Quote to Note: Confluent
August 20, 2015
I read “Meet Confluent, The Big-Data Startup That Has Silicon Valley Buzzing.” Confluent can keep “he data flowing at some of the biggest and most information-rich firms in Silicon Valley.” The company’s Web site is http://www.confluent.io/. The company uses Apache Kafka to deliver its value to customers.
Here’s the passage i noted:
Experts suggest Confluent’s revenue could approach $10 million next year and pass $50 million in 2017. The company could echo the recent success of another open-source darling, Docker, which has turned record adoption of its computing tools called “containers” into a growing enterprise suite and a $1 billion valuation. Confluent is likely worth about one-sixth that today but not for long. “Every person we hire uncovers millions of dollars in sales,” says early investor Eric Vishria of Benchmark. “There’s real potential [for Confluent] to be an enterprise phenomenon.”
I noted the congruence of Docker and Confluence. I enjoyed the word “every”. Categorical affirmatives are thrilling. I liked also “phenomenon.” The article’s omission of a reference to Palantir surprised me.
Nevertheless, I have a question: “Has another baby unicorn been birthed?” According to Crunchbase, the company has raised more than $50 million. With 17 full time employees, Confluent may be hiring. Perhaps some lucid engineers will see the light?
Stephen E Arnold, August 20, 2015
Facebook and News: Should Google Worry?
August 20, 2015
I read “Facebook Has Taken Over from Google As a Traffic Source for news.” In my experience, data about online traffic can be a slippery fish. What’s a unique? Is a visitor a human or a software script? Did the log file overwrite itself? Did the administrator dutifully make copies of log files just in the off chance that one of those FAA super redundant computers finds a way to crash?
Now to the write up. Here’s the passage I highlighted:
according to new numbers from the traffic-analytics service Parse.ly, Facebook is no longer just vying with Google but has overtaken it by a significant amount. Parse.ly’s chief technical officer Andrew Montalenti said in an interview with Fortune that the company’s latest estimates show that social-media sources (of which Facebook is by far the largest) accounted for about 43% of the traffic to the Parse.ly network of media sites, while Google accounted for just 38%.
Let’s assume that these data points are accurate?
Google’s revenue is the golden goose which continues to lay eggs like Loon balloons, self driving cars, and solving death. If Facebook continues to siphon traffic and, therefore, revenue from Google, excitement will ensue.
Stephen E Arnold, August 20, 2015
Enterprise Search: Failure Is a Synonym Whether on the Desktop or a Mobile Device
August 20, 2015
One of my favorite content management services has embraced enterprise search. With content management systems or CMS as they are called by the cognoscenti a source of information technology angst, enterprise search seems to be a complementary topic.
Both “disciplines” purport to make a trucking, chemical, or financial services firm into a more efficient information machine. The reality is persistent cost overruns, mismatches between user needs and what the systems actually deliver, and the deep thrum thrum of pumps outputting red ink.
I read “4 Ways Enterprise Mobile Repeats Intranet Mistakes.” I quite like the title. Four seems to undershoot the mistake score, but enterprise search has only been in the failure business since the early 1980s. My list of “challenges” is in pinball machine score range.
Here are the four mistakes viewed through the eyeballs of a CMS centric source:
- No dedicated program with a person who “owns” the project
- Regular information technology folks are running the car wash
- Those regular information technology folks are not too swift in the “user experience design” department
- Regular information technology folks and search experts — heck everyone — does not understand what users need. (I assume there are assorted experts, failed webmasters, unemployed middle school teachers, and out of work journalists who do understand what users need.)
So what’s the fix? How will organizations ever manage? The sky is falling and we have to build a space elevator, right?
Nope.
The fix involves four actions:
- I have to quote this, since I lack the expertise to paraphrase the following: “Find a home within the organization for enterprise mobile leadership, and build up stakeholder engagement, governance, and change management capabilities.” Does this sound like horse features to you? I think this is different; these notions are balderdash. Your mileage may vary.
- You whoever you is simply “ensure your IT function operates at a strategic level.” Sure enough, boss.
