Oracle: Has It Put Extra Flavor in the Cinnamon Java Ordered Up for Google?
December 25, 2020
I read “Oracle’s Hidden Hand Is Behind the Google Antitrust Lawsuits.” (Note: This is a paywalled info item from a “real” news outfit.) I am not sure if the write up is on the money, but it is entertaining to thing that a giant company can hold a grudge for a decade and trigger a monopoly mindset. The main point is that Oracle has been working away to get Google into monopoly jail. That’s an okay idea I assume.
But the nifty part of the story in my opinion is this statement:
Oracle has fallen behind the tech giants in the marketplace, yet is notching one legal and regulatory win after another against them, Google especially. While Google, Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have experienced double-digit revenue growth in recent years, Oracle’s annual sales have stayed relatively flat at just under $40 billion. Earnings last fiscal year totaled roughly $12.7 billion, a fraction of its rivals’.
Wow. I thought that Oracle’s challenges stemmed from its core product, its support policies, and its founder’s flying his jet over Santa Clara when aircraft were to be asleep in their hangers. Then there is the Oracle versus open source database world. And there have been minor spats like the dust up with MarkLogic. Yeah, MarkLogic! Big time. I won’t mention the big house or the racing yachts.
Is it accurate to say that times are tough for outfits like Hewlett Packard, IBM, SAP, and similar dinosaur-style firms.
From my viewshed, Google is falling prey to management seppuku. Oracle’s efforts — assuming they were effective — are not going to exact revenge. Oracle probably believes they are. Nope, Oracle’s perception — like that of other fading technology giants’ about their future — is a digital Ptolemaic theory. Interesting but a bit off base.
Stephen E Arnold, December 25, 2020
Another Xoogler Explains Algorithmic Manipulation
December 25, 2020
I don’t want to make a big deal about a former Google engineer talking about algorithmic manipulation. I know what happened to the Google AI expert who pointed out that training data can and does bias how numerical recipes make decisions.
I spotted this 2019 statement in an ancient write up called “‘YouTube Recommendations Are Toxic,’ Says Dev Who Worked on the Algorithm.” The speaker is a Xoogler (the semi official name for someone who worked at the Google) who allegedly worked on the YouTube recommendation algorithm. Now keep in mind that the Google is a pretty chaotic outfit, and it is possible for people to “work on” something and the outside world will have zero idea whether the contribution was a quality test or something substantive like fiddling thresholds to meet a harried superior’s goal. (Bonus time causes some interesting activities I have heard.)
Here’s the quote, and I have put in bold face the important statement which I found important and possibly accurate:
“It isn’t inherently awful that YouTube uses AI to recommend video for you, because if the AI is well tuned it can help you get what you want. This would be amazing,” Chaslot told TNW. “But the problem is that the AI isn’t built to help you get what you want — it’s built to get you addicted to YouTube. Recommendations were designed to waste your time.”
The write up does not dig into wasting time. I want to share my perception of the time wasting angle. In the good old days, Web sites wanted to be sticky. That’s why mere search engines became portals and eventually massive one stop shops with everything in one “experience.”
For YouTube, the more time a person invests in watching videos on YouTube, the more ads Google can slam into the video. If you think there are a lot of ads for a video now, just wait until the “game plan” is rolled out to the Googlers in the Spring of 2021.
Therefore, the purpose of the YouTube algorithm is to create opportunities to display ads. Are these relevant or irrelevant. I must say that I am quite adept at clicking past blandishments for Grammarly, Liberty Mutual, and many other hapless companies dumping cash into the coffers of the world’s most wonderfulest Web search system. Grammarly, isn’t “wonderfulest” a real word when used with “Google”? Maybe I should as DeepMind? Oh, right. DeepMind is busy doing healthy things and losing hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
Burn that ad inventory. Absolutely.
