IBM: Back to Its Roots with Zest, Actually Spark
April 6, 2016
I read “IBM Launches Mainframe Platform for Spark.” This is an announcement which makes sense to me. The Watson baloney annoys; the mainframe news thrills.
According to the write up:
IBM is expanding its embrace of Apache Spark with the release of a mainframe platform that would allow the emerging open-source analytics framework to run natively on the company’s mainframe operating system.
I noted this passage as well:
The IBM platform also seeks to leverage Spark’s in-memory processing approach to crunching data. Hence, the z Systems platform includes data abstraction and integration services so that z/OS analytics applications can leverage standard Spark APIs. That approach eliminates processing and security issues associated with ETL while allowing organizations to analyze data in-place.
Hopefully IBM will play to its strengths not chase rainbows.
Stephen E Arnold, April 6, 2016
Watson Weakly: Analysis of Harry Potter
April 4, 2016
I noted this write up: “IBM’s Watson Analyzed All the ‘Harry Potter’ Books and Movies — and the Results are Fascinating.” An outfit called Tech Insider appears to have “asked” Watson “what it thought of the Harry Potter original book series and movies.”
IBM, that revenue engine which delights its stakeholders, offered up Vinith Misra, “a research staff member for IBM Watson.”
It appears that Watson did what any second year English major does in between pizza bites and hanging out. Watson “read” the Potter books and “watched” the films. I think Watson was fed movie scripts, but that’s a niggling point. Of course, Watson can handle rich media. Watson is a very capable system for generating some text analytics.
What did Watson discover? I won’t review the findings in one big list of stunners. Let me highlight one finding, which will lure you into the silly listicle. Here you go:
Professor McGonagall ranks the highest of all the characters for intellect.
Useful? Insightful?
IBM’s marketing continues to amaze me. By the way, if I were teaching those college sophomores, I would expect more from an analysis written in a dorm in 15 minutes after a long weekend of partying.
Stephen E Arnold, April 4, 2016
Predictive Analytics on a Budget
March 30, 2016
Here is a helpful list from Street Fight that could help small and mid-sized businesses find a data analysis platform that is right for them—“5 Self-Service Predictive Analytics Platforms.” Writer Stephanie Miles notes that, with nearly a quarter of small and mid-sized organizations reporting plans to adopt predictive analytics, vendors are rolling out platforms for companies with smaller pockets than those of multinational corporations. She writes:
“A 2015 survey by Dresner Advisory Services found that predictive analytics is still in the early stages of deployment, with just 27% of organizations currently using these techniques. In a separate survey by IDG Enterprise, 24% of small and mid-size organizations said they planned to invest in predictive analytics to gain more value from their data in the next 12 months. In an effort to encourage this growth and expand their base of users, vendors with business intelligence software are introducing more self-service platforms. Many of these platforms include predictive analytics capabilities that business owners can utilize to make smarter marketing and operations decisions. Here are five of the options available right now.”
Here are the five platforms listed in the write-up: Versium’s Datafinder; IBM’s Watson Analytics; Predixion, which can run within Excel; Canopy Labs; and Spotfire from TIBCO. See the article for Miles’ description of each of these options.
Cynthia Murrell, March 30, 2016
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Watson Weakly: Another Game. This Time I Spy. Huh?
March 28, 2016
I survived the Go games. In case you have been on an extended vacation, Google’s smart software beat a human at the game of Go. I assume that this smart software did not drive the car which ran into a bus, but that’s another issue.
I then noted “IBM Watson Could Soon Use Artificial Intelligence to Beat You at a Game of I Spy.” I love the use of the word “could.” I prefer supposition to reality. Contrast the satisfaction of “I could go to the gym” with “I am eating potato chips.” Which does IBM prefer? If you answered, “Generate substantial revenue”, you are incorrect.
The write up in question reports that IBM has “updated” Watson. I noted this statement about the updated Watson:
IBM has created a ‘Visual Recognition Demo’ to showcase Watson’s latest trick, which allows users to feed Watson an image before it tells you what it believes it sees. For example, supplying Watson with the image of a tiger throws up the result 77 per cent tiger, 26 per cent wild cat and 63 per cent cat.
In my experience, determining if an animal is a real live and possibly hungry tiger, that error could be darned interesting. On my last trip to Africa, I learned that a hapless trekker discovered that confusing “cat” with “tiger” can have interesting consequences.,
Sigh. IBM appears to be making news out of some image processing capabilities which I have seen in action before. How long “before”? Think more years than IBM has been reporting declining revenues. Watson, what can one do about that? Hello, Watson. Are you there?
Stephen E Arnold, March 28, 2016
Not So Weak. Right, Watson?
