Google, Word Choice and Nexus One
January 25, 2010
Short honk: I don’t have a Nexus One and I don’t plan on buying the device. Mother Google has caught my attention with each of my Google monographs. I try to steer clear. I did read “How Google’s Nexus One Censors Cuss Words.” If accurate, the story suggests that Google sees a dirty word and scrubs it out of the message. Not even IBM in its salad days would make the IBM Selectric so it would prevent the user from typing certain words. What if Charles Bukowski were still alive, keying poems on his Nexus One? Would the output be vintage Bukowski?
drunk and writing poems
at 3 a.m.what counts now
is one more
tight ######before the light
tilts out
Yep, just what Mr. Bukowski wanted, according to Mother Google and its nannytron.
Google knows more than a creative person. How reassuring. What about the references to off color subjects in Shakespeare’s comedies? What about the humor in the works of Plautus and Terence? Google would have fixed their work as well.
What a nanny society is emerging! If someone buys a device, the person can do what he wants with it in my opinion. Thank goodness I am over 65 and heading for the data center in the sky. I suppose when the Googlers, the TSA, and other nannyites arrive, I will not be allowed to write my opinions using unapproved words.
Stephen E Arnold, January 24, 2010
This is a freebie. I am expressing an opinion. I can envision a day when WordPress will delete any reference to nannies, wings, and guys like Charles Bukowski. Quite a world. I will report this to the National Archives.
Hiding from Google
January 20, 2010
Perched in a train station, I have a tough time surfing the hot search and content processing news. I was able to connect to an article in Forbes Magazine called “How to Hide from Google.” I find write ups in business magazines that describe proxies and the onion router mildly amusing. What struck me, however, was not the comment that TOR exhibited latency or the omission of other methods for ensuring that various tracking objects can be deleted from a user’s system. No. What I liked was the juxtaposition of advertisements on the Web page. Here’s what I see on my browser on January 20, 2010:
I noticed two advertisements for Microsoft. The first, visible even in the tiny WordPress thumbnail is the MSFT logo opposite the title and a second ad in the outside right column. When I looked at this, I asked myself, “Who is sponsoring this anti Google advertisement?” I did not see a China logo. So it can’t be those chirpy folks to the East. I did not see an Apple logo, maker of laptops much beloved by the Mountain View marketers. I did see two Microsoft logos, however. Interesting in the view of the addled goose. The sponsored by Microsoft tag suggests an advertorial to me, but how can this be in a business magazine?
Stephen E Arnold, January 20, 2010
I wish to disclose that no one, friend or fowl, paid me to point out this interesting juxtaposition of Google and Microsoft content. I am in frosty Europe, sort of in between jurisdictions. I will report this free write up to the first person with a uniform I see in the train station in Germany.
Google and Its Security Woes
January 18, 2010
There are some practical issues that must be addressed when dealing with security. First, the people working on the security problem have to be vetted. This requires time and organization. Organizations in a hurry and not well organized are at greater risk than a plodding, more methodical outfit. Although troubling to some, the security people have to be subject to some type of monitoring as well. The idea is that layers of security methods and procedures are required. Again, this takes expertise and experience. Short cuts can increase risk.
Then when something bad happens, it is a good idea to look for indications that someone close to the matter is involved, intentionally or unintentionally. Some countries use clever methods to socially engineer an opportunity to exploit a weakness in security. I know that the idea of a team implies that everyone is going to run the game plan. Alas, that’s not always accurate.
In my experience, keeping an issue contained is a prudent first step. The idea that quick reaction or chatter helps may be an inaccurate one. Some outputs are necessary, but crazy talk is rarely helpful whether from pundits, poobahs, satraps, or azure chip consultants.
I was surprised to read several widely circulated news stories that provide some additional “information” or “disinformation” about the Google security matter. The work “attack” is attached to this issue, but I don’t know enough to be able to say whether this was an “attack” or one of those cute things that math club members perpetrate as a way to get attention, change grades for the football team, or transfer cafeteria money to a charity like Midnight Auto Supply.
