Brown Dog Fetches Buried Data
February 25, 2016
Outdated file formats, particularly those with no metadata, are especially difficult to search and utilize. The National Science Foundation (NSF) reports on a new search engine designed to plumb the unstructured Web in, “Brown Dog: A Search Engine for the Other 99 Percent (ofData).” With the help of a $10 million award from the NSF, a team at the University of Illinois-based National Center for Supercomputing Application (NCSA) has developed two complementary services. Writer Aaron Dubrow explains:
“The first service, the Data Access Proxy (DAP), transforms unreadable files into readable ones by linking together a series of computing and translational operations behind the scenes. Similar to an Internet gateway, the configuration of the Data Access Proxy would be entered into a user’s machine settings and then forgotten. From then on, data requests over HTTP would first be examined by the proxy to determine if the native file format is readable on the client device. If not, the DAP would be called in the background to convert the file into the best possible format….
“The second tool, the Data Tilling Service (DTS), lets individuals search collections of data, possibly using an existing file to discover other similar files in the data. Once the machine and browser settings are configured, a search field will be appended to the browser where example files can be dropped in by the user. Doing so triggers the DTS to search the contents of all the files on a given site that are similar to the one provided by the use…. If the DTS encounters a file format it is unable to parse, it will use the Data Access Proxy to make the file accessible.”
See the article for more on these services, which NCSA’s Kenton McHenry likens to a DNS for data. Brown Dog conforms to NSF’s Data Infrastructure Building Blocks program, which supports development work that advances the field of data science.
Cynthia Murrell, February 25, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Legal Eagles and Technology: The Uber Search Dictum
February 24, 2016
I love legal eagles. When there is a new gadget, the legal eagles are among the first to squawk, “Class action suit” when there is a glitch. Legal eagles are also producing entertaining television commercials to complement the Adwords for various high dollar health related problems. Great stuff.
I know that some fledgling legal eagles are not happy with their law schools. Some of these folks whose parents are not partners in a big money law firm or related to certain public office holders are driving Uber cars.
I read “Judge Tells Uber to Do the Impossible: Control Its Google Results.” The article is very entertaining. The main point is that a federal judge ordered Uber to ensure that certain information appeared in a free Web search results list.
But wait. The write up contained a quote which is a keeper:
To slightly tweak a metaphor offered by this Court during the hearing, a preliminary injunction should not serve as a bazooka in the hands of a squirrel, used to extract from a more fear-some animal a bounty which the squirrel would never be able to gather by his own labors — at least not when the larger animal is mostly without sin.
A squirrel with a bazooka. I would have substituted a drone operator in a tree with a laptop and a Predator under control.
Squirrel in Kentucky watching for legal eagles.
There you go, Google. Help out Uber. Adjust the results list to display exactly what the judge orders; for example:
A result containing [Uber’s] 352-area-code number
Words clearly indicating that the result is associated with [Uber].
What happens if Uber cannot figure out how to conform to the “command” using Adwords, white hat SEO, black hat SEO, or something more innovative?
What happens if Google helps out Uber?
I love this stuff. Come to think of it. Squirrels may be more technically savvy than some legal eagles. I think I hear from the tree, “Gray squirrel, gray squirrel, call in a strike on my command.”
“On your command,” replies the gray squirrel.
Stephen E Arnold, February 24, 2016
The Facebook Google Hundred Years War
February 24, 2016
Okay, the 100 years is in Internet time. But the idea is one that is not a surprise to me and the goslings here in Harrod’s Creek. We are far from the field of battle. What sparked my thoughts about the squabbles among the Plantagenets and the good folks over at the House of Valois. What happened to chivalry?
I read “Facebook and Google at War: Is It Time to Pick Sides” and my addled goose brain thought of the 14th and 15th century dust up. Chivalry and deception went hand in hand with the routine stuff of fights over sovereignty.
In the world of search, the Alphabet Google thing faces a couple of challenges. The 15 year old GoTo.com/Overture/Yahoo revenue model is still chugging along. The users’ behavior is changing, and that put a bit of pressure on the Googlers to diversify their revenue streams. Yikes. What business model can the science and math club use as inspiration? Wild and crazy X Labs’ activities? The social thrust has not exactly worked out. Google no longer requires mandatory Google social log ins for games. Games are big, right?
In the world of social, Facebook is the go to way to keep track of pals. Unlike Twitter, which is a coterie service, Facebook is big, popular with some folks, and has revenue streams from its services. Facebook addiction, anyone? Facebook is also holding its own against upstarts, and the company is semi-famous for its hefty flow of useful information about people, individuals, heck, anyone who signs up and remains logged in. Good stuff.
The write up points out:
Businesses can create a ‘Canvas’ by bringing together their own videos and images, which they combine with interactive buttons to create a truly engaging social experience. The functionality is top notch: “In Canvas, people can swipe through a carousel of images, tilt to view panoramic images and zoom in to view images in detail.” Businesses can easily build their Canvas using a combination of videos, still images and call-to-action buttons.