- Beef up your “UXD” capabilities. The notion of UXD is supposed to evoke nifty stuff like unusable iPad apps, odd ball Google cards, and weird three line “hamburger” icons which are too small for my aged and clumsy fingers. I am into user experience; namely, a keyboard, a command prompt, and paper. Obviously I am a loser in the UXD game.
- Research what those frontline worker need. Oh, don’t forget to watch a frontline worker do work.
Let’s reflect on these fixes.
In my pre retirement years, I had the opportunity to work with a number of organizations. These ranged from lost in space tractor companies to outfits which were chock full of the smartest people in the world.
I learned that getting tasks completed were difficult. Few people, including the late lamented strategy officers, got much done. The design stuff emerged from marketing departments and most frontline folks ignored marketing departments. I learned that asking someone what they need produces features no one uses.
My hunch is that anyone who tries to implement an enterprise search solution is likely to convert that effort into the same slough of cost overruns, unhappy users, and technological mine fields associated with vanilla enterprise search.
For those who are looking for a better gig than implementing content management systems and enterprise search systems, the mobile thing dusted with user experience malarkey will remain marginalized or just ignored.
Install Elasticsearch. Use prebuilt templates. Move on. Senior management won’t care. Users won’t care. Maybe if a search project comes in under budget someone in accounting will be happy with enterprise search for once.
Stephen E Arnold, August 20, 2015
Gazing Into the Crystal Ball for SharePoint’s Future
August 20, 2015
As soon as one version of SharePoint is released, speculation begins on the next. After all, it keeps the fun alive, right? While Microsoft has already redoubled its commitment to on-premises versions with its upcoming SharePoint Server 2016, experts still wonder what the future holds. Read more of the predictions in the Redmond Magazine article, “What Does SharePoint’s Future Hold?”
The article begins:
“As we sit and wait for the general availability of SharePoint 2016 next year, members of the product team have already started to talk about vNext. Not as far as specific features, mind you, but commenting on the fact that Microsoft will continue to provide an on-premises version of the platform as long as the market demand is there . . . Microsoft recognizes that on-prem will be around for a long time, if not mostly in the form of hybrid environments.”
Users will no doubt be anxious to flesh out what “hybrid” really means in their environment. Additionally, security and ease-of-use will continue to be top priorities going into the future. To stay on top of the latest developments, stay tuned to ArnoldIT.com for an easy to digest rundown via a dedicated SharePoint feed. Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search, and provides an expert opinion in a one-stop-shop format.
Emily Rae Aldridge, August 20, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Geofeedias Political Action
August 20, 2015
The presidential election is a little over a year away and potential presidential candidates are starting on their campaign trails. The Republican and Democratic parties are heating up with the GOP debates and voters are engaging with the candidates and each other via social media. The information posted on social media is a gold mine for the political candidates to learn about the voters’ opinions and track their approval rating. While Twitter and Facebook data is easy to come by with Google Analytics and other software, visual mapping of the social media data is a little hard to find.
To demonstrate its product capabilities, Geofeedia took social media Instagram, fed it into its data platform, and shared the visual results in the blog post, “Instagram Map: Republican Presidential Debate.” Geofeedia noted that while business mogul Donald Trump did not fare well during the debate nor is he in the news, he is dominating the social media feeds:
“Of all social content coming out of the Quicken Loans Center, 93% of posts were positive in sentiment. The top keywords were GOP, debate, and first, which was to be expected. Although there was no decided winner, Donald Trump scored the most headlines for a few of his memorable comments. He was, however, the winner of the social sphere. His name was mentioned in social content more than any other candidate.”
One amazing thing is that social media allows political candidates to gauge the voters’ attitudes in real time! They can alter their answers to debate questions instantaneous to sway approval in their favor. Another interesting thing Geofeedia’s visual data models showed is a heat map where the most social media activity took place, which happened to be centered in the major US metropolises. The 2016 election might be the one that harnesses social media to help elect the next president. Also Geofeedia also has excellent visual mapping tools.
