Real Canines and False Teeth
January 3, 2010
Read Staci Kramer’s “News Corp, Time Warner Cable Reach Deal Without Blackouts; Scripps Still On Bubble”. Rupert Murdoch’s threats succumbed to common sense and money, or was it money and common sense. Here, in my opinion, is the key point:
The deal announced some 19 hours after the New Year’s Eve midnight deadline covers the Fox television stations, Fox, Fox Cable Networks and Fox’s Regional Sports Networks for TWC’s 13 million households. It also applies to Bright House Networks’ 2.4 million subs; the operator has a heavy presence in Florida, which means a particular interest in avoiding black screens when Florida meets Cincinnati in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
So what? I think it makes it clear that Mr. Murdoch may berate the Google, but when the money or the common sense clicks in, there will be a deal. Quite a negotiator that Mr. Murdoch. I really like his references to quality journalism and other bits of business confetti. Money and common sense or common sense and money.
Stephen E. Arnold, January 3, 2010
A freebie, gentle reader, a freebie. Maybe I should email spam Mr. Murdoch for mentioning his negotiating skills? He spammed me in 2009. I will report my work-for-free mode to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Mr. Murdoch wants to preserve the historic approach to information I think.
Netflix Jumps to Amazon
January 2, 2010
Want to enrage a giant, Oracular bull?
Bad news for Oracle, IBM as reported by Computerworld.com: Netflix is transferring its datacenter from Oracle on IBM hardware to Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) in an effort to save capital. The switch comes as Netflix’s customer count is headed through the roof, and thus the cost and un-reliability of maintaining or expanding the existing data centers is becoming too great a burden.
Netflix was already patronizing AWS for other less critical applications like customer interfacing and even announced last May its intention to expand this relationship. They weren’t kidding around. The decision is prompted by three major cost points. First, Oracle on IBM is inherently “very expensive”. Second, it would have required long hours and great effort for Netflix to build their own data center when systems are added to AWS’s cloud with ease. And finally, “EC2’s pay-as-you-go model means costs are elastic,” so no more paying for unused resources stranded on service contract.
Besides those direct cost reductions, this transition will free up other engineering resources required to baby-sit the existing infrastructure to be re-tasked in other areas.
Netflix makes some compelling arguments here; it doesn’t take long for the dominoes to fall. Wonder if other companies will realize the same thing and follow suit. It would be prudent for Oracle, IBM to investigate what upgrade options exist to be more competitive with AWS and to prevent further customer turnover.
Sarah Rogers, January 2, 2011
Freebie
Chief Economist of Google Invents a Search Tool for Advertising
December 21, 2009
Most companies don’t have a chief economist. Google has a chief economist. The economist is Hal R. Varian.
Dr. Varian has good paper.
Dr. Varian worked on a Google team which includes other Google wizards. The invention is “search tool advertising”. Definitely clear. In prose any patent attorney would be proud to claim, US2009/0299816 says:
A content item is presented to at least one user via a first medium, where the content item identifies a target concept. The first medium can be, for instance, radio, television, print advertisements, or the Internet. The number of requests at a search tool for the target concept are measured subsequent to the presentation of the content item in the first medium. The difference (e.g, increase or decrease) in use of a second medium, e.g., the Internet, subsequent to the presentation of the content item in the first medium can be measured, which can be used to modify a value associated with a subsequent presentation of the content item using the first medium.
Speaks volumes, doesn’t it?
The diagrams are abstract. The claims, all 30 of them, make clear that the Google is moving forward with the use of semi autonomous agents to assemble content. Although focused on advertising, the “assembly” plumbing can be seen elsewhere in Google’s open source information. (You think I am going to list these co-occurrences in a free Web log? Wrong.)
Several points strike me of interest:
- The invention applies to text and other media; for example, television or radio
- Metrics make the little method hum; that is, data from the system feed back and inform subsequent decisions the semi autonomous agents make
- The use of the word “publisher” makes clear that the “digital Gutenberg” is alive and kicking. See [0030].