Stephen E Arnold, December 25, 2020
Blog Assembles Information for Dark Web Adventurers
December 25, 2020
We wish to draw our dear readers’ attention to this resource: the site DeepWebSitesLinks maintains a Dark Web Blog. From ways to access the Dark Web and purchase cryptocurrency to maintaining anonymity while doing so, this roundup supplies a lot of information that could be difficult to find elsewhere. Recent articles include a list of privacy tools, a discussion of VPN services, and several reviews of specific Dark Web marketplaces. The host site’s About Us page reveals:
“My website is completely dedicated to Deep Web(Dark Internet world), Here I shared newly searched deep web sites and tips and tricks like how to access Deep web and others. DeepWebSitesLinks.com first time introduced on 15 Jan 2016, and after a month of Jan, DeepWebSitesLinks.com readers growing very fast day by days. My team regularly improving DeepWebSitesLinks.com Features, Now we are planning to add some extra categories into this site by which we can extend our area globally. Advertise With US: Deep Web Sites Links having only information about Deep Web Links or Tor Links, This Website having more than 10K+ Daily unique hits, and Still growing day to Day. If you want to promote Your Deep Web Sites or any relevant Products or Services. We have some ad places by which you can promote you service and easily can increase your audience very quick. We also promote relevant software and service like(VPN, Darknet Markets, Bitcoin Markets, Drugs Markets, Stores and any other relevant services) by the help of features oriented review type post, If you looking any one type promotion then you can contact Us by the help of bellow given Email.”
A couple observations: the site’s operator(s) appears to conflate Deep Web and Dark Web. That is a common mistake, but one would expect purported experts to know better. They could also use the services of a good copy editor. Or are misspellings, bad punctuation, and random misplaced capitalizations hallmarks of authenticity in the Dark Web community? No matter. Those details aside, we find this blog to be a very interesting source of information.
Cynthia Murrell, December 25, 2020
Zuckasar and Bezoder or Caeberg and Alexos?
December 24, 2020
I spotted this image in Google Images. Miraculously I was able to locate it by querying “Zuckerberg Caesar.” Bingo.
The idea is that the Facebook poobah seems to look like the Big J. As you will recall, some of his friends allegedly unliked the Ruler of the World using real knives, not unfollows.
I read “Jeff Bezos Reportedly Considers Himself the Alexander the Great of Modern Exploitation.” The source of this revelation in tottering Oxford don or donette (no, not a donut, gentle reader). The insight appears in an online information service called Jezebel which recycled an interview from an alleged Amazon whiz person.
I learned:
According to an Amazon cybersecurity engineer who spoke anonymously and quite candidly with Logic Magazine, working at Amazon is much more Philip K. Dick than it is Plutarch, despite Jeff Bezos’s boner for Alexander the Great:
“Jeff Bezos studies other “great men” in history and imagines himself to be a kind of Alexander the Great. There’s even a building on the Amazon campus called Alexandria, which was the name of one of the company’s early projects to get every single book that had ever been published to be listed on Amazon.”
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I see the resemblance. Uncanny. The mosaic reminds me of the thousands of AWS services which contribute to Mr. Bezos’ wealth.
One question: Why are these business leaders embracing the war fighters and dictators of yesteryear?
There are other helpful models; for example:
JP Morgan is a potential role model.
The ancient history thing may not be about money. Perhaps the appeal is for the allure of power and the world domination thing. Interesting. I am looking forward to Messrs. Zuckerberg and Bezos commissioning Bernadette Banner. She can create the Big J armor for the Zuck and come up with a period correct outfit from 370 BC for Mr. Bezos.
Great for live streaming when the monopoly hearings become available. Perfect for Shopify T shirt vendors and TikTok snippets with Wal-Mart adverts.
Stephen E Arnold, December 24, 2020
Enterprise Search Needs To Do Its Core Function
December 24, 2020
Enterprise search is still one of those buzzwords tossed around by tech experts to make themselves sound smart, but with good reason. Inside Big Data discusses enterprise search’s future in the article: “Enterprise Search In The Age Of AI.” Enterprise search used to be one of the most important buzzwords in the tech industry. It meant a more intuitive and customizable way to search data and actually find desired information.
Enterprise search evolved into more advanced facets of enterprise systems and it appears with AI-powered big data systems it might not be relevant anymore. The article, however, states enterprise search is still important. Here is the extraordinary insight:
“My opinion is that, if Enterprise Search is to regain a significant share of the business tools market, it can only do so by refocusing on its core value proposition: search. When it comes to the public web, we might feel that there’s little room left for improvement in the search space, but I believe that there’s a lot more ground to explore on the enterprise side of things. Part of the reason for claiming this comes from the insight that our needs seem to almost universally follow Pareto’s law, at least when it comes to the public web. For the most part, we keep searching for the same things by posing similar queries and land on the same websites. The fact that the corpus of all web documents is immense presents more of a problem than an opportunity, as most of it is irrelevant to us. Google understands this well, which is why, over the last decade, it hasn’t been investing in expanding its search experience, but instead slowly reducing it to merely providing the “one true answer,” personalized for each user.”
