Apple May Open up on Open Source
October 27, 2015
Is Apple ready to openly embrace open source? MacRumors reports, “Apple Building Unified Cloud Platform for iCloud, iTunes, Siri and More.” Writer Joe Rossignol cites a new report from the Information that indicates the famously secret company may be opening up to keep up with the cloudy times. He writes:
“The new platform is based on Siri, which itself is powered by open source infrastructure software called Mesos on the backend, according to the report. Apple is reportedly placing more emphasis on open source software in an attempt to attract open source engineers that can help improve its web services, but it remains to be seen how far the company shifts away from its deep culture of secrecy.
“The paywalled report explains how Apple is slowly embracing the open source community and becoming more transparent about its open source projects. It also lists some of the open source technologies that Apple uses, including Hadoop, HBase, Elasticsearch, Reak, Kafka, Azkaban and Voldemort.”
Rossignol goes on to note that, according to Bloomberg, Apple is working on a high-speed content delivery network and upgrading data centers to better compete with its rivals in the cloud, like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Will adjusting its stance on open-source allow it to keep up?
Cynthia Murrell, October 27, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
The Alphabet Google Thing with Yahoo
October 26, 2015
The Xoogler, Marissa Mayer, has embraced the Alphabet Google thing.
Bittersweet?
Nah, a need to generate some real revenue. The Alphabet Google thing has Yahooligans in its thrall. Microsoft? Well, who knows? An outsider to the Googlers again it appears.
I read “Yahoo Signs Ad Pact with Google; Earnings and Revenue Miss.” The Yahoo financial picture is no longer fuzzy. I see the crisp, clear lines of the sharp revenue downturn. According to the write up:
Mayer, in her fourth year as chief executive, said the forecast was “not indicative of the performance we want.” “We are also experiencing continued revenue headwinds in our core (advertising) business, especially in the legacy portions,” Mayer said on a call with analysts.
I like the “we” and the “headwinds.”
With AOL in the pride of the Verizon lion king, Yahoo may need more than a deal with the Alphabet Google thing to deal with the financial storm. The questions I have include:
- When will an acceptable purchaser of Yahoo surface?
- What line of business at Yahoo will the leader of the pack identify as the growth engine?
- What steps can be taken to produce organic revenue from the most promising Yahoo businesses?
The answers to these questions may be spelled out in the months ahead.
Stephen E Arnold, October 26, 2015
Beyond LinkedIn
October 26, 2015
Though LinkedIn remains the largest professional networking site, it may be time to augment its hobnobbing potential with one or more others. Search Engine Journal gives us many to choose from in “12 Professional Networking Alternatives to LinkedIn.” Like LinkedIn, some are free, but others offer special features for a fee. Some even focus on local connections. Reporter Albert Costill writes:
“While LinkedIn has proven to be an incredible assist for anyone looking to make professional connections or find employment, there have been some concerns. For starters, the company has been forced to reduce the number of emails it sends out because of complaints. There have also been allegations of the company hacking into member’s emails and a concern that activity on LinkedIn groups are declining.
“That doesn’t mean that you should give up on LinkedIn. Despite any concerns with the network, it still remains one of the best locations to network professionally. It just means that in addition to LinkedIn you should also start networking on other professional sites to cast that wide net that was previously mentioned. I previously shared eight alternatives to LinkedIn like Twylah, Opprtunity, PartnerUp, VisualCV, Meetup, Zerply, AngelList, and BranchOut, but here are twelve more networking sites that you should also consider using in no particular order.”
So between Costill’s lists, there are 20 sites to check out. A few notable entries from this second list: Makerbase is specifically for software creators, and is free to any Twitter users; LunchMeet connects LinkedIn users who would like to network over lunch; Plaxo automatically keeps your cloud-based contact list up-to-date; and the European Xing is the place to go for a job overseas. See the article for many more network-boosting options.
Cynthia Murrell, October 26, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Maginfo: An Unlisted Enterprise Search Video
October 25, 2015
Somehow a link to a video found its way to me. The video is produced by Maginfo. You may or may not be able to view the program at this link. The content of the video was familiar to me. I did not know about Maginfo.
Some highlights:
- The company has a blog post which points to the unlisted video. You can check out that link only blog post at this link.
- Maginfo says it is “a leading provider of technology development services and solutions to small, medium, and large enterprises.”
- The company is a consulting firm in Boulder, Colorado, and it has been in business since 2001, presumably working in the search and retrieval field for search vendor Inforbix (now a mostly invisible unit of Autodesk) and Systap.
- The company has a semantic technologies capability.
I learned that Maginfo has identified five ways can drive a firm’s competitive advantage; to wit:
- Save time. This benefit is one of those specious assertions based on a pulled-from-the-air consulting reports about how finding information takes time. Yep, with search systems delivering lousy precision and recall, locating information to answer a specific question often takes time.