The Great Wall of China was built for a reason. Some of those reasons exist for today’s Chinese governmental entities. Those who build the Great Wall were not concerned with the environmental or financial impact of the Great Wall. Priorities may be different in China than in other geographic areas or nation states. Image source: http://www.globusjourneys.com/Common/Images/Destinations/great-wall.jpg
That’s the problem with lots of information or lots of disinformation. There is uncertainty, what I call a “cloud of unknowing”.
Here’s what’s caught my attention. (Keep in mind that I have no solid opinion on this matter because I only know what flops into my newsreader and that information or disinformation is suspect by definition.)
SQL Server Trends for 2010
December 24, 2009
You love SQL Server. You want to know what your significant other will offer next year. To learn, read “Staying Abreast of SQL Server Database Trends in 2010.” Two trends are easy to identify: cloud services and virtualization. The third trend surprised me. Here’s the passage that caught my attention:
The security game changer for Slavik is the variety of new tools, courtesy of the hackers, that enable automated random attacks on data. “Getting from a vulnerability to an exploit is going to be very easy for hackers, especially when you talk about databases and patching. Once a vendor releases a patch we might see worms that immediately try to exploit the patched vulnerability. Hackers know that enterprises out there just don’t patch as quickly as they should.”
Once again the customer shoulders the burden of code that is like catnip to kittens. In my opinion, the vendor has to do a better job.
Stephen E. Arnold, December 24, 2009
A freebie. Think of it as a present under the national Christmas tree in Washington, DC. I suppose something free is not news to the White House person responsible for decorations. I will tell that person any way.
Google Cuts Endeca from the Search Herd
December 4, 2009
I saw Dan Tunkelang’s post in the Noisy Channel on November 6, 2009, about his leaving Endeca. Keep in mind that Dan Tunkelang was the firm’s chief technology officer and a critic of Google.
This is my last week at Endeca. The decision to leave has been a heart-wrenching one: not only have the past ten years been the best of my life, but my experiences at Endeca have defined me professionally. Moreover, Endeca is riding a wave of success with recent advances in our products, new relationships with key partners, and fascinating new deployments
The comments in Fierce Content Management in “Daniel Tunkelang Leaving Endeca for Google” seemed to lack context; for example:
It was more than a bit surprising to me that [Dan] Tunkelang would be moving to the consumer side of search, given his background, but it sounds like it was an opportunity that was too good to let pass. I’m sure Endeca is sad to see someone with his level of understanding of its products leave the company.
Read more: http://www.fiercecontentmanagement.com/story/danel-tunkelang-leaving-endeca-google/2009-11-11#ixzz0Yc34unSH
When I saw Endeca’s search evangelist on Tuesday, December 1, 2009, I sat quietly and let the Endeca professional lead the conversation. No comment about Dan Tunkelang, so I assumed that the company did not consider the departure material.
Yesterday I had a conversation with a search vendor who asked me what I thought. I replied that the Google is where the action is and anyone wanting to keep the search career chugging along would be crazy to ignore Googzilla’s blandishments.
i think there are several angles that I want to watch in the weeks and months ahead:
First, the Google is into commerce search and Dan Tunkelang knows about the use of search and facets in helping merchants make sales. I wonder if there is a connection between Endeca’s success in ecommerce and Dan Tunkelang’s joining the Google. Maybe it is a coincidence?
Second, Endeca without Dan Tunkelang is a bit like a wagon without a wheel. With care, the wagon works reasonably well. Get the load off balance and the wagon tips over. Is Endeca now vulnerable in a way that it has not been since its founding?
Third, where is Endeca going to go? The company’s push for partners and its shifting of security functions to some of the partners who provide such features and content connectors is interesting to me. The information I have is inconclusive, but unless Endeca can respond to some of the challenges that I see surfacing from a number of interesting companies such as Exalead to name just one example, I ask, “Can Endeca get on the growth track and generate the sort of revenues that make companies like the much loved Autonomy the talk of the investment crowd?
