AI Reality: Making Music Requires Humans
August 31, 2019
The hype, double talk, and downright obfuscation about artificial intelligence is remarkable. For an excellent walk through of what is involved to use open source and Google developed tools, you may want to scan “How YACHT Fed Their Old Music to the Machine and Got a Killer New Album.” Tip: This title does not express the processes used by the band to generate “new” music. Just like the marketers who find it easier to make up stuff and use jargon to explain “smart software,” whoever write the title to this article probably should have invested a few minutes reading and thinking about the procedures the band followed. Yeah, push a button and get what? Nothing without manual and intellectual effort. In short, AI is available, but it takes bright humans to make tuneful magic.
Stephen E Arnold, August 31, 2019
Google and Unions: What? Unions!
August 31, 2019
DarkCyber noted “Google Contractors Are Unionizing with a Steel Workers Union.” The main idea is that people who take money from Google want protection or influence or maybe a voice. The write up states:
66 percent of the eligible contractors at a company called HCL America Inc., signed cards seeking union representation, according to the United Steel Workers union. With the help of the Pittsburgh Association of Technical Professions (PATP), they’re asking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a vote on union representation. The PATP is a project sponsored by the union aimed at “helping Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania workers in high-tech fields organize and bargain collectively.”
Google does not seem to be eager to do much more than be Googley. If the unionization effort succeeds, DarkCyber believes that those representing the contractors will not be impressed with Googley.
There are quite a few issues which this union thing embraces.
We noted this statement:
In some instances, contractors do the same work as employees but are paid less and get fewer benefits. In other scenarios, the contractors are doing “ghost work” because they’re erased entirely as their labor is presented as the product of “artificial intelligence.”
Does this mean that Google is misrepresenting its technology?
DarkCyber thinks that the GOOG may do some efficiency analysis and terminate the workers and move the contracted work to more hospitable locations. Occam that at your next rally, semi Googlers. And if there’s a better, higher paying job, take it. DarkCyber knows that Pittsburgh is a technical hot spot with Carnegie Mellon for engineering and Duquesne University for accessing the epistemology of ethical behavior.
Stephen E Arnold, August 31, 2019
MAGA: Making Android Great Again?
August 30, 2019
My feeds were stuffed with references to Google’s announcement that Apple’s iPhone security sucks. Here’s a sampling of the headlines I spotted:
Google reveals years-long ‘indiscriminate’ iPhone hack. Most of the vulnerabilities targeted were found in the iPhone’s default Safari web browser. Source: The National
Google discovered ‘sustained attacks’ over at least two years against iPhone users. Source: Neowin.net
Google says hacked websites were attacking iPhones for years. Now-fixed exploits were used to install monitoring implants. Source: TechSpot
And there are more. The Guardian, Inquirer, PocketLint, MIT Technology Review, and others.
DarkCyber does not want to think negative thoughts about Google’s discovery. Apple addressed the issue promptly. On the plus side of the ledger, Google could have made the announcement after the US holiday weekend. Why now?
DarkCyber wants to point out that another article, this one about Google Chrome, offered this headline: “A major Google Chrome bug could let criminals attack your PC remotely.”
Not too much coverage of this item compared with the damning revelation that iPhones. Are. Insecure!
DarkCyber suggests that the information presented at CVE Details may be of interest. This site presents a possibly accurate list of Google Android security issues.
DarkCyber wants to point out:
- If a device is any place other than a Faraday cage, unplugged, and behind a security perimeter, that device may be vulnerable
- Mass market devices are compromisable because users have “interesting behaviors.” Curious about that to which DarkCyber refers? Check out this link.
- Hardened devices which are “black” are not popular because they are [a] expensive to produce and keep up to date, [b] more difficult to use than a consumer phone, [c] expensive, and [d] also vulnerable.
Security exposés capture headlines. Vendors of cyber security services and products make these types of revelations part of their standard operating procedure.
Capturing headlines informs bad actors that there are vulnerabilities to be discovered. “Hey, why not check out this method” publicity is an interesting approach. Is Google grandstanding?
Plus, Google may introduce its own MAGA hat. A “Make Android Great Again” chapeau could knock the famous Google flashing lapel pin off its top spot in the Google collectible hall of fame.