Stephen E. Arnold, December 21, 2009
Oyez, oyez, this is a freebie. I want to disclose this fact to the Economic Adjustment Office. Google competitors will have to make some adjustments due to Google economics. Where better to report and seek succor?
Google and TV
December 20, 2009
Short honk: With NBC in the Comcast camp, network television is disrupted. Two different outfits have spoken with me about Google’s technical capabilities in “television”. That information is buried amidst Google’s technical math speak. I can direct the two or three readers of this Web log to the image below and ask a few questions, which I don’t plan on answering. I wrote briefly about Fast Flip and neglected to put in a link that explains the number of Google partners for the service. You can get the details in eBrand’s “Google Adds 50 New Media Partners To “Fast Flip” Online News Project.” Note the “mobile version” link.
Now let’s do some of that B school and law school hypothetical stuff. Here’s an image from Google News, December 19, 2009, about 1 pm Eastern:
Notice the three “red” blobs. In my opinion, those are metaphorical drops of blood from the wounds that Google is about to inflict on the TV satraps.
Now the media survivability questions:
- What happens if Google generates a list of links to current videos that match a user’s history and other data?
- What happens when the post 1994 crowd uses mobile devices as their primary means of obtaining video content?
- Who can monetize these services?
- Have you seen Google TV?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you may want to do some Google technical paper reading. The “Sergey and Larry eat pizza” non fiction studies of Google may not nail the correct answers these questions.
Stephen E. Arnold, December 21, 2009
I wish to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where some crazed and now unemployed media mavens may end up unless they plan for a new career, that this post is a free, public-service questionnaire.
Alternative Cinema
December 1, 2009
I had no idea what the phrase “alternative cinema” meant when I saw the headline “Alternative Cinema Content to Pass $500 Mil”. I do know what $500 million means. The article explains
The research from Screen Digest puts the global market in alternative content — think live opera screenings or traditional theater productions — to hit $526 million in five years, up from the lowly $45.7 million reached by the end of 2008. And while the U.S. market laid claim to two thirds of global revenues gathered from such content, Screen Digest says that will likely fall to under 50% as the appetite for non-movie programming across the rest of the world grows. The report entitled “Alternative Content in Cinemas: Market assessment and forecasts to 2014” says the cinema is fast becoming a “multi-arts venue” with the last two years posting a growth in alternative programming on the back of a boom in digital cinema screen technology.
I get it. As 20 somethings do other things and old geese like me stay home to watch the pips on our heart monitors, owners of motion picture complexes have to find a new draw. Vaudeville is too expensive. The occasional super church rental too dependent on one hour blocks on certain days. The birthday rentals are becoming less appealing even to the country club set. So what’s a cinema owner to do? Money give-aways are illegal.
The article makes clear that something is giving way beneath the foundation of the traditional cinema fare. The blockbusters ring the PC based cash register, but the day-to-day cash flow is less exciting. The article says:
The research from Screen Digest puts the global market in alternative content — think live opera screenings or traditional theater productions — to hit $526 million in five years, up from the lowly $45.7 million reached by the end of 2008. And while the U.S. market laid claim to two thirds of global revenues gathered from such content, Screen Digest says that will likely fall to under 50% as the appetite for non-movie programming across the rest of the world grows. The report entitled “Alternative Content in Cinemas: Market assessment and forecasts to 2014” says the cinema is fast becoming a “multi-arts venue” with the last two years posting a growth in alternative programming on the back of a boom in digital cinema screen technology.
Boy, this sounds a lot like what I can do sitting in front of my trusty iMac, my Windows 7 notebook, my Smartphone, or my flat screen TV which is hooked up to an Apple TV and a Mac Mini. With the Google offering lots of content, I wonder how the worlds of pay-per-view mixed martial arts, Googzilla, and guys hanging out around the moguls’ swimming pools in LA will intersect. Another disruption building force. Will the Google break through the crust of cluelessness? I don’t know. Maybe the answer will be on the new Google TV show.
