Apple and Hypothetical Text Book Killing
January 18, 2012
000Have you ever tried to search a text book? Doesn’t compute. The books are either not online, online but in a different edition from the one in my possession, or the content is partially represented so precision and recall are a joke.
I read “An Industry Insider Explains Why Apple Is Going To Have A Hard Time Revolutionizing The Textbook Business”, assuming that I was on board with the analysis from a digital textbook company guru.
Wrong.
The key point in the article in my opinion is expressed in this passage:
Historically, textbook companies dabble, before they jump in with both feet.
I generally agree with the notion that Apple does not support multiple formats and that the iPad is going to be the go-to device. Android, not so much.
My view is that there are three factors which are likely to conspire to create challenges for both Apple and text book publishers.
First, online courses are proliferating. The course material is a mess, but it is available to students. Professors and curriculum creators have to get in gear to fix up or migrate their existing online resources to Apple’s new tool. My view is that the baloney that is now available is going to remain pretty much as it is. Change is not the problem of publishers. Education from top to bottom resist change.
Second, one can talk about ease of use, but for a person without knowledge about text books and text material creation, no tool is going to be slam dunk easy. In order to dunk, one has to reach the rim, and I think that most content creators who wish to be text book publishers are going to shoot two handed set shots. Not the stuff of championship rings.
Third, the idea that a text book an be a multi media experience is an interesting one. The problem is that it is expensive to create a plain Jane text book. Toss in some nifty graphics for math or physics, dig up snappy illustrations for the course on the 19th Century English Novel, or just make geography come alive. Guess what happens to costs. Those costs make a plain Jane text book look like a real bargain.
I look forward to the Apple tools. A revolution is coming, but I don’t think Apple, specialty publishers, or the Titantics of the text book world will man the barricades. And search. Not on the radar.
Stephen E Arnold, January 18, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Tracking New Public Domain Content
January 14, 2012
We found a Web site that takes the public domain very seriously. PublicDomainDay.org lists works as their copyrights are up and they enter the public domain. In the US and the European Union, copyright terms expire 70 years after the author does, while other countries like Canada and New Zealand wait 50 years.
The site’s about page seeks to emphasize the importance of public domain works. It quotes Professor James Boyle’s 2008 book, “The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind:”
Our markets, our democracy, our science, our traditions of free speech, and our art all depend more heavily on a Public Domain of freely available material than they do on the informational material that is covered by property rights. The Public Domain is not some gummy residue left behind when all the good stuff has been covered by property law. The Public Domain is the place we quarry the building blocks of our culture. It is, in fact, the majority of our culture.
And that’s my problem with the current state of patent laws. But that’s another story. The site is maintained by the European Union’s association COMMUNIA and the Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law in Durham, NC.
Cynthia Murrell, January 14, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Real Journalism: The Anterior in the Aeron Method
January 12, 2012
Short honk: I admire companies which can survive after technology renders their methods obsolete. One example is the crafts people who carve mallards in northern Indiana. Another is the “feet on the street” stringers who write about major events around the world. Well, I suppose I should say, “Seat on the sofa” or “anterior in the Aeron”, not “feet on the street.” I am referring to the time honored practice of the Associated Press’s use of mobile humans to cover events. The key is putting humans in state capitols, capturing the wisdom as it flows from the mouths of the elected representatives, and writing up the good stuff. Of course, with local newspapers chopping staff, the AP has been the go-to source for state politicos’ antics for many years.
The “real” journalist’s research vehicle. This is the Herman Miller Aeron Chaise 2/3. Kick back and get the news via an Internet connection. No need to talk to humans. No reason to ask vapid questions. No need to get a first hand feel of the crowd. Put the anterior in an aeron and produce news. Get static, dude. Image source: http://www.kalkwijk.com
The company takes a different approach to events such as the anachronistic Consumer Electronic Show. CES is held in the new, spiritual and emotional heart of America—Las Vegas. As you may know, this is a city where a destination looks as if one could walk to the status of Liberty in a couple of minutes. The spatial distortion often means a slog of 30 minutes through a crowd of America’s most intelligent and productive citizens.
Navigate to “Microsoft CEO Hits Familiar Chord in CES Swan Song.” Skip the ambiguity of “swan song” and pondering whether its reference is to Mr. Ballmer, Microsoft, or CES itself. Here’s the new “real” journalism method:
The Associated Press watched Ballmer’s speech in Las Vegas on a webcast.
Whether it is an online university or an update on a legal matter via YouTube.com, why go to an event, interview attendees, check out the crowd reaction, and maybe ask a “real” question? Irrelevant to modern news work.
Here in Harrod’s Creek, this 67 year old goose does not go to many trade shows and he never, ever visits Las Vegas. The older, gentler America in rural Illinois and the mine drainage choked pond are what he prefers.
