How the Future of Mobile Looks Like the past of TV for Advertising
December 15, 2016
The article titled How Mobile Today Is Like TV Six Decades Ago on The Atlantic explores the radical changes in advertising in the last five years. The era of advertising through newspapers, magazines, TV, and radio is effectively over, replaced by digital advertising, which is almost exclusively mobile. That mobile content is split between Facebook and Google. Those two giants account for half of all digital media advertising. The article explains what this means for news,
For newspapers, magazines, and websites, there are several paths forward. First, billionaires can rescue media organizations from the stormy seas of the mobile Internet and fund journalism that the ad market won’t support. Second, companies like Facebook may determine that it is in their own interest to preserve some news and entertainment publishers, and they will directly pay media companies, the same way cable companies pay carriage to television channels.
The article also considers a return to the subscription model, or companies shifting to event and marketing strategies for revenue. But any company that tries to ignore the seismic shifts in the news landscape is in for an abrupt and painful shock. The article preaches an optimistic approach based in the history of TV. News is here to stay, but how it is paid for and what the advertising looks like is going to change.
Chelsea Kerwin, December 15, 2016
Costs of the Cloud
December 15, 2016
The cloud was supposed to save organizations a bundle on servers, but now we learn from Datamation that “Enterprises Struggle with Managing Cloud Costs.” The article cites a recent report from Dimensional Research and cloud-financial-management firm Cloud Cruiser, which tells us, for one thing, that 92 percent of organizations surveyed now use the cloud. Researchers polled 189 IT pros at Amazon Web Services (AWS) Global Summit in Chicago this past April, where they also found that 95 percent of respondents expect their cloud usage to expand over the next year.
However, organizations may wish to pause and reconsider their approach before throwing more money at cloud systems. Writer Pedro Hernandez reports:
Most organizations are suffering from a massive blind spot when it comes to budgeting for their public cloud services and making certain they are getting their money’s worth. Nearly a third of respondents said that they aren’t proactively managing cloud spend and usage, the study found. A whopping 82 percent said they encountered difficulties reconciling bills for cloud services with their finance departments.
The top challenge with the continuously growing public cloud resource is the ability to manage allocation usage and costs,’ stated the report. ‘IT and Finance continue to have difficulty working together to ascertain and allocate public cloud usage, and IT continues to struggle with technologies that will gather and track public cloud usage information.’ …
David Gehringer, principal at Dimensional Research, believes it’s time for enterprises to quit treating the cloud differently and adopt IT monitoring and cost-control measures similar to those used in their own data centers.
The report also found that top priorities for respondents included cost and reporting at 54 percent, performance management at 46 percent, and resource optimization at 45 percent. It also found that cloudy demand is driven by application development and testing, at 59 percent, and big data/ analytics at 31 percent.
The cloud is no longer a shiny new invention, but rather an integral part of most organizations. We would do well to approach its management and funding as we would other resource. The original report is available, with registration, here.
Cynthia Murrell, December 15, 2016
On the Hunt for Thesauri
December 15, 2016
How do you create a taxonomy? These curated lists do not just write themselves, although they seem to do that these days. Companies that specialize in file management and organization develop taxonomies. Usually they offer customers an out-of-the-box option that can be individualized with additional words, categories, etc. Taxonomies can be generalized lists, think of a one size fits all deal. Certain industries, however, need specialized taxonomies that include words, phrases, and other jargon particular to that field. Similar to the generalized taxonomies, there are canned industry specific taxonomies, except the more specialized the industry the less likely there is a canned list.
This is where the taxonomy lists needed to be created from scratch. Where do the taxonomy writers get the content for their lists? They turn to the tried, true resources that have aided researchers for generations: dictionaries, encyclopedias, technical manuals, and thesauri are perhaps one of the most important tools for taxonomy writers, because they include not only words and their meanings, but also synonyms and antonyms words within a field.
If you need to write a taxonomy and are at a lost, check out MultiTes. It is a Web site that includes tools and other resources to get your taxonomy job done. Multisystems built MultiTes and they:
…developed our first computer program for Thesaurus Management on PC’s in 1983, using dBase II under CPM, predecessor of the DOS operating system. Today, more than three decades later, our products are as easy to install and use. In addition, with MultiTes Online all that is needed is a web connected device with a modern web browser.