I would mention that Facebook wants folks with content to use Facebook as a publishing platform. There you go. More useful content to analyze via assorted graph analytics methods.
What’s Google doing? The write up does not focus too much on the Alphabet Google thing.
Now back to that 100 year war. Were not the winners the innovators who created the weapons and, of course, the plague?
Stephen E Arnold, February 24, 2016
Analytics Reality: Do You Excel?
February 24, 2016
I read “What Is the Most used Feature in Any business Intelligence Solution? It’s the Export to Excel Button.” The write up asserts:
I was recently forwarded an article on the continued popularity of Excel in the BI community consisting of quotes from 27 experts saying how great and how relevant Excel remains. We do categorize BI as static and historical as opposed to forward looking predictive analytics but I bet it’s still true that Excel is a very widely used tool even by folks that categorize themselves as data scientists.
Let’s assume this is accurate. What does this suggest for complex analytics like my old pals SAS or IBM SPSS? What about high flying outfits like Palantir, and Centrifuge Systems?
I have some answers, but I think the questions are suggestive of a hurdle which high horsepower analytic systems must power around. There is a reason so few folks are adept at statistics whether the industrial strength variety or the weird approach taken in social science and economics classes.
Excel seems to be tough to master but compared to more supercharged methods, Excel sure looks like a push peddle tricycle. You can’t go too far or too fast. If you crash into something, there is F1 and semi automated procedures to kiss the boo boo and make it better.
Stephen E Arnold, February 24, 2016
CyberSpark Billed as New Cybersecurity Capital for Israel
February 24, 2016
Beersheba, a city in Israel with a population of about 200,000 has become the site of several connected academic and technological influences, led by government and industry, which may position it to be the cyber capital of the country. The article Israel’s Cyber Sector Blooms in the Desert article from Security Week covers Beersheba’s industrial park, CyberSpark. A project leader for the Israeli National Cyber Bureau is quoted explaining how this area is primed to become a leader in cyber security. The report describes CyberSpark’s projected growth,
“Two more complexes comprising 27 buildings are to be added, and the municipality expects the population to grow by 100,000 in the next 10 years. About 30,000 soldiers, including 7,000 career officers, will move in the coming years to bases and a technology campus to be built on 100 hectares (250 acres) near CyberSpark and around Beersheba. As a lure from the bustle of cosmopolitan Tel Aviv, the government plans a bonus of $18,000 for single officers and $50,000 for families who spend at least five years in Beersheba.”
More often than not, we hear about cybercriminals taking the initiative while law enforcement, intelligence and others attempt to catch up. While the article frames CyberSpark as a case of proactive collaboration with necessary partners for the sake of forwarding the cyber security industry and protecting citizens, we are not sure it can be called proactive. Let’s not forget, as the article mentions, Israel may be the most heavily targeted country in the world with reports suggesting as many as a thousand web attacks per minute.
Megan Feil, February 24, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Fun with Google Search Delivers Fun for Google
February 24, 2016
The article on Value Walk titled Top 10 Ways to Have Fun With Google Search invites readers to enjoy a few of the “Easter Eggs” that those nutball programmers over at Google have planted in the search engine. Some are handy, like the spinning coin that gives you a heads or tail result when you type “flip a coin” into Google. Others are just funny, like the way the page tilts if you enter the word “askew.” Others are pure in their nerd factor, as the article explains,
“When you type “Zerg rush” into the search box and hit enter you get a wave of little Google “o”s swarming across and eating the text on your page. Of note, Zerg rush was a tactic used by Zerg players in the late 90s video game StarCraft, which meant the sending many waves of inexpensive units to overwhelm an opponent. Typing “Atari Breakout”…leads to a nostalgic flashback for most people older than 45…”
Speaking of nostalgia, if you type in “Google in 1998” the page reverts to the old layout of the search engine’s early days. In general, the “Easter Eggs” are kind of like watching your uncle’s magic tricks. You aren’t really all that impressed, but every now and then a little surprise makes you smile. And you are definitely going to make him do them again in front of your parents later.
Chelsea Kerwin, February 24, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Google Tax Tidbit
February 23, 2016
I have zero idea if the information in “Google Paid Just $3.1m EU Tax on $13 Billion Revenue: Report.” Tax time in the US is here. The 1099s are in flight and spring with its showers sweet is on its way. Spring makes me hungry for a Dutch sandwich.
The write up reports:
Search giant Google – now a subsidy of Alphabet Inc. – transferred around 11.7 billion euros ($13 billion) from its European operations to its accounts in Bermuda in 2014, in order to limit the tax burden on this income. This tax avoidance practice is often known as “Double Irish with a Dutch Sandwich,” and helps corporations avoid what they see as excessive tax rates in their home countries.