Whitney Grace, August 20, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Stroz Friedberg Snaps Up Elysium Digital
August 20, 2015
Cybersecurity, investigation, and risk-management firm Stroz Friedberg has a made a new acquisition, we learn from their announcement, “Stroz Friedberg Acquires Technology Litigation Consulting Firm Elysium Digital” (PDF). Though details of the deal are not revealed, the write-up tells us why Elysium Digital is such a welcome addition to the company:
“Founded in 1997, Elysium Digital has worked with law firms, in-house counsel, and government agencies nationally. The firm has provided a broad range of services, including expert testimony, IP litigation consulting, eDiscovery, digital forensics investigations, and security and privacy investigations. Elysium played a role in the key technology/legal issues of its time and established itself as a premier firm providing advice and quality technical analysis in high-stakes legal matters. The firm specialized in deciphering complex technology and effectively communicating findings to clients, witnesses, judges, and juries.
“‘The people of Elysium Digital possess highly sought after technical skills that have allowed them to tackle some of the most complex IP matters in recent history. Bringing this expertise into Stroz Friedberg will allow us to more fully address the needs of our clients around the world, not just in IP litigation and digital forensics, but across our cyber practices as well,’ said Michael Patsalos-Fox, CEO of Stroz Friedberg.”
The workers of Elysium Digital will be moving into Stroz Friedberg’s Boston office, and its co-founders will continue to play an important role, we’re told. Stroz Friedberg expects the acquisition to bolster their capabilities in the areas of digital forensics, intellectual-property litigation consulting, eDiscovery, and data security.
Founded in 2000, Stroz Friedberg says their guiding principle is to “seek truth” for their clients. Headquartered in New York City, the company maintains offices throughout the U.S. as well as in London, Hong Kong, and Zurich.
Cynthia Murrell, August 20, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Alphabet: Spelling Lemonade in the Harvard Yard
August 19, 2015
Talk about Mad Magazine and I think of the Harvard Business Review. For me, working through an issue, scanning the Web site, and listening to the stunning HBR podcast deliver a trifecta of amusement.
Consider “Alphabet Isn’t a Typical Conglomerate.” The write up is an explanation of how darned great the LingTemcoVought-ization of the Google is. Two companies. Google does the “all the world’s information” defined by online advertising; the other—Alphabet or Alpha bet or Phab— does the math and science fair projects. I know. I know. I should be excited about Loon balloons, self driving autos which even Volvo is working on—What, Volvo for goodness sakes), and solving the thorny problem of eternal life in a recreation of Juan Ponce de León’s epic adventure. I call him Ponce the Pointless.
Does Ponce remind you of anyone? Maybe a senior Google — oops, Alphabet — manager?
The write up focuses on such Harvard Yard favorites as a long time horizon, the importance of a company as a “talent magnet” from which start ups poach wizards, a “wake up call” to outfits like Amazon and Facebook, and a “catalyst to unleash the next wave of Google caliber companies in different industries.”
Sounds great. What could possibly go wrong as long as the ad revenue continues to burble.
Here in Harrod’s Creek, where the mine drainage gurgles into the pond which one attracted ducks, we think about revenue, organic revenue, lots of filthy lucre. The idea is that investments should have an upside for stakeholders. I am reluctant to point out these minor details:
- Google’s core business model was the online advertising approach of GoTo.com which became Overture which Yahoo bought. Prior to the IPO, the Alphabet kids worked out a deal with Yahoo to sail unencumbered into IPO land. Why worry about that legal settlement now? Google’s money machine was not exactly an original idea.
- Since the days of Backrub and fiddling around with the Clever system and method, the Google has not created a revenue stream which can lessen the firm’s dependence on online advertising. The vaunted innovation of Google applies to Chubby and Big Table, but in the diversification of revenue there has been much smoke and very little fire. Why will another corporate reorg unleash substantial new revenue streams? Hope springs eternal I suppose. What’s the problem with 95 percent of Phab’s revenue coming from online advertising? What could possible go wrong other than Facebook’s annoying presence?
- Google’s technological innovations do not seem that original to me. The death thing has been done and the departure of Amir Parviz, the nanotech protein wizard, progress seems slow. The tethered balloon seems tame compared to ultra light aircraft endlessly circling. The self driving car? Did I mention Volvo?
To sum up, the Alpha bet or the Phab folks may be doing the knee jerk “let’s buy Motorola” jive. How did that work out anyway? Long shots are fun. Long shots excite experts. Long shots are math and science club projects on a grand scale.
Why not do something slightly more exciting than sell online ads and deliver irrelevant search results? There is no need to make alpha bets and suggest that the idea is just Phab-ulous.