In other words, they have experience and know their taxonomies.
Whitney Grace, December 15, 2016
Victims of Their Own Foolishness
December 15, 2016
Incidences of law enforcement agencies arresting criminals for selling their services on Dark Web are increasing. However, their success can be attributed to the foolishness of the criminals, rather than technological superiority.
Cyber In Sight in a news report titled IcyEagle: A Look at the Arrest of an Alleged Dark Web Vendor, the reporter says:
the exact picture of how law enforcement has managed to track down and identify Glende remains unclear, the details released so far, provide an interesting behind the scenes view of the cybercrime-related postings we often highlight on this blog.
The suspect in this case inadvertently gave details of his service offerings on AlphaBay. Cops were able to zero on his location and managed to put him under arrest for drug peddling. The report reveals further:
An undercover officer purchased stolen bank account information from IcyEagle in March and April 2016, according to the indictment. Interestingly, Glende was also arrested by local police for selling drugs around the same time. A tip from U.S. Postal Inspectors led to police officers finding a “trove” of drugs at his Minnesota home in March.
It is thus apparent that the criminals, in general, are of the opinion that since they are selling on Dark Web, they are untraceable, which clearly is not the case. The trace, however, was possible only because the suspect handed it over himself. Hackers and real cyber criminals are still out of the ambit of law enforcement agencies, which needs to change soon.
Vishal Ingole, December 15, 2016
Twitter Fingers May Be Sharing News Story Links but That Does Not Mean Anyone Read the Article
December 14, 2016
The article on ScienceDaily titled New Study Highlights Power of Crowd to Transmit News on Twitter shows that Twitter is, in fact, good at something. That something is driving recommendations of news stories. A study executed by Columbia University and the French National Institute found that the vast majority of clicks on news stories is based on reader referrals. The article details the findings:
Though far more readers viewed the links news outlets promoted directly on Twitter… most of what readers shared and read was crowd-curated. Eighty-two percent of shares, and 61 percent of clicks, of the tweets in the study sample referred to content readers found on their own. But the crowd’s relative influence varied by outlet; 85 percent of clicks on tweets tied to a BBC story came from reader recommendations while only 10 percent of tweets tied to a Fox story did.
It will come as no shock that people are getting a lot more of their news through social media, but the study also suggests that people are often sharing stories without reading them at all. Indeed, one of the scientists stated that the correlation between likes, shares, and actual reads is very low. The problem inherent in this system is that readers will inevitably only look at content that they already agree with in a news loop that results in an even less informed public with even more information at their fingertips than ever before. Thanks Twitter.
Chelsea Kerwin, December 14, 2016
A Crisis of Confidence
December 14, 2016
I remember a time, long ago, when my family was confident that newspapers and TV reporters were telling us most of the objective facts most of the time. We also had faith that, though flawed human beings, most representatives in Congress were honestly working hard for (what they saw as) positive change. Such confidence, it seems, has gone the way of pet rocks and parachute pants. The Washington Examiner reports, “Fishwrap: Confidence in Newspapers, TV News Hits Bottom.” The brief write-up gives the highlights of a recent Gallup survey. Writer Paul Bedard tells us:
Gallup found that just 20 percent have confidence in newspapers, a 10-point drop in 10 years. TV news saw an identical 10-point drop, from 31 percent to 21 percent. But it could be worse. Of all the institutions Gallup surveyed on, Congress is at the bottom, with just 9 percent having confidence in America’s elected leaders, a finding that is clearly impacting the direction and tone of the 2016 elections. And Americans aren’t putting their faith in religion. Gallup found that confidence in organized religion dropped below 50 percent, to an all-time low of 41 percent.
Last decade’s financial crisis, the brunt of which many are still feeling, has prompted us to also lose faith in our banks (confidence dropped from 49 percent in 2006 to just 27 percent this year). There is one institution in which Americans still place our confidence—the military. Some 73 percent of are confident of that institution, a level that has been constant over the last decade. Could that have anything to do with the outsized share of tax revenue that segment consistently rakes in? Nah, that can’t be it.
Cynthia Murrell, December 14, 2016
The Robots Are Not Taking over Libraries
December 14, 2016
I once watched a Japanese anime that featured a robot working in a library. The robot shelved, straightened, and maintained order of the books by running on a track that circumnavigated all the shelves in the building. The anime took place in a near-future Japan, when all paper documents were rendered obsolete. While we are a long way off from having robots in public libraries (budget constraints and cuts), there is a common belief that libraries are obsolete as well.