Stephen E Arnold, August 30, 2019
Productivity and Information Technology: A Myth?
August 30, 2019
The IT department is the go-to department for new technology and innovative ideas. According to the IT Pro Portal article, “Workers Aren’t Convinced IT Departments Are Making Them More Productive” United Kingdom workers believe that their IT departments are not the centers of productivity (the title says it all).
Citrix conducted a poll of 1000 UK based workers and discovered that people are clinging to outdated IT workplace practices. The IT departments are also not updating to implement new technology. Many practices compromise security:
“Almost a third doesn’t share securely hosted files, but instead use email to share documents around, making multiple copies, confusing workers and generally hurting productivity. A quarter saves important documents on their desktop even though they know they should be using the secure cloud.”
Humanoid punching bags — I mean millennials — are blamed for violating company security, according to the poll. They work on unprotected Wi-Fi networks and use unapproved apps for communication, like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.
It seems that Citrix responded to the poll with PR speak about the value of information technology as a sure fire way to improve productivity and employee engagement.
Do employees want to change their behavior?
Some IT workers have become complacent and resist change. But why invest? Perhaps this year’s “Citrix” crop does not satisfy like fresh squeezed information technology?
Whitney Grace, August 30, 2019
Google Country Faves?
August 30, 2019
Google, according to the Intercept the search engine has returned to Egypt in “Google Is Deepening Its Involvement With Egypt’s Repressive Government.” Google abandoned its Cairo office in 2014 when a military coup placed Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the presidency. The Sisi government is notorious for silencing political activists and dissidents, while using the Internet to form a Big Brother surveillance system. It gets worse, because Sisi’s administration is also censoring Web sites, news, and violating human rights.
Google will soon hire full time staff under Google executive Limo Cattaruzzi. The company will also work with the Egyptian government to expand its “Skills From Google” program that provides digital training for entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, the Sisi government is involved with this endeavor.
Google faced some eyebrow raising for working with the Chinese government on Project Dragonfly. Advocacy groups. The US Congress asked questions. Some Google employees protested Dragonfly. In a bold move, Google backtracked.
Google will probably face similar backlash when it reopens its Cairo office in September:
“Rights groups are concerned that a more permanent presence in the country will expose Google to added pressure from the Egyptian government, which has a history of using data collection and monitoring to punish dissidents, journalists, and human rights advocates.
We noted:
‘Re-opening an office in Egypt when the government is aggressively asking other internet companies to provide disproportionate access to their data sounds alarming,’ said Katitza Rodriguez, the international rights director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Google has an obligation to respect human rights under international standards, Rodriguez added, and the company should disclose what steps it will take to safeguard them.”
Egyptian political dissidents have some history with Google. When the Egyptian government shut down the Internet in 2011, Google allegedly flipped on some digital lights during the blackout.
Will the Sisi government use its partnership with Google and other foreign companies to brand Egypt as a foreign investment haven?
Whitney Grace, August 30, 2019
Google: Not All Tech and Ads. Surprise!
August 29, 2019
I read “Former Google Employee Says #MeToo Behavior Institutionalized at Search Giant.” The write up explains that a Googler (a Xoogler mother now) interacted with another Googler (still a Googler) and output a baby. DarkCyber does not know if this story is “actual factual”, so we’re are not sure if this is fiction or life.
We read:
Jennifer Blakely says Chief Legal Officer David Drummond made her life “hell” after fathering her son.
A lawyer. Making life hell. Interesting assertion.
The write up reported:
After the relationship ended, she says, Drummond neglected their child and made “terrifying threats” to gain custody. She said he initially refused to discuss child support, and she called Drummond’s treatment “nothing short of abuse.”
(Yikes. the DarkCyber team thought Google was into ads, relevant search results, and Foosball. If the write up is accurate, DarkCyber’s assumptions are incorrect.
The article stated:
Blakely previously shared her experience with The New York Times in a bombshell article last November about the company’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations against key executives, including Android creator Andy Rubin and former Google X director Richard DeVaul. The story spurred a massive walkout protest from 20,000 Google employees in offices around the world.
