An Early Computer-Assisted Concordance
November 17, 2015
An interesting post at Mashable, “1955: The Univac Bible,” takes us back in time to examine an innovative indexing project. Writer Chris Wild tells us about the preacher who realized that these newfangled “computers” might be able to help with a classically tedious and time-consuming task: compiling a book’s concordance, or alphabetical list of key words, their locations in the text, and the context in which each is used. Specifically, Rev. John Ellison and his team wanted to create the concordance for the recently completed Revised Standard Version of the Bible (also newfangled.) Wild tells us how it was done:
“Five women spent five months transcribing the Bible’s approximately 800,000 words into binary code on magnetic tape. A second set of tapes was produced separately to weed out typing mistakes. It took Univac five hours to compare the two sets and ensure the accuracy of the transcription. The computer then spat out a list of all words, then a narrower list of key words. The biggest challenge was how to teach Univac to gather the right amount of context with each word. Bosgang spent 13 weeks composing the 1,800 instructions necessary to make it work. Once that was done, the concordance was alphabetized, and converted from binary code to readable type, producing a final 2,000-page book. All told, the computer shaved an estimated 23 years off the whole process.”
The article is worth checking out, both for more details on the project and for the historic photos. How much time would that job take now? It is good to remind ourselves that tagging and indexing data has only recently become a task that can be taken for granted.
Cynthia Murrell, November 17, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Wynyard Telstra Deal
November 16, 2015
I know that search vendors are busy doing customer relationship management, governance, indexing, and many other jargon choked activities in an increasingly desperate attempt to grow organic revenues.
I want to highlight this news item, “Telstra First on Board as Wynyard Seals $3.2 Cyber Solution Deal.” The announcement is important for the low, low profile Wynyard outfit. The company combines a range of content processing functions with a solution that delivers high value, actionable outputs.
High value means that the company reduces the costs of certain tasks and services which can be linked directly to outcomes. Value also means that the services are less expensive than a mosaic of individual content functions.
You will have to do some digging to get information about Wynyard, one of the leaders in the cyber OSINT and related disciplines. According to the write up:
According to Richardson [Wynyard CEO] , ACTA [Wynyard service] identifies cyber breaches that have compromised traditional defenses, operating inside the company network by processing big-data network logs using advanced machine learning techniques to analyze data for anomalous patterns that are out of step with usual behavior. Terms of the deal will see Telstra – one of the world’s largest telecom companies – use ACTA across its internal ICT network to assist in preventing high consequence cyber crime.
Wynyard offers other interesting services. Worth paying attention to this outfit in my opinion. Real value is more than made up MBA silliness.
Stephen E Arnold, November 16, 2015
Quote to Note: Big Data Must Be Small
November 16, 2015
The consulting firm KPMG Chine tweeted a quote I found worthy of my Quote to Note folder. You may be able to read this gem in this tweet, at least for now.
Here’s the quote attributed to Dr. Mark Kennedy, whom I presume is either a KPMG expert or an advisor to the blue chip firm:
To get value from Big Data, make it small.
That quote seems to complement the definition in “Big Data Explained in Less Than 2 Minutes to Absolutely Anyone”; to wit:
The behind the phrase ‘Big Data’ is that everything we do is increasingly leaving a digital trace (or data), which we (and others) can use and analyze. Big Data therefore refers to that data being collected and our ability to make use of it.
Does this mean that Big Data are just data with spray on marketing silicone? Definitions of big and small might be helpful. The fish I caught last summer was this big.
Stephen E Arnold, November 16, 2015
Yahoo and Management: Hollywood and Nemi Ships
November 16, 2015
On a trip to Italy, I learned about Caligula’s ships for Lake Nemi. Somehow, despite a crackerjack education at a college in a corn field, I did not know that Benito Mussolini drained the lake and began work to recover the ships. As luck would have it, the fine leader pulled off the salvage operation. One of the interesting discoveries was that Caligula’s architect covered the hull with lead. The idea was that water annoyances would not consume the wood. Not necessary. The lake was did not have shipworms. What happened to the ships? In the World War II spat, the ships burned. Poof. The Nemi ships can be a management inspiration: Grandiose, expensive, useless.