- Get maximum value from existing resources. I assume this means digital content in an organization. The notion of “maximum value” begs the question, “What is value?” No explanation of the benefit has been provided to me after decades of prodding search marketers to explain the “value” of search and retrieval.
- Improve productive of all workers. Yikes, another categorical statement. I have a number of workers involved in my research and publishing activities. One of the workers sprays my office every eight weeks to keep insects in Harrod’s Creek at bay. I am not sure information search is going to make Irving more productivity. But there is that silly “all” assertion. One exception. Poof. There goes the argument.
- Improve customer support and lower associated cost. Really? I am not sure how much more cost cutting outfits offering customer service can do. If there are costs to be reduced, I am not sure search and retrieval will be the drum major for the band and the parade. A Weebly Web site and no inbound phone number coupled with an info@company.xxx will do the trick.
- Improve support for telecommuters. I am on record saying that telework cannot proceed unless the worker can locate the digital object upon which one works. However, enterprise search may not do the trick; for example, for certain legal activities, the “content” will not be included in an enterprise search system. If the workers on site and off premises are engaged in a work task which is classified, my hunch is that the enterprise search system may be the last place the workers want the content.
If you want more information about Maginfo, navigate to the firm’s Web site at http://maginfo.com. A fellow named Darren says, “Maginfo has been a joy to work with.” Darren appears to have hired Maginfo to work on a social network with artificial intelligence. No word about search from Darren. Did I mention that Darren found Maginfo a joy. To me, this suggests that Maginfo’s competitors are not a joy. I have no information about what other search consultants’ joy factor is. Maybe someday.
Stephen E Arnold, October 25, 2015
Binging in the Rain. It Is a Wonderful Feeling
October 23, 2015
I read “Microsoft’s Bing Search Business Finally Is Profitable.” The question is, “Will it remain a money spinner for Microsoft?” Bing became available to those seeking an alternative to the Google in 2009. The history of Microsoft Web search reaches farther back in time. Remember MSN Search circa 1998. I do. I wonder if Microsoft’s financial wizards have included the costs of Microsoft’s Web search activities from 1998 to the present. Probably not. The reason is that the fully loaded costs plus any other financial odds and ends like the cost of money or opportunity would give the CPAs headaches. Bad headaches.
According to the super wonderfully positive write up:
Microsoft isn’t simply relying on Yahoo to grow Bing and search, however. Microsoft has been building Bing into more and more of its products over time.Microsoft officials said during its October 21 first quarter FY 2016 report that its search revenue, excluding traffic-acquisition costs, grew 29 percent, driven by higher revenue per search and search volume.
This is a nice way of saying that we can put a nice spin on this Bing thing. I immediately thought of the hit Singing in the Rain and the lyrics:
So dark up above
The sun’s in my heart
And I’m ready for love
Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
Come on with the rain
I’ve a smile on my face
Yes, happy. Will the Jive Aces, the hit musical act, not the Microsoft cheerleaders get a contract to do the music video for this wonderful news?
The loss of the Yahoo almost exclusive for search, the use of Baidu for search results in China, and the deal with Yandex suggest that Bing may be drifting from its Microsofty technology roots. That is actually okay.
Bing’s index consistently seems to omit results which I can locate in lesser beasts, including Qwant and Unbubble.eu.
I noted this passage as well:
Microsoft has been working to streamline its search and advertising business business for months.
The Bing search system is now an information access portal. Search is important, but the wrappers now differentiate information retrieval from information access. Will the revenues from the new Bing payback previous investments in search? Ask a Microsoft accountant.
Stephen E Arnold, October 28, 2015
Xendo, Can Do
October 23, 2015
While it would be lovely to access and find all important documents, emails, and Web sites within a couple clicks, users usually have to access several programs or individual files to locate their information. Stark Industries wanted users to have the power of Google search engine without compromising their personal security. Xendo is a private, personal search engine that connects with various services, including email servers, social media account, clouds, newsfeeds, and more.
Once all the desired user accounts are connected to Xendo, the search engine indexes all the files within the services. The index is encrypted, so it securely processes them. After the indexing is finished, Xendo will search through all the files and return search results displaying the content and service types related to inputted keywords. Xendo promises that:
“After your initial index is built, Xendo automatically keeps it up-to-date by adding, removing and updating content as it changes. Xendo automatically updates your index to reflect role and permission changes in each of your connected services. Xendo is hosted in some of the most secure data-centers in the world and uses multiple layers of security to ensure your data is secured in transit and at rest, like it’s in a bank vault.”