DarkCyber’s files contain some snips from open sources about the Brin-Rosenberg tie up; for example, this Medium article. The made-for-TV type story about a Googler, heroin, and a yacht summarized in this CBS News story.
Google’s posture on these types of matters may be reflected in this quote attributed to none other than CEO Sundar Pichai and Head of People Operations Eileen Naughton:
“We are committed to ensuring that Google is a workplace where you can feel safe to do your best work, and where there are serious consequences for anyone who behaves inappropriately.”
DarkCyber is intrigued by the job description “Head of People Operations.” Google is quite an operation. Babies, attempted suicides, and heroin appear to be fodder for the “real news” outfits.
Change, equality, etc. Serious consequences. And the baby?
Stephen E Arnold, August 29, 2019
Interesting.
Business Intelligence: Enterprise Search, Data Lakes, and the Squeal of a Baby Unicorn
August 29, 2019
A baby unicorn became a semi reality this week. We learned this in “ThoughtSpot Hits $1.95 Billion Valuation With $248 Million Fundraise.”
Forbes, the capitalist tool and home for sponsored content, reported:
ThoughtSpot, the business intelligence startup that offers data analytics searches as simple to use as Google, hit unicorn status on Wednesday with a $248 million funding round led by Lightspeed Ventures. The E Series round raised total funding to $554 million with a valuation of $1.95 billion.
Now watch what happens. Business intelligence becomes enterprise search:
“Though the user experience is inspired by Google, the fundamental search problem we are solving is very different than what Google has to solve,” Singh tells Forbes. “On the surface, all search engines look the same, like search bars, but Google is searching Web documents of unstructured texts.
So what makes ThoughtSpot special?
We’re searching numbers that sit in data lakes and complex cloud databases, we had to build a search engine that understands data lakes.”
And the ultimate venture funder’s Holy Grail:
there’s potential for ThoughtSpot to be the “next Google” for enterprise search.
Net net: The old promises of enterprise search are back. The problems persist. The knowledge that people cannot find answers to questions exists. Closing the “unknowing” gap may be difficult.
With few enterprise search experts thinking about the lessons of Autonomy, Convera, Delphes, Endeca, Entopia, Fast Search & Transfer, STAIRS, and Vivisimo — the past may be poised to rewind and play an old “Mission Impossible”. For free profiles of some of the notable “enterprise search” services, navigate to www.xenky.com/vendor-profiles. Let’s watch reruns until a “new” consultant’s report, a Magic Quadrant, or a Wave flows in.
Stephen E Arnold, August 29, 2019
Conference Presentation Peril
August 29, 2019
No wonder giving a talk at a conference is a terrifying experience for some people. DarkCyber noted “Cryptography Startup Sues Black Hat Conference after Getting Booed and Heckled.” The write up explains:
Crown Sterling, was heckled during its presentation of the paper titled “Discovery of Quasi-Prime Numbers: What Does this Mean for Encryption”
The procedure described in the talk has some value to those engaged in horoscope generation.
A lousy and stupid talk at a conference – so what?
The answer to this question is a lawsuit charging Black Hat “for not upholding its standards of conduct for attendees and for violating their terms of Crown Sterling’s sponsorship package.”
The “sponsorship” angle is very popular at some technology conference venues. Here’s the basic idea:
- Pick a sponsorship package like hosting a luncheon, leasing a booth or “stand” in an exhibit hall, providing a mostly useless bag or carry all for marketing collateral, or some other activity. (The conference organizers call these deals by such names as “platinum sponsor” or “open bar courtesy of XYZ Corp.”
- Get one or more speaking slots. You can spot the lack of objectivity in the programs of sponsor supported conferences. Just look for the companies which have two or more presentations; for example, one keynote (big bucks), one thought piece presentation with minimal sales spin, and/or one product presentation (a pure sales pitch).
- A list of names of people who stopped by the booth courtesy of a bar code scanner which sucks in a person’s conference ID code and the handful of people who stop by the conference organizer office and ask, “Could you give my card to XYZ Corp’s rep. She was not available when I stopped by the booth.”