My thought this morning is that Google may be using surgical precision to isolate certain vendors from their core capabilities. Once isolated like a lion’s prey in the wild, then it is a matter of time. Am I seeing an example of a “cutting off from the herd” tactic?
Stephen Arnold, December 3, 2009
Important disclaimer: I want to alert the Fish & Wildlife Department that I was not paid to write about the behavior of predators in such countries as South Africa. A freebie for sure.
Online Paranoia and Context
December 3, 2009
Years ago, I met the president of a company in Houston, Texas. I recall hearing that person recounting some of his management insights in the construction business. One catchphrase he used to make a point had to do with paranoia and knowing that everyone was out to get you. Years later I read Andy Grove’s Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company. Similar idea: some awareness of what the competition is doing is essential to focus an organization’s energies. Over the years, I have worked on a couple of jobs in which paranoia was a useful ingredient like basil on a Food Channel’s winning pizza recipe. In certain work situations, a dash of paranoia is what separates those who survive from those who become the concrete in a skyscraper or the dough in a calzone.
I read “8 Million Reasons for Real Surveillance Oversight”, and you may want to scan the article as well. The main point in my opinion is:
My point is this: The vast majority of the government’s access to individuals’ private data is not reported, either due to a failure on DOJ’s part to supply the legally required statistics, or due to the fact that information regarding law enforcement requests for third party stored records (such as email, photos and other data located in the cloud) is not currently required to be collected or reported. As for the millions of government requests for geo-location data, it is simply disgraceful that these are not currently being reported…but they should be.
If you want a catalog of examples of surveillance activities, the article provides a useful starting point.
Let me conclude with several observations:
- Depending on one’s job, these activities may have a different context. For example, if one is working on a project when there are other factors in play, then the need to use available resources to address a matter is a responsible and necessary activity. I think of information has an instrument, and the use of that instrument depends on context. Without context, I find it difficult to make an informed judgment about “shoulds,” “woulds” and “coulds”.
- Some engaged in law enforcement have experienced significant increases in the amount and type of work that must be done on the “job”. As a result, like any process oriented professional, when software can perform certain work more efficiently, it makes perfect sense to me to use new methods to manage a task. I find it typical of public companies, start ups, and government organizations to try different techniques and determine which work and which don’t. Adaptation takes place. In my experience, those experiences are an essential part of professional behavior.
- The budget data for law enforcement and intelligence professionals, when compared to the volume of work that must be performed is not included in the article. One quick example: a major city’s law enforcement group needs twice the number of uniforms presently available to handle existing criminal activity. There is neither budget nor political support to expand the number of officers. Use of new methods is one way to extend the thin membrane of law enforcement over the present work load.
- The volume of data available is impossible to capture, manage, and process with traditional methods. Not even the most sophisticated computer systems are able to deliver the type of information that may be needed to address a certain situation. In my experience, more investment and effort are needed to tame and channel the raging floods of data.
In short, paranoia is a useful motivational and creative force. However, paranoia without context can create an impression that certain situations look like a duck but may be a very different animal. Forget trade shows. Forget public announcements about data sets being made available. Remember that context is needed to understand the who, what, why, and how of an action. These nuances are tough to get even when one is working on a project that requires certain types of data. Outside of those projects, context may be impossible to obtain. Without context, I find it difficult to speak with confidence about a specific action or a group of unrelated actions.
I do know what can happen if certain data are ignored. You do too if you do some historical thinking.
Stephen Arnold, December 3, 2009
Oyez, oyex, I wish to report to the Department of Justice that I was not paid by anyone to point out that context is a useful concept when writing about specific actions taken in order to complete a mission.
Attivio and Traction
November 30, 2009
Attivio is a search and content processing company that has been dancing with some interesting cha cha cha variations. The company’s announcement earlier in November caught me by surprise. Attivio and Traction Software are teaming up. Attivio describes itself in this way:
Traction Software says about itself:
Traction TeamPage adds security, threaded discussion, moderation, document management, and more to award-winning social software and search that works like the Web. Whether you’re one team or want to connect hundreds of customer, supplier, partner, and internal groups, Traction TeamPage is your best choice for Enterprise 2.0.