Libraries are the furthest thing from being obsolete, but robots have apparently gained enough artificial intelligence to find lost books, however. Popsci shares the story in “Robo Librarian Tracks Down Misplaced Book.” It explains a situation that librarians hate to deal with: people misplacing books on shelves instead of letting the experts put them back. Libraries rely on books being in precise order and if they are in the wrong place, they are as good as lost. Fancy libraries, like a research library at the University of Chicago, have automated the process, but it is too expensive and unrealistic to deploy. There is another option:
A*STAR roboticists have created an autonomous shelf-scanning robot called AuRoSS that can tell which books are missing or out of place. Many libraries have already begun putting RFID tags on books, but these typically must be scanned with hand-held devices. AuRoSS uses a robotic arm and RFID scanner to catalogue book locations, and uses laser-guided navigation to wheel around unfamiliar bookshelves. AuRoSS can be programmed to scan the library shelves at night and instruct librarians how to get the books back in order when they arrive in the morning.
Manual labor is still needed to put the books in order after the robot does its work at night. But what happens when someone needs help with research, finding an obscure citation, evaluating information, and even using the Internet correctly? Yes, librarians are still needed. Who else is going to interpret data, guide research, guard humanity’s knowledge?
Whitney Grace, December 14, 2016
Googles Bid for AI Dominance
December 14, 2016
Google‘s dominance on our digital lives cannot be refuted. The tech giant envisages that the future of computing will be Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the search engine leader is all set to dominate it once again.
Arabian Business in a feature article titled Inside Google’s Brave New World, the author says:
The $500bn technology giant is extending its reach into hardware and artificial intelligence, ultimately aiming to create a sophisticated robot that can communicate with smart-device users to get things done.
The efforts can be seen in the form of company restructuring and focus on developing products and hardware that can host its sophisticated AI-powered algorithms. From wearable devices to in-home products like Google Home, the company is not writing powerful algorithms to answer user queries but is also building the hardware that will seamlessly integrate with the AI.
Though these advances might mean more revenue for the company and its shareholders, with Google controlling every aspect of our working lives, the company also needs to address the privacy concerns with equal zeal. As the author points out:
However, with this comes huge responsibility and a host of ethical and other policy issues such as data privacy and cybersecurity, which Google says its teams are working to resolve on a day-to-day basis.
Apart from Google, other tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and Apple too are in the race for AI dominance. However, the privacy concerns remain there too as the end user never knows, how and where the data collected will be used.
Vishal Ingole, December 14, 2016
Alphabet Google: Not Exactly a Car Company
December 13, 2016
Editor’s Note: Oxford University has solved the he/she, himself/herself problem. The proper way to write he, she, him, her, etc. is to use the form “ze.” Beyond Search, ever sensitive to the needs of the Oxford dons and donettes has adopted this usage. Will the Oxford University Press edit texts of books in process to reflect this sage change? Here in Harrod’s Creek we sure hope so. Kentucky means good grammar.
Remember science club? If you are of a certain age, a group of adolescents in secondary school would band together. The leader was a physics or chemistry teacher who fancied ze-self* as a leader and innovator. Perhaps it was the extra pay or the increased chance of a bit more money due to extra curricular activities. The science club was a sporty group. No football or debate team practice encroached on the budding scientists’ enthusiasms. I think of my high school science club when I read articles like “Google Has Reportedly Suspended Development of Its Own Self Driving Cars.” From soap box racer to Le Mans, no problem.
The write up points out:
Google has reportedly stopped work on creating its own fully autonomous vehicles, as part of a shake-up of its development efforts on self-driving car technologies. Google has been working on such vehicles for years now, revealing its first complete self-driving car two years ago. But it now faces intensifying competition from other firms, some of which appear to be making swifter progress.
My thought is that the slow down is a result of Alphabet Google’s new sense of financial controls. Search delivers the money; inventing a car delivers big costs. Distraction has been a watchword at the GOOG for decades. Mama Porat counts pennies and hundreds of millions in direct and indirect spending.
Google may tie up with the Fiat Chrysler outfit. Is a Googley Fiat 500 in one’s future?
The fix?
