Creative Commons Reality Check for AOL
November 26, 2013
Oops. It appears that the legal department over at AOL has some studying up to do. Techdirt reports, “AOL Unclear on the Concept: Threatens Startup for Properly Using Creative Commons Content.” It seems the startup in question, Pro Populi, is using content from AOL-owned CrunchBase in its People+ app. That data is covered by a Creative Commons CC-BY attribution license, which means commercial use is fair game as long as the content is properly attributed. That did not stop AOL from sending Pro Populi a cease-and-desist notice.
Apparently, the company is trying to get around the very specific provisions of the CC-BY license by pointing to a clause in their API terms, which says it reserves the right to force users to stop using content at any time. However, as writer Mike Masnick succinctly points out:
“That clause is completely bogus. AOL can decide to forbid someone from using the API if they feel it violates their terms, but they cannot ‘terminate’ the license to use the content. The content is free to use under the license, and there’s nothing AOL can legally do about it — other than lie and be a bully, which appears to be the choice the company has made.”
So, how does one cope with big companies chasing windmills? Why, call in a defender like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, of course. The article continues:
“Thankfully, EFF is now representing Pro Populi and has sent a detailed letter explaining all of this to AOL. Hopefully, next time, their lawyers will actually understand their own licenses before misrepresenting them in bogus threat letters.”
Perhaps, though the profit motive is often much stronger than common sense. Will AOL learn its lesson, or will the bullying continue?
Cynthia Murrell, November 26, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Current Economic System Considered an Impossible Construction
November 26, 2013
We aren’t exactly economics experts around here, so we’re not sure we understand this fully, but it may explain why search vendors are stuck on a merry-go-round. In “M.C. Escher and the Impossibility of the Establishment Economic View,” Zero Hedge explores the fallibility of official financial forecasts.
Writer F.F. Wiley supplies evidence rich with statistical details and a wealth of graphs to support the assertion that we cannot depend on predictions from the Federal Reserve and the Congressional Budget Office. See the article for those details, which this theatre major will not attempt to interpret here.
Wiley summarizes:
“In a word, the CBO’s projections are preposterous. They ignore effects that are clear in the data and obvious in real life. But the charts reveal more than just forecasting flaws at a single governmental institution. More broadly, the assumption of a smooth and lasting return to normality is standard practice for mainstream economists, particularly those at the Fed.
Essentially, economists are hardwired to focus on the near-term effects of policy stimulus, while dismissing long-term effects that are often far more important. Standard models fail to account for either natural cyclicality or the payback seen in Charts 4 to 6. Although establishment economists often speak about sustainable growth, they really mean any growth that restores GDP to where they believe it should be. They don’t seriously contemplate the unsustainable growth that occurs when the economy is over-stimulated through credit and financial asset channels.”
Wiley believes this all boils down to an “Escher” economy, where we will go round in circles getting nowhere until the existing system falls apart. Afterward, another could (should) be constructed with better policy, but what are we to do in the meantime? Have the folks stuffing their mattresses with gold been right all along?
Cynthia Murrell, November 26, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Exclusive Silobreaker Interview: Mats Bjore, Silobreaker
November 25, 2013
With Google becoming more difficult to use, many professionals need a way to locate, filter, and obtain high value information that works. Silobreaker is an online service and system that delivers actionable information.
The co-founder of Silobreaker said in an exclusive interview for Search Wizards Speaks says:
I learned that in most of the organizations, information was locked in separate silos. The information in those silos was usually kept under close control by the silo manager. My insight was that if software could make available to employees the information in different silos, the organization would reap an enormous gain in productivity. So the idea was to “break” down the the information and knowledge silos that exists within companies, organizations and mindsets.
And knock down barriers the system has. Silobreaker’s popularity is surging. The most enthusiastic supporters of the system come from the intelligence community, law enforcement, analysts, and business intelligence professionals. A user’s query retrieves up-to-the-minute information from Web sources, commercial services, and open source content. The results are available as a series of summaries, full text documents, relationship maps among entities, and other report formats. The user does not have to figure out which item is an advertisement. The Silobreaker system delivers muscle, not fatty tissue.