I think about the Roman emperor’s ships when I learn about the antics of Google management meet ups like the one reported in “Google’s Elite Camp Conference Returns to Sicily.” The idea seems to be that an off site training event is conducive to Googley innovation, learning, and management. With training sometimes deductible, depending on the country in which the tax authority resides, these Nemi-esque meets up can also deliver some down time.
I read “Marissa Mayer’s Convoluted Yahoo Strategy: There’s No Place Like Home” this morning (November 16, 2015). The article reports:
Last fall, in one of the stranger and more expensive efforts to boost company morale, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer decided that all her executive staff needed to play dress-up. In an elaborate photo shoot that took place at an offsite at the Cavallo Point Lodge in Marin County, north of San Francisco, she cast all the top staffers as characters from “The Wizard of Oz” and made them pose for a poster in full costume, since it was to be the theme of the upcoming employee holiday party.
When comparing this Wizard of Oz approach, the make believe of over the rainbow struck me as almost prudent. No Italy. No Nemi-style meet up in Sicily.
The write up adds:
One thing is clear: Yahoo’s not in Kansas anymore.
My thought is that fancy parties like those for which the Nemi boats were ideal, meet ups crafted with Google DNA, and play acting are Silicon Valley at its most decisive. As Dorothy said:
“If we walk far enough we shall sometime come to someplace.”
Hopefully that place includes revenue with a side order of healthy profits. Xooglers may think like Google, but Xooglers have to deliver the goods for stakeholders. Should Yahoo be a media company, a search company, or something else entirely. Right now Yahoo may have jumbled the costumes for its Oz thing.
Stephen E Arnold, November 16, 2015
Icann Is an I Won’t
November 16, 2015
Have you ever heard of Icann? You are probably like many people within the United States and have not heard of the non-profit private company. What does Icann do? Icann is responsible for Internet protocol addresses (IP) and coordinating domain names, so basically the company is responsible for a huge portion of the Internet. According to The Guardian in “The Internet Is Run By An Unaccountable Private Company. This Is A Problem,” the US supposedly runs the Icann but its role is mostly clerical and by September 30, 2015 it was supposed to hand the reins over to someone else.
The “else” is the biggest question. The Icann community spent hours trying to figure out who would manage the company, but they ran into a huge brick wall. The biggest issue is that the volunteers want Icann to have more accountability, which does not seem feasible. Icann’s directors cannot be fired, except by each other. Finances are another problem with possible governance risks and corruption.
A supposed solution is to create a membership organization, a common business model for non-profits and will give power to the community. Icann’s directors are not too happy and have been allowed to add their own opinions. Decisions are not being made at Icann and with the new presidential election the entire power shift could be off. It is not the worst that could happen:
“But there’s much more at stake. Icann’s board – as ultimate authority in this little company running global internet resources, and answerable (in fact, and in law) to no one – does have the power to reject the community’s proposals. But not everything that can be done, should be done. If the board blunders on, it will alienate those volunteers who are the beating heart of multi-stakeholder governance. It will also perfectly illustrate why change is required.”
The board has all the power and the do not have anyone to hold them accountable. Icann directors just have to stall long enough to keep things the same and they will be able to give themselves more raises.
Whitney Grace, November 16, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
No Microfiche Required
November 16, 2015
Longstanding publications are breathing new life into their archives by re-publishing key stories online, we learn from NiemanLab’s article, “Esquire Has a Cold: How the Magazine is Mining its Archives with the Launch of Esquire Classics.” We learn that Esquire has been posting older articles on their Esquire Classics website, timed to coincide with related current events. For example, on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death last April, the site republished a 1968 article about his assassination.