March 25, 2016
I read an article which provided to be difficult to find. None of my normal newsreaders snagged the write up called “The Pentagon’s Procurement System Is So Broken They Are Calling on Watson.” Maybe it is the singular Pentagon hooked with the plural pronoun “they”? Hey, dude, colloquial writing is chill.
Perhaps my automated systems’ missing the boat was the omission of the three impressive letters “IBM”? If you follow the activities of US government procurement, you may want to note the article. If you are tracking the tension between IBM i2 and Palantir Technologies, the article adds another flagstone to the pavement that IBM is building to support it augmented intelligence activities in the Department of Defense and other US government agencies.
Let me highlight a couple of comments in the write up and leave you to explore the article at whatever level you choose. I noted these “reports”:
The Air Force is currently working with two vendors, both of which have chosen Watson, IBM’s cognitive learning computer, to develop programs that would harness artificial intelligence to help businesses and government acquisitions officials work through the mind-numbing system.
The write up identifies one of the vendors working on IBM Watson for the US Air Force. The company is Applied Research.
I circled this quote: “The Pentagon’s procurement system is the “perfect application for Watson.”
The goslings and I love “perfect” applications.
How does Watson learn about procurement? The approach is essentially the method used in the mid 1990s by Autonomy IDOL. Here’s a passage I highlighted:
But first Watson must be trained. The first step is to feed it all the relevant documents. Then its digital intellect will be molded by humans, asking question after question, about 5,000 in all, to help understand context and the particular nuance that comes with federal procurement law.
How does this IBM deal fit into the Palantir versus IBM interaction? That’s a good question. What is clear is that the US Air Force has embraced a solution which includes systems and methods first deployed two decades ago.
What’s that about the pace of technology?
Stephen E Arnold, March 25, 2016
Weekly Watson: IBM Watson Has a Sister
March 23, 2016
I read “In Africa, Watson’s Sister Lucy Is Growing Up with the Help of IBM’s Research Team.” I did not know that. According to the write up:
Lucy, named after the fossil ancestor Australopithecus afrarensis, is more of a system than a sci-fi super machine. “Lucy is many things, but it’s not just one talking computer in a room,” said Dr. Kamal Bhattacharya, Director of IBM Research–Africa. “We are using Watson related technology and big data analytics to develop solutions to African problems.”
I have been to different countries in Africa a handful of times. I have seen some of problems first hand. I learned from the description of Lucy, brother of IBM Watson that:
On the execution side, IBM Research Africa has launched problem solving groups around issues such as education, infrastructure, health care, and economic inclusion. Partners include African universities, telcos, hospitals, tech startups, and the Kenyan ICT Authority.
Research is good. Research which helps people is good. My concern is that IBM remains mired in years of revenue challenges. Marketing, not generating benefits for its stakeholders, seems to be a core IBM Watson competency. Also, the company is improving its ability to terminate unneeded employees. Lucy, what’s the fix for declining IBM revenues?
I await word from Watson’s sister?
Stephen E Arnold, March 23, 2016
Watson Weekly: Hotel Flips on an IBM Robot
March 15, 2016
I think customer service at the hotels in which I have stayed is just wonderful. I recall a false fire alarm in Manhattan on a winter’s night, lice in a hotel in Clear Lake, Texas, and no heat after 9 pm in the modern Russian built hotel in February. People really cared about their guests.
Well, humans are not enough if the information in this write up is accurate. Navigate to “IBM Watson Powers Hilton Robot Concierge.” I learned:
A Hilton hotel in McLean, Virginia, has deployed a Watson-powered robot named Connie to help answer basic travel questions.
Wait, wait. No smart fire monitoring system, no automated disinfecting of rooms and bedding, and no smart HVAC?
Well, those are trivial problems.
The Hilton group, which I assume Paris monitors via social media, is
now being tested as an automated concierge at Hilton McLean in Virginia, can call upon various Watson APIs — Dialog, Speech to Text, Text to Speech, and Natural Language Classifier — and WayBlazer’s travel-specific knowledge to answer questions from Hilton guests about nearby attractions, dining options, and hotel services.
I know that using my smart phone is a real hassle. I definitely want to talk with Connie instead of relying on the Apple, Google, and Microsoft services.
Well, it turns out that
The job of concierge was rated “not computerizable” by a 2013 Oxford study titled “The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerization?” and given only a 21% chance of being automated in the next 20 years.
I think I was using my mobile devices to find restaurants, arrange for a car service, and looking up the local Apple store years ago. What do I know? Obviously my sense of history and how to use mobile devices is just what one expects from a person who lives in rural Kentucky.
Watson, when will Connie deal with bedbugs?