Does he miss “real” life and information by relying on his Aeron and Internet connection? Well, he thought he did. But what’s good enough for the AP, a “real” news outfit is definitely good enough for an old person like me. Life as it is viewed is definitely better than life as it is actually experienced. Here’s another video on YouTube that makes the first hand experience essentially irrelevant. Good to know how news works today. A video is just like life now. Progress? Not for me but that’s a personal opinion.
Stephen E Arnold, January 12, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Open Access Threatened by Elsevier Backed Legislation
January 3, 2012
Academic publishing, specifically in the fields of science and math, is a big money industry. The whole system hinges on containing the flow of information, a task that grows increasingly difficult with the demand for free access to information. Free access is fueled by the internet and social media, with these influences creating a new generation of young people who assume and demand that information be free. Arxiv.org is an open access archive for academic literature devoted to math and science. It and other open access portals are being threatened by potential legislation. (Open access is a term referring to quality information sources that are not protected by a subscription.) The Quantum Pontiff tells us more in, “Could Elsevier Shut Down Arxiv.org?”
The blogger reports:
They (Elsevier) haven’t yet, but they are supporting SOPA, a bill that attempts to roll back Web 2.0 by making it easy to shut down entire sites like Wikipedia and Craigslist if they contain any user-submitted infringing material.
Splash page of arxiv.org shows the seal of Cornell University and the phrase “We gratefully acknowledge supporting institutions. See http://arxiv.org/
Social media and copyright are inherently opposing concepts. User-submitted material, as it is referred to above, will almost always infringe upon copyright. In fact, very few submissions aside from the users own thoughts and words will not infringe upon copyright. If the legislators supporting SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) make good on all their promises, eventual showdowns with social media heavy hitters like Facebook or YouTube could occur.
American copyright was established by the founding fathers in our constitution to balance the protection of intellectual property with the ability to foster creativity and innovation. However, copyright has evolved in the modern era into a blanket protection policy, primarily serving corporations. Libraries and other institutions of learning champion the cause of open access, but even these civic organizations are threatened by corporate lobbyists in their constant quest to have copyright protection extended tighter and longer.
Googlers Want More Local News
January 3, 2012
AOL Patch must be rolling its eyes toward heaven. Patch, the local news vision, may be in a pickle. The rise of the Internet has lead to the decline of the newspaper industry. With blogs, television, and other non-traditional news sources available, no one seems to be interested in local news anymore, or so we thought.
According to the recent The Next Web article “2011 Google Data Reveals Searchers in the U.S Want More Local News,” this year’s Google Zeitgeist, a list of trending topics based on Google search results, found that in almost every U.S. city it looked at, the top ten local search terms showed that people were trying to find local news.
The article states:
It makes sense that larger markets like New York City and Houston wouldn’t be interested in local news stations, since a lot of happenings in those cities make it to the mainstream U.S. news on its own. The findings show that even though the Internet is vast, people still want to know what’s going on around them, and they look to their local news stations as a major source.
It looks like AOL had the right idea with Patch, but unfortunately fumbled the ball. Now the me-too champ is on the case.
Jasmine Ashton, January 3, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Article Marketing Confused with Article Spinning
December 30, 2011
We receive quite a few missives from hot, maybe radioactive, public relations outfits. A good example is AtomicPR, the MarkLogic information output service. I have a tough time figuring out what is editorial opinion such as the information I generate when a topic like azure chip consultants or LinkedIn enterprise search blather. I also never know when a Forbes or Bloomberg news story is a recycle news release. Marketwatch also baffles me. I am deeply suspicious of any information from Marketwatch which is displayed with copious amounts of green, which is supposed to suggest money to me I think. I skip the public relations nuclear waste, the company sponsored blogs which provide me with tips to cope with eDiscovery as ZyLAB is doing, and sponsored blogs like our own HighGainBlog.com operation. (Oh, we will announce a new sponsor in January 2012, and we will deliver useful, curated information too. I find company blogs endlessly amusing. Google operates more than four score blogs each outputting “content.” Now the SEO crowd has figured out “content.” Hooray.
Writing for Search Engine Journal, Suzanne Edwards puts her spin on article marketing in “Eight Good Reasons Why Spinning Articles is Bad for your Website.” The writer, who also writes for Cash for Gold, of all places, makes some sweeping generalizations. There is a wide range between summarizing and pointing the way to helpful links and using “spinning” software. The article describes these abominable applications:
Tons of article spinning software have flooded the Internet. Needless to say, article marketing has become an efficient way of building hundreds if not thousands of backlinks. However, automatic articles spinning with the use of a spinning software is deemed as a black hat SEO technique that can seriously hurt a website’s search rankings and page rank.
