ElasticSearch. Version 1.3.3 Available
October 6, 2014
You can download the most recent version of ElasticSearch via the link in the ElasticSearch blog. Navigate to http://bit.ly/1uxnOfN and click the download button. Changes include a fix for shard recovery and corruption occurring when a licensee upgrades an old index.
Stephen E Arnold, October 1, 2014
Harsh Words for Google and Its Search Results
October 5, 2014
Who owns Business Insider? Oh, maybe Amazon, a company with arguably the most ineffective search system available to me. Just try to winnow a list of books by those one can buy right now versus those one can buy at some time in the future? Oh, right. I just read “Here’s the Evidence That Google’s Search Results Are Horribly Biased.”
Now Google is an ad outfit. Pay money and one gets traffic. Seems simple. Google also flogs its own products like the really, really popular Google Search Appliance. Google is battling Amazon in the world of WalMart like cloud cost cutting. Sigh. Is it a surprise that Google has a small amount of self interest in what it does, delivers, and presents? Who argues for precision and recall at Google?
Here’s what I learned:
An internal document recently leaked from Yelp showed how the company believed Google was siphoning off up to 20% of its clicks, directing them to Google’s results. Yelp even persuaded the European Union to reopen an antitrust investigation into the way it said Google abused its 90% share of the European search market to manipulate results. (Business Insider heard Yelp’s intervention came after CEO Jeremy Stoppelman found himself at a dinner in San Francisco this spring with EC president José Manuel Barroso, where he was able to bend Barroso’s ear about Google’s market share.) So Yelp has launched a coalition, including Trip advisor and Consumer Watchdog, under the banner “Focus On The User” to draw attention to the way Google results are displayed.
Yep, revelation. Is it possible for a merchant to influence a Yelp review? Hmmm. Is any “free” search system bias free? Any countries filtering search results or system access to control information flow? Hmmmm.
Stephen E Arnold, October 5, 2014
Management for the Young at Heart
October 5, 2014
With so many search and content processing vendors struggling to meet licensees’ expectations, management insights are needed. When failed webmasters, frustrated academics, or art history majors morph into search experts, poobahs, and wizards—checklists are essential.
I want to point you to this list of items to embrace, particularly if you are young at heart, absent a successful management track record, or someone looking for a shortcut to the affection of your employees.
Navigate to “44 Engineering Management Lessons.” A lesson in this context is more like a statement or exhortation delivered with vocal tones both dulcet and soft.
Here are three “lessons”. I will leave the other 41 to your own study:
No. 5 “Provide administrative support. Schedule issues, coordinate releases, and make sure the bureaucratic machine keeps ticking.
No 12 Don’t make decisions unless you have to. Whenever possible, allow the team explore ideas and make decisions on its own
No. 38 Occasionally someone will push too far. When they do, you have to show a rough edge or you’ll lose authority with your team.
There you go.
Next time stakeholders demand a return on their investment in your search or content processing company, use these tips. If you are “teaching” people about search, integrate these ideas into your lecture.
You cannot lose, at least in the experience of the author of the management lessons, er, big list of statements.
Stephen E Arnold, October 5, 2014
Coveo and Fresh Jargon
October 3, 2014
I spotted some “fresh” jargon from search vendor Coveo. Here are the terms:
- Relevance solutions. The implicit idea is that other vendors’ search systems do not deliver results that are on point to a user. I am not sure how many vendors pay much attention to relevance. In fact, the shift to graphics and reports purport to “answer questions.” These systems may not, but it is an approach that powers some big folks’ innovations. Microsoft Delve, anyone?
- Unified search. The idea is that information can reside in different forms and locations. Presenting search results from these different sources eliminates the need to run queries on different systems. The problem is that “unified,” in my experience does not include certain types of content; for example, snippets from videos or data locked in proprietary systems like the IBM i2 Dot ANB format. Unified or federated search is a term popular with well known companies like Attivio and lesser known companies like Polyspot. The company in my mind most closely associated with this concept is Deep Web Technology. The idea is a good one, but expectations can rise above the actual “federated” experience in my opinion.
I find the creativity evidenced in these examples of jargonizing evidence of three trends:
First, “search” as a buzzword only has impact if qualified in some way; for example, federated, unified, intelligent, etc.
Second, individual vendors are working to try and differentiate themselves from what to many people seem to be identical in form and function. The differentiator boils down to price, the power of the brand, or perceived value of the system endorsed by mid tier consultants like IDC-type or Forrester-type outfits.