Stephen E Arnold, March 15, 2016
Weakly IBM: Watson, Where Are the Revenues?
March 12, 2016
I read “What’s happening at IBM (It’s Dying).” The article has a quote to note. I highlighted this snappy phrase:
Things aren’t going well at all in cloud, analytics, mobile, social and security land. When those kick-in (if they kick-in) IBM will be just one company in a crowd with no particular advantage over the others. IBM used to be able to count on its size, its people, its loyal customers, but all of those are going or gone.
If accurate, the observations in this paragraph are likely to trouble IBM’s stakeholders, partners, and employees.
I noted “KPMG Will Use the Power of IBM’s Watson.” Like the recipe play and the flow of information about curing disease, this tie up appears to unite two important companies in a stirring high technology activity. The article introduces an interesting idea:
IBM and KPMG have announced a partnership today, bringing IBM’s Watson supercomputer to KPMG’s professional services offerings.
Notice that IBM Watson has morphed into a supercomputer. Perhaps the author is exercising a bit of metaphorical freedom? Perhaps Watson is more than Lucene, home brew scripts, and a collection of disparate technologies which IBM acquired?
How will KPMG use the Watson supercomputer? I learned:
Watson will allow KPMG to analyze massive amounts of data with greater ease, delivering insights more quickly. It will also eliminate judgment-driven processes that usually happen in KPMG’s audit, tax, advisory and other professional services.
Google is making its system beat the pants off a human Go player. But Google continues to generate money from its advertising business. The company, in general, seems to be doing the science and math club projects without making headlines with massive layoffs and giving me a flow of material which Jack Benny’s comedy writers could have converted to entertainment gold.
IBM had technology which could have delivered on this Watson promise. Has anyone at IBM exploited the potential of the i2 platform, Cybertap, and other high value information systems? The answer is, “A little bit.”
Unfortunately a bunch of little bits don’t make a bite in the problems Mr. Cringely has identified and been pointing out for years.
Weakly moves IBM. Watson is not much of a bench presser in the heavy revenue gym it appears.
Stephen E Arnold, March 12, 2016
Watson Weakly: Jargon and Resource Allocations
March 9, 2016
In case you missed the news, IBM seems to be trimming its workforce. Does anyone remember Robert X. Cringely’s “IBM Is So Screwed?” I do. I would wager that Mr. Cringely remembers IBM’s suggestion that Mr. Cringely was off base with his analysis.
Perhaps Mr. Cringely is vindicated. I read “IBM Job Cuts: US Tech Giant Begins Mass Firing One Third of Workforce.” Hmmm. One third of a workforce having an opportunity to find its future elsewhere? That sounds like a swell way to greet spring 2016. March in like a lion and march out like a lamb. Is the lamb heading to the local meat packers?
Against this cheerful seasonal background, I want to mention “Moving from Enterprise Search to Cognitive Exploration.” This is a recycling of an earlier white paper for which one must register in order to read or download the document. Please, note that you will have to jump through some hoops to get this March 2016 publication. Do not complain to me about the link, the involvement of a middleman, and the need to provide details about your interest in enterprise search. Take it up with IBM; that is, if someone will take your call or answer your email. Hey, good luck with that.
What’s notable about this white paper is this word pair: Cognitive Exploration. Original? Nah. The phrase turns up in the title of a collection of essays called Cognitive Exploratioin of Language and Linguistics in 1999. The phrase is some of the jingoism from the super reliable psychology linguistics disciplines. IBM has dallied with the phrase for a number of years but in the RA world, the phrase is getting a jump start. An example of IBM’s arguement is that no one no longer runs a search across a customer service database. Nope, one cognitively explores that customer database.
Cognitive Exploration. It flows trippingly on the tongue does it not. IBM does not fire people; IBM RA’s them. (RA. Resource allocation or termination or reduction in force.)
What is Cognitive Exploration? Well, it is Lucene search plus some home brew code and a dollop of acquired technology. IBM’s original commercial enterprise search system (STAIRS) is just not up to the task of cognitively exploring one’s information assets it seems.
The white paper is a tribute to the search buzzwords that have been used by marketers in the past. I just love Cognitive Exploration.
What is it? For the full answer, you will need to read the 13 pages of explanation. Here’s a sampling of the facts in the write up:
Analysts expect the total data created and copied to reach 44 ZB by the year 2020 (Analyst firm IDC). After all, there are more than 204,000,000 emails launched every minute every day (Mashable.com). How do you manage, search, and process that data and turn it into usable information?
Yep, that’s a lot of information. How is an organization going to deal with “all” those zeros and ones? I suppose I would begin by using a system designed to manipulate large data flows. How about Palantir, BAE Systems, Leidos for starters. What no IBM? Bummer.