Other venerable publications are similarly tapping into their archives. Writer Joseph Lichterman notes:
“Esquire, of course, isn’t the only legacy publication that’s taking advantage of archival material once accessible only via bound volumes or microfiche. Earlier this month, the Associated Press republished its original coverage of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination 150 years ago…. Gawker Media’s Deadspin has The Stacks, which republishes classic sports journalism originally published elsewhere. For its 125th anniversary last year, The Wall Street Journal published more than 300 archival articles. The New York Times runs a Twitter account, NYT Archives, that resurfaces archival content from the Times. It also runs First Glimpses, a series that examines the first time famous people or concepts appeared in the paper.”
This is one way to adapt to the altered reality of publication. Perhaps with more innovative thinking, the institutions that have kept us informed for decades (or centuries) will survive to deliver news to our great-grandchildren. But will it be beamed directly into their brains? That is another subject entirely.
Cynthia Murrell, November 16, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
More Big Data Value Floundering
November 15, 2015
Here in Harrod’s Creek, Kentucky, the mist is rising from the mine drainage ditch. Value is calculated in a couple of easy ways. Here are two concrete examples:
One of my neighbors buys my collection of used auto parts. Before he puts the parts in his truck, a 1950 Chevrolet, he pays me cash money. Once I count the money, I help him load the parts and watch him drive away in a haze of Volkswagen type emissions.
Here’s another:
A person calls me and wants to talk with me about enterprise search and content processing. I explain that I don’t “talk” for free. If the caller transfers cash money to my PayPal account, then I call the person and answer questions. The time buys minutes. When the minutes are consumed, I hang up.
The notion of value, therefore, is focused on cash, not feeling good, having a nice day, or winning an election as the friendliest retired consultant in Harrod’s Creek.
Now navigate to “What Is the Value of Big Data to Your Business?” There is a gap between my definition of value and the definition of value set forth in this write up.
Here’s an example of Big Data value:
Big data and how it shapes your company
Big data is at the center of many decisions in any company. It will allow your company to:
Reduce and manage risk
Without data, organizations are vulnerable to many risks. Big data allows financial institutions to profile their customers when giving them credit facilities. Insurance companies can also create risk profiles which will allow them to set appropriate premiums for different customers. Agricultural enterprises as well, can use data on weather and food pricing to control production.
Better decision making
Collecting data on employees’ interests, behavior, interactions, work time, resource use and resource allocation can be very instrumental in creating better structures, improving the flow of information, increasing inter-departmental cooperation, increasing efficiency, saving time and saving resources.
Get a competitive edge
Monitoring competitor products, marketing activities, sales and pricing will help you to respond urgently with your own counter measures. If you are selling your products on a platform like Amazon, you can keep an eye on your biggest competitors and respond accordingly when they seem to be outselling you.
News flash. None of these listicle items deliver value from my point of view. Like other buzzwords and whizzy concepts, backfilling with generalizations is not going to convince me that Big Data has “value” unless the situation is linked to cash money.
Call me old fashioned, but this approach to value is one reason many companies are struggling to generate revenue from their search and content processing efforts.
Stephen E Arnold, November 15, 2015
Lexmark: Analysis Suggests More Challenges Ahead
November 15, 2015
I read a wonky financial review of Lexmark. You know Lexmark. It was a unit of IBM which manufactured or assembled printers and sold ink. Ink is almost expensive as movie popcorn.
The write up is “Sunday Update for Lexmark international Incorporated.” If you are fortunate to have an unfiltered Internet connection, you may be able to view the write up. If not, buzz your financial advisor. These folks work on Sundays.
The main point of the write up is that the data in this chart provide a glimpse of the challenges Lexmark, owner of the ISYS Search Software, face. ISYS was crafted in the late 1980s, and it provides the basics of information access. The problem is that open source options and baked in search solutions make search and retrieval a utility, not a key feature.
Here’s the chart, which suggests that the August 2015 dip may be the new normal for the company.
Does this remind you of a profile of Table Mountain? I see some parallels. Sharp drop, big job to get back on top.