Third, the impact of open source alternatives lurks behind these verbal gymnastics. ElasticSearch, whether proprietary vendors are comfortable with the notion or not, offer a way to get search without the lock down that proprietary vendors bring to the party.
Stephen E Arnold, October 2, 2014
dtSearch for Android
October 3, 2014
We see from a write-up at Linux magazine that dtSearch is embracing Android. The press release announces, “New Android Beta for the dtSearch Engine for C++ and Java Developers; Beta Adds Android to Engine’s Current Linux and Windows C++, Java, and ./NET SDKs.” We learn:
“The dtSearch Engine for Android beta will join the existing dtSearch Engine for Linux (native 64-bit/32-bit C++ and Java APIs) and dtSearch Engine for Win & .NET (native 64-bit/32-bit C++, Java and .NET APIs) in making available dtSearch’s instant searching and document filters for a wide range of Internet, Intranet and other commercial applications. (Please see http://www.dtsearch.com/casestudies.html for hundreds of developer case studies.)”
The write-up goes on to give a rundown of dtSearch’s features, like its advanced document filters, terabyte-ready index, limitless multithreaded searching, federated and spider searches, faceted search, and international language support. See the write-up for more on each of these.
Launched in 1991, DtSearch has become a major provider of data-management software to firms in several fields and to numerous government agencies in defense, law enforcement, and space exploration. The company also makes its products available for incorporation into other commercial applications. dtSearch has distributors worldwide, and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.
Cynthia Murrell, October 03, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Search for Internet of Things
October 2, 2014
Yep, IOT or the Internet of Things can be searched. “Thingful Upgrades its Search Engine for the Internet of Things” said:
[Thingful] allows people to find connected devices, from shark monitors to Raspberry Pis, based on the object and where it is located….The idea is to help build a true community of connected devices and use the resources and data already around us, as opposed to running out and building a system from scratch.
I ran a query for traffic cams Washington, DC. The system showed one hit. I think there are more in that area. One feature of the service is that I could click on the purple locator and view the cam after I logged into Thingful via Twitter or Facebook. I passed, but you may be an avid IOT person and be more adventuresome than I.
The service does not seem to poke into the industrial side of interconnected gizmos. General Electric, which is more than IOT lighting fixtures, and others are moving quickly in this space.
You can find Thingful at www.thingful.net.
Stephen E Arnold, October 2, 2014
Psychopaths in Training: Successful MBAs, Lawyers, and Accountants
October 1, 2014
I read “The Unexpected Consequences of Success.” For some reason, my Overflight system is gathering ever increasing numbers of management silliness. If management worked, would not PIMCO avail itself of the methods and demonstrate that it could retain staff, generate returns of little interest to the SEC, and stop institutional investors from withdrawing a few dollars here and there?
The write up states:
People often prepare for failure, but rarely prepare for what they will do when they succeed. Even when we consciously want to be successful, enjoying that success can be a challenge.
In the 1980s, one of the challenges Booz, Allen & Hamilton faced was that some senior people dumped their wives and formed a relationship with their assistants. The rationalization I heard was that the assistants “knew” what the senior Booz person was going through and could, therefore, be a better partner. I am not sure how the firm worked this out, nor do I care.
Other management challenges exist. I spent several hours with a CEO of a Silicon Valley company who was coming unglued before my eyes. In addition to the long, unkempt hair, the person had embraced various New Age concepts. The person ignored email and allowed the usually chaotic programmers to behave more like a crowd in Henderson, Missouri.
With a matter of weeks, the company had become the subject of a vicious analysis in a zippy San Francisco blog. As far as I know, the individual is now either surfing or working at an organic farm.
When I sent a copy of an article titled “Research shows there could be increased numbers of psychopaths in high levels of business,” the recipient (an investment banker) replied, “Yikes, Wall Street stress?” Nope, psychopathic behavior.
According the the HBR, at least the success part of the job can be handled with several easy-to-implement tips:
- Don’t do victory laps. I think this means buy a LaFerrari and drive it to lunch when you fire people.
- Focus on the value you bring, not on winning per se. Nope, the winning is evident when the Charlie Sheen type winner get a bonus.
- Stay in the here and now. I think this means do not become psychotic, dependent on banned substances, or a modern version of Julius Caesar.
- Reach higher. I think this means, “Be more like Alexander.” That worked out well for him at least for three decades.
I am not sure how these pronouncements will help out the dozens upon dozens of search and content processing companies thrashing around for money. But it is good to know that there are four tips to ensure that old MBA trajectory of success.