The IBM argument advances:
To meet today’s expectations, a search system must be able to access all of your important data sources and filter results based on a user’s access permissions within the organization.
I love the “all”. IBM obviously has nailed video, audio, binaries of various types, disparate file types, and dynamic content flows from intercepts, social media, and interesting sources from the Dark Web. I love “all” type solutions. Too bad these are science fiction based on my experience.
The fix is Cognitive Exploration. Thank you, IBM. A new buzzword to explain what search and retrieval has flubbed for — what? — 50 years” IBM explains:
Cognitive exploration is the combination of search, content analytics, and cognitive computing. Not only can cognitive exploration accelerate the rate at which users can find and navigate information; by leveraging advanced technologies such as content analytics, machine learning, and reasoning it has the potential to augment human expertise.
I don’t want to be a party pooper, but this is perilously close to Palantir’s “augmented intelligence” jargon. Attivio, BA Insight, and even the French folks at Sinequa use similar lingo. Me-too’ism at its finest? Nah, this is IBM, the outfit taking Groupon (a discount coupong business) to court for allegedly infringing on Prodigy patents. Prodigy? Remember that online service?
After snoozing through the white paper’s three pillars of Cognitive Exploration, I raced to the the finish line.
Cognitive Exploration involves the i2 type of relationship analysis, some good old fashioned cuddling between search and cognitive computing (think Watson, gentle reader), and a unified view or what a popular novelist calls “God’s eye” view. Please note that IBM offers some examples, but get the numbering wrong. Where is number one? Watson, Watson, can you assist me? Guess not. IBM’s cognitive exploration essay begins counting with number 2. I am okay with zero. I am okay with one. But I am not okay with an enumerated list beginning with the number two. Careless typo? Indifference? Rushing to the RA meeting? Don’t know. Cognitive Watson counts two, three, four, not one, two, three.
At the end of this remarkable description of Cognitive Exploration I learned:
The cognitive capabilities that can be leveraged by Watson Explorer are provided by the IBM Watson platform.
Isn’t this a recycling of some of the early 1990s marketing material from i2 Group Limited, which IBM bought. Isn’t this lingo influenced by Palantir’s explanations of its Gotham platform?
Omitted from the “all” I assume is the seamless interchange of Gotham files with i2 Analyst Notebook and i2 Analyst Notebook with Gotham. The users and customers have to learn that “all,” like Mr. Clinton’s “is” may not be exactly congruent with one’s understanding of “federation” and “unified.”
Enough already. Go for the close:
IBM Watson Explorer unlocks the value within your data, utilizing that information to help employees make well-informed decisions, provide better support, and identify more customers and business opportunities. By reaching across multiple silos of information within your enterprise, search results will include information never previously integrated into single solutions. Users will benefit from search results from all the data in your company, structured and unstructured, and include data from outside as well. Rather than trying to make good decisions with limited insight, cognitive exploration users can now extract and understand all of the valuable information at their fingertips.
With such a wonderful tool at IBM’s disposal, why is IBM’s management unable to generate revenues? Perhaps the silliness of the marketing explanation of Cognitive Exploration does not deliver the results that obviously someone at IBM believes.
I am stuck on that error in numbering, the recycling of Palantir’s marketing lingo, and the somewhat silly phrase “Cognitive Exploration.”
I won’t sail my Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria to that digital shore. I will use Google Earth and tools which I know sort of work.
Stephen E Arnold, March 9, 2016
IBM and Apple Wake Up an App
March 8, 2016
Are we approaching peak app? Not likely if one works at Apple and IBM. I read “SleepHealth Debuts as First ResearchKit App & Study to Support IBM Watson Health Cloud.”
According to the write up, Apple and IBM along with Johnson & Johnson (a fine outfit) and Medtronic (sounds very technical, doesn’t it?) are now on Watson’s band wagon.
The write up states:
Official titled the SleepHealth Mobile Study, IBM’s latest initiative seeks to leverage the advanced sensor suite provided by Apple’s iPhone and Apple Watch, in conjunction with the open source ResearchKit framework, to determine how sleep quality impacts daytime activities, alertness, productivity, general health and medical conditions. The study is being rolled out in partnership with the American Sleep Apnea Association.
It is working. I got tired reading about Watson and the connection between slep and health. Heck, who needs an app. El Chapo wants to be extradited to the US because Mexican jailers won’t let him sleep. No Watson needed if El Chapo is representative of a tired person and clear thinking.
Time for a nap. When I wake up, will Watson have revenues? Will IBM complete its downsizing?
Stephen E Arnold, March 8, 2016
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