Mr. Bjore, a former intelligence officer, adds:
Silobreaker is an Internet and a technology company that offers products and services which aggregate, analyze, contextualize and bring meaning to the ever-increasing amount of digital information.
Underscoring the difference between Silobreaker and other online systems, Mr. Bjore points out:
What sets us apart is not only the Silobreaker technology and our commitment to constant innovation. Silobreaker embodies the long term and active experience of having a team of users and developers who can understand the end user environment and challenges. Also, I want to emphasize that our technology is one integrated technology that combines access, content, and actionable outputs.
The ArnoldIT team uses Silobreaker in our intelligence-related work. We include a profile of the system in our lectures about next-generation information gathering and processing systems.
You can get more information about Silobreaker at www.silobreaker.com. A 2008 interview with Mr. Bjore is located at on the Search Wizards Speak site at http://goo.gl/f7niAH.
Stephen E Arnold, November 25, 2013
Vocus Hits the Big Time: The New York Times That Is
November 25, 2013
Who cares about news releases? Apparently quite a few folks do. I read “Swatting at a Swarm of Public Relations Spam.” I thought the write up was interesting, but it seemed short on facts. Here’s the key passage in my opinion:
Woo-hoo.
I liked this part. Also interesting was this passage:
But this one step seemed insufficient. P.R. spam is fed by companies that hire P.R. companies that pay database companies like Vocus, or their handful of competitors. So if you want to focus on root causes, you must ask: Why would any company spend money to blanket reporters with email they didn’t ask for and almost surely don’t want?
We have tested one of the Vocus systems and discovered some interesting factoids. Keep in mind that your mileage may vary:
ITEM. I did a story for Citizentekk.com based on my research for an uptown investment back. We submitted a short news release to PR Web, a Vocus “property.” The publicity professional I use reported that PR Web told her that I was not a recognized authority to PR Web. Furthermore, the information about Google’s investments in synthetic biology were not known so the news release would not be distributed. I found this interesting because the investment bank who commissioned the initial research published a report and the Citizentekk story generated some buzz and follow on commentary.
Is PR spam a food? Image source: http://goo.gl/kSKJEZ
ITEM. One of the editors for the Search Wizards Speak series of interviews tracked down the co founder of Silobreaker. This is an intelligence oriented online system that has a very strong following among the police and intelligence services in the European Community. We were told that my publicity person had to verify who she was and then provide two phone numbers for me and a valid email address. This was after PR Web had my Visa card and the short news release highlighting two key points in the interview.,
ITEM: Vocus pays its president $5 million per year. (Source: Hoover’s Company Records). At the same time, the October 23, 2013 quarterly financial results reported declining revenue ($45.217 millio0n against $46.615 million a year earlier). The net loss was $3.85 million against a net loss of 3.851 a year earlier. (You will need a subscription to Reportlinker to view other details or you can dig out the numbers at http://goo.gl/VeAH6g)
ITEM: Vocus is involved in a legal matter with an outfit called BWP Media USA doing business as Pacific Coast News. I am no attorney so the matter may be without merit. The dispute seems to involve copyright violations. Source: US District Court, Maryland, Case 8:13-cv-03322-RWT. I would reproduce the image attached to the legal document I saw but I found it unsettling.
Microsoft Improving Touch Functionality for SharePoint
November 25, 2013
With an enterprise stalwart like SharePoint, Microsoft needs to constantly tweak in order to keep the up with current trends. Redmond Magazine relays the latest update in their article, “UPDATE: SharePoint Online Getting Touch Improvements.”
The article sums up the improvements:
“New touch improvements for SkyDrive Pro and SharePoint Sites will be seen over ‘the next few weeks.’ The improvements are just for Office 365 business, education and government users of Microsoft’s SharePoint Online service, according to Mark Kashman, a senior product manager for SharePoint, in a blog post on Tuesday. Organizations that have deployed SharePoint Server 2013 on premises aren’t getting the rollout.”
The focus will be on what Microsoft is calling “touch design mobile pages.” Shooting for an app-like experience, Microsoft hopes to update the user experience to bring it in line with current expectations. But many wonder if the entire paradigm is shifting – perhaps small user experience tweaks aren’t enough. Stephen E. Arnold, a longtime leader in enterprise search, often covers SharePoint on ArnoldIT.com. He recently reported that SharePoint no longer works as a standalone solution, with most users relying on add-ons for functionality.