Stephen E Arnold, October 1, 2014
A New Search Engine For Healthcare
October 1, 2014
Imagine being able to shop and purchase health insurance and find healthcare like you were booking a trip? That was the basic idea for Whatclinic.com, described as a TripAdvisor website was designed to meet the demands of South Africa’s healthcare’s needs. IT News Africa has more information in the article, “Global Healthcare Search Engine Launches In SA.”
According to the press release, there are already 500 clinics on the Web site and the numbers is expected to double in the next three months. The information on the clinics includes hours of operation, location, staff, treatments, price, and staff. Like TripAdvisor, people can leave comments and ratings.
“ ‘Our value proposition is based on empowering patients with easily accessible and centralized information to help them make informed decisions about their treatment… specifically, where to source the right treatment for them,’ says [Caelen King, founder of WhatClinic].”
It is no surprise that online healthcare research is growing. WhatClinic.com reports that 15.7 million people use the Web site and projections only show that will increase. There are similar services in America, but WhatClinic should investigate coming to the US or a startup could nab the idea.
Whitney Grace, October 01, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Cheerleading for dtSearch
September 30, 2014
Short honk: Want to read how one dtSearch user just loves the desktop search system to death? Navigate to “dtSearch: How to handle Big or even Biggish Data.” What strikes me is the write up’s creation of a new buzzword: biggish. dtSearch has been around since 1991 and is now at version 7. The system was once Microsoft centric, but a version for Android is allegedly in beta testing.
The write up states:
The performance of dtSearch is truly impressive and the fact that it’s not only fast but can handle Big Data makes it ideal for all sorts of heavy lifting searches as well as digital forensics; indeed, the company has extensive advice on how to use dtSearch for just that purpose.
There a a few, apparently minor downsides:
There are some things dtSearch doesn’t do such as exporting the data from only one or more indexed fields (for example, just “Sender” and “Date”) although exporting to CSV and importing into Excel allows you to slice and dice the data with ease. My only other criticism of dtSearch is that its user interface looks a little dated.
No information about the time required to add additional content to the index. What happens when dtSearch hits a Drobo with a terabyte of text? Answer: it takes days to index the content collection.
The big plus for dtSearch is not mentioned. In my opinion, dtSearch is one of the few remaining commercial personal desktop search solutions. Exalead and ISYS Search Software have left the field of battle. Freeware and shareware products have an odd predilection to crash and burn.
Check out dtSearch at www.dtsearch.com.
Stephen E Arnold, September 30, 2014
Search: Just an Activity
September 30, 2014
Well, this is going to be a surprise for some folks at Google. After building a brand and habit for the search box at Google.com, search is just an activity. I leaned this in “Search Is No Longer a Destination. It’s an Activity.”
If I am an advertiser using AdWords or Facebook’s mechanism, I just want sales. Does the shift from activity to destination increase the value of a Facebook ad versus a Google ad.
The article points out:
Search engines have always had a hard time differentiating themselves to the masses. While digital marketers love analyzing the differences between algorithms, targeting methods, and result page layouts, the average person can’t tell much of a difference. That’s why for years “Google.com” was one of the top searches on Yahoo. That’s why despite some very clever (in my opinion) “Bing It On” TV commercials and some great case studies, Bing has had a very difficult time winning search traffic away from Google. As long as users aren’t dissatisfied with the results, they’ll keep searching wherever is convenient – often without even realizing what search engine they’re using.
Well, I am not sure that “always” is exactly on target. I think Chemical Abstracts differentiates itself quite well from Bing, Google, and a query about torts passed against Lexis. I know. I know. The article is aimed at folks who think about search in terms of Google, not the context of search and its more uninteresting manifestations.
The one point that I noted as fodder for my files was this one:
Context is the key element that powers these new search experiences. While some still contain a box where you can enter a query, their core functionality is around understanding and anticipating the searcher’s needs in the moment based on secondary signals like location, history, and other personal data the user chooses to share. And should the user need answers outside of this proactive information, voice search is the primary point of interaction.
I suppose I should be cheered that Delve, Microsoft’s search for Office 365, is going to get some blogger love. I am not exactly how a person looking for specific information will go about that task if accounts to commercial databases are not affordable and information access becomes an app.
I do not need to worry. The author provides this glimpse of the benefits of the death of traditional search:
No matter what format search marketing may take in the future, brands that build their strategy around providing valuable answers to their customers’ questions will continue to drive success in search – regardless of how the consumer searches, or if they even know what engine they’re using.
Right. When someone looks for a household cleanser, those ads for big name consumers products will fill the bill. How reassuring.
Stephen E Arnold, September 30, 2014
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