Aloha, self driving car sort of. The fun loving Mountain View outfit has embraced Ferrari. Actually Google has embraced the maker of the Fiat 500. But the idea is similar. Put Google’s smart software in a mini van and nuke the folks who are already wheels down and rolling.
The question I ask is, “How bleak are Alphabet Google’s revenue projections?” My hunch is that the costs of just doing the AdWords thing are getting increasingly difficult to control. The fix is to trim the science club’s plans. Instead of an F1 vehicle, let’s go with a Fiat 500 or stable mate. Makes sense.
Nevertheless, if the Google cannot control its operational and indirects for its core business, Amazon’s idea of off loading the costs of its infrastructure to folks who would pay to rent time on Amazon’s computers looks more and more like a financial home run. Amazon’s cloud revenue really gnaws away at the overhead for the eCommerce giant. By comparison, Google is trying to find alternative, substantial sources of revenue.
Amazon has diversified its revenue: eCommerce, Cloud, weirdness like the Echo, original videos, etc. The Alphabet Google thing has diversified its spending.
So the pressure to cut costs is about:
- The pressure created by the shift from desktop rich ads on boat anchor PCs to the not much screen real estate of the mobile device. Sure, more screens but less ad space. Yikes, bad.
- The rising costs of infrastructure and indirects. These costs are tough to control. Like a cruise ship approaching the dock in Naples, slowing down and getting organized takes time. A mistake can be expensive.
- The failure to diversify revenue leaves Google looking silly. Amazon has already figured out the diversification thing. Poor, hapless Microsoft also has revenue coming in from products and services other than a Word upgrade. Imagine: Microsoft.
Net net: Each little tap on the science club’s brakes signals a new world for the Googlers. I don’t know about you, but are Fiat 500s among the least reliable vehicles on the road? An Alphabet Ferrari? Interesting. A Google minivan? Hmm. Soccer moms, white paint, and spilled Gatorade. Delightful.
Stephen E Arnold, December 13, 2016
HonkinNews for December 13, 2016, Now Available
December 13, 2016
This week’s HonkinNews reveals that Verizon still pines for the Yahoot. We report that Yippy and MC+A have parted company. MC+A unveils a new approach to enterprise search which goes beyond the now defunct and marginalized Google Search Appliance. The specter of change in the Army’s Distributed Common Ground System may translate to high powered professionals looking for new jobs. To help these capable individuals out, we reveal that Digital Reasoning, a 16 year old start up, is nosing into the FinTech market. For those without such juicy prospects, we highlight three actions an unemployed DCGS expert can take to produce some extra holiday cash. Words are dead. As proof, we point to a British university’s innovation that allows a person to search by drawing little sketches. There’s more as well. The seven minute program is available at this link.
Beginning on December 20, 2016, the first of three seven minute videos will become available. The program is “The Google Legacy.” The program highlights some of the findings from Stephen E Arnold’s monograph “The Google Legacy,” first published in 2004. Today’s Google is rooted in the technology implemented between Backrub and Google’s decision to embrace the Yahoo – Overture – GoTo “pay to play” business model.
On December 27, the second video becomes available. This seven minute program presents the key findings from Arnold’s second Google monograph “Google Version 2.0: The Calculating Predator.” Google’s love affair with analytics and Big Data presages the “revolution” which other companies are just beginning to adopt. The word “predator” in the title of the 2007 study, which is also no longer in print, reveals that Googzilla is a hungry beastie. Revenues are the important thing.
On January 3, 2017, the third and final video in this three part series goes live. “Google: The Digital Gutenberg” focuses on the role of Google as a creator of digital content. From machine generated dossiers of entities to the simple reports pumped out for AdWords’ customers, Google is the largest digital publisher in the world. That’s what responding to more than one trillion queries a year will deliver to one’s data center: Information and revenue.
Since announcing these videos, we have received requests for the monographs. Alas, the publisher who converted Arnold’s proprietary research into post embargo print copies has gone missing. We did locate the original slide decks used for briefings about each of these three monographs. If you are interested in a webinar (for fee, of course) write me at benkent2020 at yahoo dot com. The information is still relevant, particularly if one is trying to understand why Google has become a “me too” outfit now wrestling with innovation, its business model, and competitors intent on putting Googzilla in a zoo.
Kenny Toth, December 13, 2016
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