Basic Xendo search is free for individual users with payments required for upgrades. The basic search offers deep search, unlimited access, and unlimited content, while the other plans offer more search options based on subscription. Xendo can be deployed for enterprise systems, but it requires a personalized quote.
Whitney Grace, October 23, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
University Partners up with Leidos to Investigate How to Cut Costs in Healthcare with Big Data Usage
October 22, 2015
The article on News360 titled Gulu Gambhir: Leidos Virginia Tech to Research Big Data Usage for Healthcare Field explains the partnership based on researching the possible reduction in healthcare costs through big data. Obviously, healthcare costs in this country have gotten out of control, and perhaps that is more clear to students who grew up watching the cost of single pain pill grow larger and larger without regulation. The article doesn’t go into detail on how the application of big data from electronic health records might ease costs, but Leidos CTO Gulu Gambhir sounds optimistic.
“The company said Thursday the team will utilize technical data from healthcare providers to develop methods that address the sector’s challenges in terms of cost and the quality of care. Gulu Gambhir, chief technology officer and a senior vice president at Leidos, said the company entered the partnership to gain knowledge for its commercial and federal healthcare business.”
The partnership also affords excellent opportunities for Virginia Tech students to gain real-world, hands-on knowledge of data research, hopefully while innovating the healthcare industry. Leidos has supplied funding to the university’s Center for Business Intelligence and Analytics as well as a fellowship program for grad students studying advanced information systems related to healthcare research.
Chelsea Kerwin, October 22, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Genentech Joins the Google Enterprise Crew
October 22, 2015
Enterprise search offers customizable solutions for organizations to locate and organize their data. Most of the time organizations purchase a search solution is to become more efficient, comply with procedures for quality compliance, and or to further their business development. The latter usually revolves around sales operation planning, program research, customer service, contracts, and tech sales collateral.
Life sciences companies are but one of the few that can benefit from enterprise search solutions. Genentech recently deployed the Google Search Application to improve the three areas listed above. Perficient explains the benefits of enterprise search for a life science company in the video, “Why Life Sciences Leader Genentech Adopted Google Enterprise Search.”
“‘…we explore why life sciences leader Genentech executed Google Search Appliance. “No company is or should ever be static. You have to evolve,’ said CEO Ian Clark.”
Perficient helps companies like Genentech by customizing a search solution by evaluating the company and identifying the areas where it can be improved the most. They host workshops to evaluate where people in different areas must stop to search for information before returning to the task. From the workshops, Perficient can create a business prototype to take their existing business process and improve upon it. Perficient follows this procedure when it deploys enterprise search in new companies.
The video only explains a short version of the process Perficient deployed at Genentech to improve their business operations with search. A full webinar was posted on their Web site: “Google Search For Life Sciences Companies.”
Whitney Grace, October 22, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Searching Tweets: Just $24,000 per Year
October 21, 2015
Short honk: Love Twitter. Want to search tweets and sort of make sense of the short messages? A new service from Union Metrics is now available, according to “Union Metrics d\Debuts Search Engine That Gives You Access to Twitter’s Entire Archive.” This is a link from News360 which is available, but slowly, to me in South Africa. For you? Who knows?
Here’s the pricing, which I assume is spot on:
Although available to all Social Suite subscribers today, the service costs extra. For $500 per month, companies can access up to 30 days of data from Twitter’s archive. For $1,000 per month, Union Metrics’ Echo 365 plan grants unlimited access to up to a year’s worth of data. Finally, for $2,000 per month, the company’s Echo Full Archive plan grants full access to everything.
Twitter is looking for revenue and customer love. Will this type of tie up help?
Stephen E Arnold, October 21, 2015
Algorithmic Bias and the Unintentional Discrimination in the Results
October 21, 2015
The article titled When Big Data Becomes Bad Data on Tech In America discusses the legal ramifications of relying on algorithms for companies. The “disparate impact” theory has been used in the courtroom for some time to ensure that discriminatory policies be struck down whether they were created with the intention to discriminate or not. Algorithmic bias occurs all the time, and according to the spirit of the law, it discriminates although unintentionally. The article states,
“It’s troubling enough when Flickr’s auto-tagging of online photos label pictures of black men as “animal” or “ape,” or when researchers determine that Google search results for black-sounding names are more likely to be accompanied by ads about criminal activity than search results for white-sounding names. But what about when big data is used to determine a person’s credit score, ability to get hired, or even the length of a prison sentence?”
The article also reminds us that data can often be a reflection of “historical or institutional discrimination.” The only thing that matters is whether the results are biased. This is where the question of human bias becomes irrelevant. There are legal scholars and researchers arguing on behalf of ethical machine learning design that roots out algorithmic bias. Stronger regulations and better oversight of the algorithms themselves might be the only way to prevent time in court.
Chelsea Kerwin, October 21, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
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