What caught my attention is the tax tactic which involves references to two countries and one sandwich.
Tasty if true. Perhaps the Dutch sandwich will be served when Google CEO Sundar Pichai will meet the European Union’s competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager in Brussels?
Stephen E Arnold, February 23, 2016
Quote to Note, Nay, Memorize from Yahoo
February 23, 2016
I read “Yahoo Forms Panel to Explore Strategic Options.” I looked past the notion that a committee can come up with options beyond sell this puppy. I did find a gem of a phrase in the write up. Here’s the keeper:
Mayer said in a statement, while emphasizing that everyone at Yahoo wanted to return the “iconic company to greatness”.
I like the notion of Yahoo as an icon. I think directories from the 1990s should be icons. The concept of greatness is a good one. My hunch is that revenue would be a help for whatever Yahoo is going to return to.
My thought is that the Yahooligans and the Xoogler look more like a business school case study for a course covering Touchstones in Internet Successes and Failures. I am debating whether Yahoo is a success or a failure. I have decided. Failure: Geocities, the Google GoTo Overture legal matter, the Semel reign, the CEO with sketchy credentials, the internal squabbling, et al.
Yep, let’s have a committee meeting. Great idea. Thank goodness I have IBM Watson to pick up the slack created by the silliness at Yahoo.
Stephen E Arnold, February 23, 2016
Are Unicorns Selling Their Horns?
February 23, 2016
I don’t think too much about start ups with valuations in the billions of dollars. Most of these companies do not do much business in Harrod’s Creek, Kentucky. I think more about the local truck stop’s supply of air filters than unicorns.
I did not, however, several items which may provide some insight into life after the slow down in the flows of easy investor cash.
The first item concerns some stakeholders’ efforts to convert their shares into cash. “Secondary Shops Flooded With Unicorn Sellers” reports:
the phones of secondary buyers are beginning to ring with a little more urgency, along with discounted offers of up to 30 percent off companies’ most recent valuations. Partly, such nervousness owes to employees, some of whom are getting laid off as companies cut back on costs in order to lengthen their runway. These former staffers have to exercise their options within 90 days or else lose them, and they’re calling secondary firms for help in figuring out what to do. Some sellers are venture capital firms that thought they could exit some of their investments in 2016 and are now concluding that they can’t.
The second article I noticed was “The £1.8 Billion London Tech Unicorn That’s Struggling to Pay Its Staff Is Worried about Going Bust.” I never heard of Powa Technologies. I learned:
London-based Powa is struggling to pay staff and suppliers. Accounts show it raised a total of $50 million (£34.9 million) last year from investors, but as of February 5, 2016, when the accounts were approved, it only had $250,000 (£174,600) in the bank. Meanwhile, the group owes $16.4 million (£11.4 million).
The unicorn zoo warrants a visit. Are smart unicorns selling their horns in an effort to survive? Are some unicorns starving? What about the pygmy unicorns in the search and content processing markets? How will these tiny creatures fend for themselves. Interesting? Without horns to sell, the baby unicorns may face an unpleasant fate.
Stephen E Arnold, February 23, 2016
No Evidence That Terrorists Are Using Bitcoin
February 23, 2016
If you were concerned virtual currencies like Bitcoin are making things easier for Islamic State (aka IS, ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh), you can rest easy, at least for now. The International Business Times reports, “Isis: Bitcoin Not Used by Daesh.” That is the conclusion reached by a Europol investigation performed after last November’s attacks in Paris. Though some had suggested the terrorists were being funded with cyber money, investigators found no evidence of it.
On the other hand, the organization’s communication networks are thriving online through the Dark Web and a variety of apps. Writer Alistair Charlton tells us:
Better known by European law enforcement is how terrorists like IS use social media to communicate. The report says: “The internet and social media are used for communication and the acquisition of goods (weapons, fake IDs) and services, made relatively safe for terrorists with the availability of secure and inherently encrypted appliances, such as WhatsApp, Skype and Viber. In Facebook, VKA and Twitter they join closed and hidden groups that can be accessed by invitation only, and use coded language.”
se of Tor, the anonymising browser used to access the dark web where sites are hidden from search engines like Google, is also acknowledged by Europol. “The use of encryption and anonymising tools prevent conventional observation by security authorities. There is evidence of a level of technical knowledge available to religiously inspired terrorist groups, allowing them to make their use of the internet and social media invisible to intelligence and law enforcement agencies.”
Of course, like any valuable technology, anonymizing apps can be used for weal or woe; they benefit marginalized peoples trying to make their voices heard as much as they do terrorists. Besides, there is no going back to a disconnected world now. My question is whether terrorists have taken the suggestion, and are now working on a Bitcoin initiative. I suppose we will see, eventually.
Cynthia Murrell, February 23, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
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