While we agree with her point on robo-writers, she paints with too broad a brush. Is reason number nine financial advisors’ ability to discern truth and accuracy? Financial services firms make SEO firms look like the Vatican’s college of Cardinals on a Bible study weekend.
Super. This goose will immediately snap to content ideas from a financial advisor. It’s okay. We trust financial advisors like Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, right? We believe everything we read on the Internet even when the content is delivered by predictive methods developed by dear old Google and Microsoft.
Cynthia Murrell, December 30, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Doejo: Approach Content Creation Like Product Development
December 30, 2011
Doejo would have companies “Create Content Like You Create Products.” Does this mean like Chinese wall board and dog food, Wall Street’s financial products, or stuff like the iPad? Many different products with many different degrees of excellence, right? What about products like this one?
No, avoid that level of carelessness in any endeavor. For the purposes of the Doejo article, though, it’s more of a self-reference. Writer Ziad urges companies to put the same care they put into creating their own products, whatever they might be, into creating their Web content. The write up explains:
Startups treasure their products and put a huge amount of effort and passion into creating them. However, many startup blogs and communities don’t have the kind of craftsmanship that their products do. Your company does not need to blog ten times a day to have an impact. Focus on creating content that is not merely related to the press release of the day.
The article picks a few traditional product-development steps and illustrates how they apply to content. For example, under “Pick a market,” it urges businesses to target content toward the mindset of its products’ potential buyers. Under “Narrow down and execute,” it advises companies to keep it simple. See the write up for more specifics; they are things worthy to keep in mind.
Cynthia Murrell, December 30, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Google Adds Protein to Its Recommendations
December 28, 2011
Here goes Google, buying rather than innovating. Again. CNET News reports, “Google Gobbles up Restaurant Recommendation App Alfred.” Created by Clever Sense, Alfred was released for the iPhone in July. Google has now released a free version for Android.
The app studies the user’s restaurant choices, then uses online reviews and “other analysis” to recommend similar locations. There’s a cute minute-long video from Clever Sense here. Writer Jay Greene clarifies what makes Alfred special:
“Unlike better-known and more widely used rivals such as Yelp and Urbanspoon, Clever Sense uses artificial intelligence to find customers with similar tastes, then offers recommendations based on their dining choices.
It’s the kind of service–one that relies on complex algorithms to arrive at relevant results–that is right up Google’s alley.
Indeed. And if Google didn’t have to bother developing the software, all the better.
Clever Sense was founded by tech highbrows Babak Pahlavan and Nima Asgharbeygi. The Clever Sense Platform that powers Alfred combines two engines. The Extraction Engine curates unstructured crawled data; from there, it extracts concepts and learns similarities. The Serendipity Engine, though, is at the core; it is the part that learns user preferences. The company assures us that the data used to draw these conclusions is stored securely.
Cynthia Murrell, December 28, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
New York Times Does the Filene Basement Thing
December 27, 2011
Newspapers used to produce oodles of cash. Now most smaller and regional newspapers are walking a knife edge. I just read about the fire sale at the New York Times. The gray lady dumped a bundle of newspapers at a Filene basement type price. What happened to Filene’s? Well, check it out.
The article is “Times Co. Agrees to Sell Regional Newspaper Group”. The price for 16 newspapers is alleged to be $143 million. Not quite the $1 that Newsweek commanded, but a deal nevertheless.
What will the gray lady do with the cash? Maybe go shopping for some new digital duds. Will the bits and bytes return the gray lady to the apex of excellence? Might be a long shot. New president needed. New head of digital stuff needed. New products and services needed. Quite a few needs.
Stephen E Arnold, December 27, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
The AOL Shuffle
December 27, 2011
Cyber space gossip: more trouble at AOL? Crunched declares, “AOL Looking for New Huffpo Media Group President.” Blogger Michael Arrington admits that the news is “being whispered,” not official, but his sources say AOL has engaged recruiter Spencer Stuart to find a new business leader for the Huffington Post Media Group. AOL bought Huffpo earlier this year.
Arianna Huffington, founder of the media group, is now running the business side as well as the editorial side since AOL’s Jon Brod was reassigned. Arrington finds the reported change in the chain-of-command to be the juiciest part. The write up asserts:
By far the most interesting part of all this, though, is it’s not clear that Arianna Huffington is aware that the new position will report to Tim Armstrong, not Huffington. Whatever happens, I’m pretty sure I won’t be getting my old job back.
I hope Arrington doesn’t actually want his old TechCrunch job back. He seems to have pretty thoroughly burned that bridge. Just saying. One thing is for sure: Googlers make interesting managers.
Cynthia Murrell, December 27, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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