The Harvard Business Review, on the other hand, is finding a way to present lemonade with a twist of spin. That’s a good use of the alphabet. Will the European Commission get with the Phab0ulous new program?
Stephen E Arnold, August 19, 2015
Traditional Web Sites? The Second String
August 19, 2015
The Google – sorry, the Alpha Bet or Phab outfit – has spoken. Listen up, people. Navigate to “Are Desktop Sites Still Necessary? No, Says Google’s Mueller.” Phab wants to alpha surf on the mobile device thing.
I learned:
…Going mobile-first or mobile-only wouldn’t hurt a page’s rank, even in desktop search results. “I think what I’d try to make sure is that it still works on desktop and that it doesn’t show an error on desktop, but rather someone on desktop can still access it,” Mueller said. “What generally happens is, we will just include the mobile site in our search results, like any other site, and we will present it to desktop users.”
However, the write up includes this blast from the past approach:
“I usually have five to seven windows open at one time and I’ll be hopping from one thing to the next,” she adds. “Having multiple screens up – that’s tricky on a phone. You’re looking to move in and out of apps, and that’s not user-friendly, but at some point, will it be easier to do on a phone? Maybe [Mueller’s] statement can lead to that question: how could we get there and what are the things we find we still need our desktops for?”
Do not do as the phab folks do. Do as the phab outfit says.
Stephen E Arnold, August 19, 2015
Compare Trump to Lincoln with Watson Personality Insights
August 19, 2015
IBM’s Watson is employing its capabilities in a new and interesting way: BoingBoing asks, “What Does Your Writing Say About You? IBM Watson Personality Insights Will Tell You.” The software derives cognitive and social characteristics about people from their writings, using linguistic analytics. I never thought I’d see a direct, graphically represented comparison between speeches of Donald Trump and Abe Lincoln, but there it is. There are actually some similarities; they’re both businessmen turned politicians, after all. Reporter Andrea James shares Watson’s take on Trump’s “We Need Brain” speech from the recent Republican primary debate:
“You are a bit dependent, somewhat verbose and boisterous. You are susceptible to stress: you are easily overwhelmed in stressful situations. You are emotionally aware: you are aware of your feelings and how to express them. And you are prone to worry: you tend to worry about things that might happen. Your choices are driven by a desire for efficiency. You consider both independence and helping others to guide a large part of what you do. You like to set your own goals to decide how to best achieve them. And you think it is important to take care of the people around you.”
For comparison, see the write-up for the analysis of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (rest assured, Lincoln does come out looking better than Trump). The article also supplies this link, where you can submit between 3500 and 6000 words for Watson’s psychoanalysis; as James notes, you can submit writing penned by yourself, a friend, or an enemy (or some random blogger, perhaps.) To investigate the software’s methodology, click here.
Cynthia Murrell, August 19, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Search Your Yahoo Mail? Yeah, Right
August 19, 2015
While Web site search used to be considered the worst before Google released a high-performing search widget, the title now officially goes to email search. Nobody wants to search through their email to find a missing email and you are doomed if you even think about using a mail application such as Outlook or Apple Mail. In part of its rebranding effort, Yahoo is taking measures to fix email search, says the New York Times in “Yahoo Tweaks Email To Make Search More Personal.”
Yahoo has been working for a year to improve email search and now Yahoo mail has implemented the changes. It now offers auto complete and suggestions when a search term is typed into the query box. It will also index attachments and links included in emails, so users do not have to find the actual email they were in. The sorting options have also been updated and social media accounts can now be synced.
The changes are small and the auto complete/suggestions usually revert to basic keyword suggestions, but it is a step in the right direction. Yahoo does not want to overhaul the mail system too quickly, because, as anyone knows, too many changes at once are upsetting to users.
“Instead, Yahoo is subtly making changes. Last month, for example, it added a small plus button to the bottom right of the window used to compose emails. If you click on that button, you can drag and drop photos and documents from your email archive, pull in an animated GIF from Yahoo’s Tumblr social network, or add the results of a web search.”
Yahoo made a good business choice and is working to improve its email and other applications. It will be interesting to watch the changes unfold.
Whitney Grace, August 19, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
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