Emily Rae Aldridge, November 25, 2013
Google App Translation Service for Android Developers
November 25, 2013
Has Google has found a way to monetize translation? This is not the basic Google Translate we all know and utilize; Google is now connecting Android developers with third parties who sell higher-quality translation services. The Next Web tells us about the program in, “Google Launches App Translation Service, Lets Android Developers Buy Translations from Pre-Qualified Vendors.” Writer Emil Protalinski explains:
“The new offering lets developers browse a list of third-party vendors pre-qualified by Google to offer high-quality translation at ‘competitive prices.’ Best of all, the service is integrated straight into the Google Play Developer Console (it’s at the bottom of the APK section). Developers simply need to get their APK ready for translation, upload the strings they want translated, select their target languages, and choose a vendor based on time and price. When the translations are ready, developers can easily import them back into their app using the ADT Translation Manager Plugin.”
Along with updating their app with the new translation, developers can otherwise localize their Google Play listing. (See Google’s Localization Checklist for advice on adapting software for a particular region.) The App Translation Service, says Google, is a key part of their efforts to make building a global user base as easy as possible for Android applications.
Cynthia Murrell, November 25, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Do Companies Have the Patience to Wait For Their Big Data?
November 25, 2013
The article titled What If We Could Feel the Big Data Sugar Rush Faster? on SmartData Collective compares companies buying Big Data to kids trick-or-treating on Halloween. The article sets up the metaphor in all its gory details, but mainly the point seems to be that no company wants to have to wait for the goods, just like no kids enjoys being forced to pause before gorging by his or her parents. The article lists the worst of the Big Data “Tricks”,
“Having to wait 12-15 months to see value, when it should never take longer than 90 days; Having to rip out and replace all the technology you’ve ever bought because you’re told by a mega-stack vendor that it’s now worthless; Having to segregate, silo and shift data and information in order to achieve your goals, when you shouldn’t have to touch it at all.”
It also enumerates the “treats”, in sum that eventually the company will be given the ability to analyze all of their data, and learn the patterns that accompany the analysis. The proverb patience is virtue comes to mind, but whether companies will have the patience to wait for the value might determine Big Data’s success.
Chelsea Kerwin, November 25, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
The Perks of HP Autonomy’s IDOL
November 25, 2013
The promotional article on HP Autonomy titled IDOL, The OS For Human Information touts the abilities of the HP IDOL, (even including a fancy diagram.) The amount of data that HP IDOL can manage seems to be of central importance, but also its versatility in sorting and collecting data from different types of sources, be it social media, cloud, on premise, image, audio, and structured data. The article explains,
“With HP IDOL, you can access, analyze, understand, and act on large amounts of human information from virtually any source… These capabilities make IDOL the OS for human information. With IDOL’s exploratory analytics, you can unlock key ideas, patterns, and concepts in your structured and unstructured data with streamlined processing, tuned for optimal performance. Uncover new opportunities, spot new trends, automate processes, break down silos, mitigate risks, and cut costs to elevate your organizational efficiency and effectiveness by enabling your data to tell you the answers.”
White papers are also available, such as Transitioning to a New Era of Human Information, but first you must register. The article also exclaims over IDOL’s 360-degree viewing platform, ensuring that the information from social media is just as understandable and viewable as anything from a spreadsheet. Unfortunately, this mass-data handling might cause a sluggish system.
Chelsea Kerwin, November 25, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
The Future of Search: Incomprehensible Visualizations?
November 24, 2013
I have watched time shrink in the last 50 years. I recall having time in my first job. I did not feel pressured to do the rush rush thing. Now, when I accept an engagement, the work has to be done in double time in half the time, maybe faster.
As a result, reports have to be short. Graphics have to point out one key point. Presentations have to be six or eight PowerPoint slides. Big decisions are made in a heartbeat. The go go years were the slow slow years.