According to Fierce Content Management:
By tying a search tool to a security model, it means that only those employees who are supposed to see the information will see it. It gives you the power of collaboration and enterprise-class search along with security.
I will need more detail before I can answer the questions swirling through my mind?
- What exactly will each company do in an enterprise?
- What is the cost of the combined solution?
- What types of organizations need the blend of Attivio and Traction innovations?
The goslings and I completed some research that suggests social functions and other enterprise 2.0 “plays” are not hitting home runs. Where deployed, there are some singles. Worth monitoring in my opinion.
Stephen Arnold, November 30, 2009
Dear Oversight Authority at Administration on Developmental Disabilities. I was not paid to write this article expressing my inability to figure out the upside of the tie up for the types of organizations silly enough to hire me.
Nstein Releases Semantic Site Search
November 23, 2009
Nstein, a company that offers a wide range of software systems, has released its 3S product. Details appear in “Nstein Technologies Releases Semantic Site Search Engine.” The story reported:
The 3S product is built utilizing the registered text-extracting expertise of Nstein for web site search and precise results.
I was initially confused by the 3S moniker. But the write up shed more light on the approach:
3S’s design allows it to source the search content from various stored indexes and published web sources. It works by sensing the attributes of the materials to index them in an orderly fashion. After arranging the materials, Nstein’s patented semantic fortification method is utilized for processing.
According to the article, Nstein’s first client is Gesca Digital, which is part of the Torstar-owned Olive network. Gesca focuses on French language content. I anticipate that the system will become available on www.cyberpresse.ca and www.testesaclaques.tv. I’ve added these sites to my “to review” list.
Stephen Arnold, November 23, 2009
I want to disclose to the Maritime Administration that I was not paid to write about a company near the Great Lakes. No cross border shenanigans for the goose.
The Guardian on Email Surveillance
November 15, 2009
I think this article “Email Surveillance: Ditch It for Good” is an opinion piece. The Guardian is not exactly number one with a bullet in the online world, but it does have a penchant for writing articles that catch my attention. The idea is that the UK government should not “snoop on all our communication and Internet activity.” I disagree. My view is that governments have little choice but to move toward surveillance and increasingly proactive actions with regard to information. There are lots of bad folks out there, and the legal and political consequences of not taking appropriate actions are significant. Islands are pretty good for surveillance too. The UK and Australian enforcement entities are case examples of how electronic nets can be used to catch some interesting fish. The Guardian does not agree with me. So here’s a hypothetical: the UK government does not perform surveillance and a bad event occurs. Many are killed and injured in London. Subsequent investigation reveals that the event was described in emails and other common information channels. What are the legal and political consequences of this turn of events. Surveillance cannot be “ditched for good.” Surveillance is a fact of today’s information world in my opinion. Autonomy and i2.co.uk are two outfits with useful monitoring technology. These companies’ tools were developed to meet a need, even though the Guardian finds the need difficult to accept. An information reality is just like the financial reality many firms face in today’s business climate–Unpleasant to some but a fact nevertheless.
Stephen Arnold, November 16, 2009
I want to report to the Institute of Peace that I was not paid to point out that the Guardian is complaining about an information shift that says, “You can’t go home again.” There’s not enough cash in the goose’s coffers for that journey.
UK Embraces Big Data
November 10, 2009
The BBC reported that the UK will move forward with its monitoring system. The idea is to treat communications as a dataspace. You can read the story “UK Surveillance Plan to Go Ahead” to get the details. In my opinion, the UK is getting into big data. The interest aspect of this surveillance plan is not addressed in the write up. My question is, “Who will provide the data processing services for these data?” My thought is that a company like Google might one option. Microsoft, in my opinion, does not have the dataspace technology in as mature a form as does Google.
Stephen Arnold, November 11, 2009
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