Why does this need to be explained? With all the powerful AI systems users still need to locate information. Users want precise, quick, and relevant search tools that return the required data. How much simpler can it get? Why not develop an AI-powered enterprise search tool? I know the answer. Too difficult. Marketing hype and consulting baloney are much easier.
Whitney Grace, December 24, 2020
The Amazon Bracelet: Is It Like Those Shock Collars Thingies?
December 24, 2020
A pair of Washington Post reviewers tell us exactly how they feel about the recent entry into the fitness-tracker market. Greenwich Time shares, “Amazon’s New Health Band Is the Most Invasive Tech We’ve Ever Tested.” Geoffrey A Fowler and Heather Kelly write:
“Amazon has a new health-tracking bracelet with a microphone and an app that tells you everything that’s wrong with you. You haven’t exercised or slept enough, reports Amazon’s $65 Halo Band. Your body has too much fat, the Halo’s app shows in a 3-D rendering of your near-naked body. And even: Your tone of voice is ‘overbearing’ or ‘irritated,’ the Halo determines, after listening through its tiny microphone on your wrist. Hope our tone is clear here: We don’t need this kind of criticism from a computer. The Halo collects the most intimate information we’ve seen from a consumer health gadget – and makes the absolute least use of it. This wearable is much better at helping Amazon gather data than at helping you get healthy and happy.”
Yes, in addition to basics like heart rate, skin temperature, activity, and sleep, this late entry to the market collects information its rivals do not—body photos and voice recordings. Despite that, it offers surprisingly little in the way of personalized advice. Are its users simply paying for the privilege of feeding Amazon’s machine-learning databases? The reviewers also found that, compared to competitors, the device seems less accurate in its measurements. Furthermore, the band has no display—a corresponding phone app is the only way to receive feedback. It also scores one’s progress in an what appears to be an arbitrary 150-point scale that did little to motivate these reviewers.
And what of that tone-of-voice functionality? Apparently having the AI divine one’s mood is supposed to help the user somehow, but the reviewers found it to be mostly a judgmental downer. Not only that but, like many algorithms, it may have a gender bias problem. We’re told:
“The terms diverged when we filtered just for ones with negative connotations. In declining order of frequency, the Halo described Geoffrey’s tone as ‘sad,’ ‘opinionated,’ ‘stern,’ and ‘hesitant.’ Heather, on the other hand, got ‘dismissive,’ ‘stubborn,’ ‘stern’ and ‘condescending.’ She doesn’t dispute she might have sounded like that, especially while talking to her children. But some of the terms, including ‘overbearing’ and ‘opinionated,’ hit Heather differently than they might a male user. The very existence of a tone-policing AI that makes judgment calls in those terms feels sexist. Amazon has created an automated system that essentially says, ‘Hey sweetie, why don’t you smile more?’”
Perhaps Amazon should go back to the drawing board with this one. That is, if it is as interested in serving its customers as in feeding its algorithms.
Cynthia Murrell, December 24, 2020
China Write Up Includes a Juicy Factoid
December 24, 2020
“Beijing Ransacked Data as US Sources Went Dark in China” is a political write up. However, the article contains one interesting factoid. Keep in mind that a “factoid” can be a chunk of the alternative reality in which some thumbtypers thrive.
Here’s the passage I noted:
“Chinese officials became much more reluctant to talk after [the WikiLeaks cables], because they didn’t believe we could keep it a secret,” recalled a current State Department official with extensive experience in China.
The “we” is US government officials.
Why would a Chinese professional perceive the US as unable to keep a secret? One possible explanation is that access to online systems was in hand. Therefore, information in a US government system would be available to other entities with a Chinese-style intelligence system.
I understand that there are only a couple of countries with Chinese style resources. But when it comes to security technology, even smaller outfits with a small number of skilled engineers and programmers can accomplish some surprising exploits.
The write up puts some color into the somewhat lifeless quote. In my opinion, the quote makes clear that at least one US government official appears to have acknowledged that “lights out” may a persistent characteristic for some US government entities.