I took a look at Kantar Information Is Beautiful Awards. I think I saw the future of search. Users want information presented with Hollywood style visuals. Does it matter that the visualizations are incomprehensible? I don’t think so. Style takes precedence over clarity. I can visualize senior managers telling their colleagues, “I want graphics like these Kantar winners in my next PowerPoint.”
Here’s a winning visual.
Source: http://www.informationisbeautifulawards.com/2013-winners/
The confusion of clarity with visual zing is interesting. As search vendors struggle to find a formula that generates top line revenue growth and yields net profits, are visualizations like the Kantar winners the future of search? I think the answer may be, “Absolutely.”
Vendors are not sure what they are selling. Whether it is BA Insight’s effort to get LinkedIn search group participants to explain the key attributes of search or other vendors slapping on buzzwords to activate a sales magnet, search is confused, lost maybe. Coveo is search, customer support and more. MarkLogic is XML data management, search, and business intelligence. Amazon, Google, IBM, and Microsoft search does everything one would want in the way of information access. Open source ElasticSearch, LucidWorks, and Searchdaimon are signaling a turn into the path that proprietary Verity blazed in 1988. Vendors do everything in an all out effort to close deals. Visualization may be the secret ingredient that gives search focus, purpose, and money.
Why not skip requiring a user to read, analyze, and synthesize? Boring. Why not present a predigested special effect? Exciting. Everyone will be happier.
Decisions making seems to be in a crisis. Pictures instead of works may improve senior managers’ batting averages.
Relying on incomprehensible visuals to communicate will be more fun and prove to be more lucrative. I assume audiences will applaud, cheer, and stomp their feet. Conferences can sell popcorn and soft drinks to accompany the talks.
Go snappy graphics. Will I understand them at a glance. Nope.
Stephen E Arnold, November 24, 2013
Database Ranking Includes Search Engines
November 24, 2013
I read “DB-Engines Ranking.” What struck me is that search engines were included in the list. More remarkable, some of the search systems are not data management systems at all. One data management system bills itself as a search engine. I was surprised to find the Google Search Appliance listed. The system is expensive and garners only basic support from the “search experts” at Google.
Let me highlight the search related notes I made as I worked through the list of 171 systems.
- At position 12 is Solr. This is the open source faceted search engine that can be downloaded and installed—usually.
- At position 21d is ElasticSearch. The person who created Compass whipped up ElasticSearch and made some changes to enhance system performance. With $39 million in venture funding, ElasticSearch can be many things, but for me the company does search and retrieval.
- At position 27 is Sphinx Search. This system makes it easy to retrieve information from MySQL and some other databases without writing formal SQL queries.
- At position 38, MarkLogic is the polymath among the group. The company bills itself as enterprise search, XML data management system, and business intelligence vendor. The company also enjoys some notoriety due to its contributions to the exceptional Healthcare.gov project.
- In position 44 is the Google Search Appliance. The system is among the most expensive appliances I have examined. Is the GSA an end of life project? Is the GSA a database system? My view is that it is a somewhat limited way to get Google style results for users who see Google as the champion in the search derby.
- At position 104 is Xapian. Again, I don’t think of Xapian and its enthusiastic supporters as card carrying members of the database society. For me, Xapian evokes thoughts of Flax.
- At position 124 is CloudSearch. Amazon’s somewhat old fashioned search system. Frankly I think of Amazon as more of a database services outfit than a search outfit.
- At position 127 is the end of life Compass Search. This was the precursor to ElasticSearch. There are those who are happy with an old school open source solution. Good for them.
- At position 149 is SearchBlox. Now SearchBlox uses ElasticSearch. Interesting?
- At position 163 is SRCH2. This vendor is one that has some organizational challenges. The focus of the company seems to be shifting to mobile search.
Quite an eclectic list. Some of the systems mentioned are search engines; for example, Basho Riak. In terms of list “points”, ElasticSearch looks like the big winner. Shay Bannon made the list with Compass. ElasticSearch is moving up the charts. SearchBlox uses ElasticSearch in its product. What happened to LucidWorks and reflexive search?
Which of these systems would you select for data management? My thought is that one should check out the software before taking a list at face value.
The confusion about search is evident in this list. No wonder the LinkedIn discussion groups want to do surveys to figure out what search means.
Stephen E Arnold
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