, August 12, 2018
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