Stephen E Arnold, December 24, 2020
Data Visualization: Perfect for Innumerate Thumbtypers
December 23, 2020
Why do tech experts keep reminding us about the power of data visualization? Any preschool teacher knows that pictures with lots of colors are more interesting to their students than lines of text. Do people forget that fact when they graduate to adulthood or do they fail to integrate their childhood lessons into their brains?
4iQ describes itself as the Adversary Intelligence Company, which makes me think they are empowering super villains with technology, and they published an article on Medium: “The Power Of Visualization: Analysis In A Tsunami Of Information.” The article is obviously a press release to push potential clients to 4iQ’s Web site. It discusses how most law enforcement organizations do not include data visualization in their briefings/meetings due to their information’s nature. Here is something all preschool teachers know, but said in fancy jargon:
“In an era where so much information is at our fingertips, the value of data visualization has never been greater, and this includes both the data as well as the visual need to tell a compelling story. In most situations, images speak louder than words. With over 50% of our brains devoted to visual processing, a good visualization tool is just as important as a detailed analytical report. In fact, when used purposefully, visualization can serve as a standalone mechanism communicating essential findings needed to inform decision-makers.”
The rest of the article describes ways to visual law enforcement data blah blah and yada yada. Since the article is about data visualization 4iQ should have included examples of how they visual data—you know, pictures with lots of colors.
Whitney Grace, December 23, 2020
Hong Kong Telecom Connections
December 23, 2020
I read a good write up called “Hong Kong’s Hutchison Group, Which Runs Mobile Carrier 3, Protests as USA Puts It on New China Ban List.” I want to mention that Li Ka-shing — the father of Victor Li Tzar-kuoi, the chairman of the Board and Group Managing Director of CK Hutchinson Holdings Limited and Richard Li, the chairman of Hong Kong Telecom — is rumored to have had reasonably cordial relations with certain Chinese government officials. If one takes the time to work through the deals, the tie up, and staff of these two firms, several interesting factoids surface quickly; for example:
- These allegedly competitive companies may not be as competitive as they appear in the media
- The father Li Ka-shing had a number of interesting business deals in his long career. He is allegedly still alive and has a few bucks to make his sundowning semi acceptable
- The brothers and “competitors” have investments spanning a number of countries. These businesses may provide a useful flow of information about a range of topics; for example, financial transactions, mobile traffic, interesting messages, etc.
Someone in the US government believes that Hutchinson, one of the Li Ka shing tinged entities, warrants an entry on the US China ban list. Presumably someone in the Department of Commerce or other Federal agency has created a visual map of the Li Ka shing related companies, business partners, relationships, and lines of business.
I am confident that the US researchers noted this reference to the father’s connections to China.
Stephen E Arnold, December 23, 2020
Sun Spotting in the Solar Wind
December 23, 2020
I read “Partial Lists of Organizations Infected with Sunburst Malware Released Online.” The information in the write up, which I assume is sun spot on, makes it possible to do some solar observations. For example, here are some alleged victims of the ever-so-slight sun burn from the estimable firm SolarWinds. I have created a value score to indicate how much informational goodness can be sucked from the alleged targets. Our first solar flare consists of:
City of Barrie (Canada)
Newton Public Schools (US)
Regina Public Schools (Canada).
Granted these are likely to deliver a low payout for actors looking for really good stuff via the misstep. Score: 1 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being an intel target of note.
How about these victims of the misstep? Let’s get rolling in data for carder sites.
BancCentral Financial Services Corp.
Stearns Bank
Signature Bank
Yes, better. Personally identifiable information, credit cards, debit cards, online bank account codes and passwords. Score 3.5
What about this group?
Cisco
Deloitte
Intel
Stratus Networks
Here I award a value score of 4.5.
But where are the other 17,991 names? Oh, probably just trivial outfits. A misstep that’s all. A misstep missed by the cyber security systems protecting most of these outfits.
And today (December 21), the share prices of most cyber security firms are rising. (We don’t do news, so the date of authorship, the date of our source, and the date of publication are likely to be different. Beyond Search is confident that spectacular metadata systems from Smartlogic and other firms can figure out mere dating conventions, right?)
Stephen E Arnold, December 23, 2020
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