- Watch for conferences at which the “organizer” gives lengthy presentations. These conferences often have an agenda, and it may not be the attendees’ or reflect significant issues of interest to those who have an annual migration to an event.
The problem with this approach to conferences is that when one pays money, maybe as much as $150,000, the company buying a package wants results. Getting heckled is not what the sponsor expects. Therefore, the lawsuit sallies forth.
Attendees, check out who is speaking and how these people get on the program. Conference organizers, why not put on better events so the “sponsorship” lawsuit becomes impossible?
Note: I do attend a few conferences each year. I still get invited to give a talk. This is semi gratifying, but I will be 76 this year, and I have watched the decline in presentation quality and program value. Like many aspects of the tech world, deterioration and Las Vegas razzle dazzle are now the norm.
Stephen E Arnold, August 29, 2019
Elasticsearch and AWS
August 29, 2019
Elasticsearch is expanding its offerings once again. Yahoo Finance reports, “Elastic Launches Elasticsearch Service on AWS in London Region.” With this release, the U.K. joins nine other regions in which Elasticsearch is supported on AWS. The press release informs us:
“The Elasticsearch Service on Elastic Cloud is the only official hosted and managed Elasticsearch and Kibana service, created and supported by Elastic. With the Elasticsearch Service, you can spin up a fully loaded deployment in the AWS London region, activating powerful features such as security, monitoring, APM and machine learning (among others) that are only available from Elastic. Experience refreshingly headache-free, zero-downtime upgrades to the latest versions of our software. For minor version upgrades, it’s just a click of a button and you’ve upgraded to the latest security patches and bug fixes. Zero-downtime upgrades are possible across major versions as well, starting at 6.8+, using rolling upgrades. … The London region, similar to Elastic’s other regions, offers all of the Elasticsearch Service features. Learn more about Elasticsearch Service subscriptions on our website.”
Not surprisingly, the service is available to those in London via the AWS Marketplace. Also, Elasticsearch’s lightweight data shipper Fuctionbeat comes as an AWS Lambda; this means it can receive AWS Services events like Amazon CloudWatch logs, Amazon SQS, and Amazon Kinesis. AWS customers can also leverage their virtual private cloud with a dedicated environment via Elasticsearch Service Private subscription. Finally, Elasticsearch has carefully ensured it complies with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation principles.
Cynthia Murrell, August 29, 2019
21st Century HR Tips
August 29, 2019
If it isn’t about the Benjamins, what drives business intelligence analysts away? ITProPortal considers, “Why Are BI Engineers so Frustrated? (It’s Not Money).” Reporter Amnon Drori notes that business intelligence salaries are on par with other IT workers’. However, much of their work occurs behind the scenes and is not well understood by others, meaning it is often underappreciated. Furthermore, the work itself can be some of the most frustrating in the software industry, involving tedious efforts to clean up and transform data in a never ending cycle. A lack of standardization and haphazard implementations make matters worse. Drori writes:
“In order to make data usable and searchable, metadata needs to be accurate, and organizations may have standards and specifications for metadata. But this tends to go by the wayside; departments that need to get their work done develop their own lingo and labels, and over the years, as organizations build up large caches of data and implement new databases, those differences grow – essentially rendering the data stored by a department useless to anyone in the organization other than itself. For example, an organization might record information about a customer’s location with a label called ‘location,’ ‘address,’ ‘city and state,’ etc. Whatever search system that is implemented needs to take into account these issues. This is a chronic – and central – problem for many organizations, and one that could seriously hamper their ability to find data at all. Of course, BI will come in and save the day – hence the frustration. Subject your BI staff to a few cycles of this metadata confusion and remediation, and you begin to understand the staff turnover numbers.”
The article suggests a couple remedies. Companies should take the time to set and enforce policies around metadata terms and data-storage protocols throughout the organization. This includes establishing consistent data catalogues, dictionaries, and glossaries. Automated remediation systems can then be used to clean up legacy data and bring it in line with those standards. Once all that juicy data is properly labeled, BI engineers can turn their attention to the satisfying, and profitable, work—deriving insights about products, customers, markets, and the company itself. That should give them enough reason to stick around.
Cynthia Murrell, August 29, 2019
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