More interesting is that the summary of analysts expectations is that only two analysts have an opinion. One rates Lexmark as a hold. The other? Strong sell.
The write up points out that Lexmark is in the buzzword business; for example:
The Company operates in the office printing and imaging, enterprise content management (ECM), business process management (BPM), document output management (DOM), intelligent data capture and search software markets. Lexmark’s products include laser printers and multifunction devices, dot matrix printers and the associated supplies/solutions/services, as well as ECM, BPM, DOM, intelligent data capture, search and Web-based document imaging and workflow software solutions and services.
Maybe acronyms are not selling? I hope they do. Lexmark is based about one hour from the hollow in which I reside in rural Kentucky. A healthy Lexmark keeps the trailers in my trailer park rented. Perceptive, right?
Stephen E Arnold, November 15, 2015
Mindbreeze Balloon Ride: Search Marketing Reaches New Heights
November 14, 2015
I am not sure if this balloon ride is sponsored by Fabasoft Mindbreeze. I am not sure why an enterprise search vendor would market information access with a balloon. Even Google, in its fascinating Googley world, uses balloons as a mechanism for delivering high speed internet access to those lucky enough to live in Sri Lanka and other urban conclaves.
The write I read is titled “Mindbreeze: Ballonfahrt für 5 Personen zu gewinnen.” I think this means something like, “You can win a balloon ride for five people in Salzkammergut.” A blog post captures some of the thrill of the blog post.
If you are interested in enterprise search, you might want to check out Mindbreeze’s solution. If you are, like me, happier sitting in a chair contemplating the craziness of enterprise search vendors, you will skip the balloon ride.
This idea ranks with Northern Light’s sponsorship of an Indianapolis 500 race car. How many sales did that produce? If the balloon ride is unrelated to the search Mindbreeze, perhaps Mindbreeze’s attorneys will want to check out the use of the Mindbreeze name because it is blowing in the wind.
Stephen E Arnold, November 14, 2015
Lexalytics: Checking into Hotel Data
November 14, 2015
I read “Boost Your Brand Reputation by Listening to Social Content.” I find the title interesting. The idea that a brand such as a hotel like Motel 6 or Hilton can improve its reputation by listening is interesting. I am not sure that listening translates to a better reputation. The guest in the hotel deals with the room, the staff, and the electrical outlet (presumably working). The guest forms an opinion about the hotel. I was in a hotel in Cape Town which features a non working door, no electricity, and pipes which leaked. This was a new room.
Listening to me did not solve the problems. What solved the problems was my speaking with two managers and proposing that I sleep in the lobby.
I am enthused by technology. I am not keen when technology is presented as a way to sidestep or subvert the reality that creates one’s views of a business, in this case a hotel. The idea is—well, let me be frank—not a good one.
I think the write up means that a hotel using Lexalytics technology has a way to obtain information that otherwise might not find its way to the 20 something in the marketing department. The hotel then has to take action to resolve the problem. This is pretty much common sense, but it does not boost a hotel’s social reputation. Listening is passive. The information must be converted to meaningful action.
That’s the problem with search and content processing companies and why many of them face credibility and revenue challenges. The hoped for action has zero direct connection with the grinding of the algorithms and the motivation or capability of the licensee to make a change.
The write up asserts:
This social currency, online reputation, directly influences a hotelier’s sales volume: good reputation, higher sales — poor reputation, lower sales. The upshot is that in the hospitality industry, increasing your reputation (and revenue) means listening to social content and basing your business decisions on the feedback you receive from guests. And I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but remember that good reputation isn’t just for high-end establishments. There’s a lot to be said for value for money, and smaller, more modest establishments can often gain the most from careful management of their online reputation.
Sounds great. The management of the hotel have to make changes. Over time, the changes will have an impact on the Facebook or Yelp posts that the guests contribute.
Technology is simply a utility, not a way to get from lousy hotel to wonderful hotel with a mouse click or by listening. Horse feathers.
Stephen E Arnold, November 14, 2015
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