Stephen Arnold, December 1, 2009
I officially disclose to the US Geological Survey that my seismic analogy was an uncompensated metaphor. That’s more than I can say of Bill Shakespeare, who had some patrons.
Google and Its Desired Repositories
November 21, 2009
I find “desired repositories” quite enticing. I was going to call this write up “A Repository Named Desire” but I was fearful that some lawyer responsible for the Tennessee Williams’ play would object. Most of the Sergey-and-Larry-eat-pizza Google pundits follow the red herrings dragged by the Googlers toward the end of each week. Not me. I pretty much ignore the Google public statements because those have a surreal quality for me. The messages seem oddly disconnected from what Google’s deep thinkers are * actually doing *. When Google does a webinar, it is too late for the competitors to do much more than go to their health club and work off their frustrations.
That looks simple. From US20090287664. Notice that the types of repositories are extensible.
If you want to see some of the fine tuning underway with the Google plumbing, take a peek at 20090287664, Determination of a Desired Repository. This is a continuation of a 2005(!) invention in case you thought the method looked familiar. You can find the write up at your favorite US government Web site, the USPTO. (Don’t you just love that search interface. Someone told me that the search engine was from OpenText, and I am trying to verify that statement.)
Here’s what caught my attention:
A system receives a search query from a user and searches a group of repositories, based on the search query, to identify, for each of the repositories, a set of search results. The system also identifies one of the repositories based on a likelihood that the user desires information from the identified repository and presents the set of search results associated with the identified repository.
Seems obvious, right? Now think of this at Google scale. Different problem? It is in my book. What has the Google accomplished? Just one claim. Desired repositories at Google scale.
Stephen Arnold, November 21, 2009
Again, I want to report to the USPTO that I was not paid to write yet another cryptic comment about a Google plumbing invention.
Google and Hollywood in the 1920s
November 17, 2009
Short honk: In Google: The Digital Gutenberg I discuss the way in which those sharp pencil, strong handshake fellows Louis Burt Mayer and Samuel Goldwyn ran their businesses. If your knowledge of Hollywood lore is murky, think “control” and “vertical integration”. You can get a glimpse of the challenges rich media faces when you read “YouTube Unveils Tool to Connect News Organizations with Citizen Journalists”. I have scanned a number of write ups about this digital “train roundhouse” but none of them focuses on the point that struck me when I read Google’s patent documents and technical papers about the firm’s “matching” innovations. Think in terms of having an “individualized Google” generate your own programming line up. Not enough? Envision your wanting to hire a person to make your video. No problem because Google can connect a person looking for rich media talent with that buyer. Distribution? Google’s own system. Search? Already in place. Monetization? Two choices: you do it yourself or allow Google to pump ads into your space. Either way you get money. I could go on, but I think the folks obsessing about traditional publishing may want to cast their eyes at the future of rich media. Books are a pleasant diversion but another disruption is building momentum. Don’t think Google can be like Louis and Sam? Ask your local telco wizard about Google and telephony. Same strategy. Different theater, and the show will be playing on the computing devices of the children of today’s TV, studio, and cable executives. Just my opinion.
Stephen Arnold, November 17, 2009
Oyez, oyez, National Endowment for the Arts, I was not paid to point out that the Google is moving to disrupt and reshape another information sector.
Clop Cloppity Clop Clop: The Sound of Google in Education
November 14, 2009
I don’t want to belabor the obvious, but educational publishers may want to keep a close eye on the Google. The firm has been gaining traction in education at an increasingly rapid pace since 2006, the pivotal year in case you have been following my analyses of Google. If you are unaware of the Google as a one stop shop for education, you may want to read “Gone Google at Educause 2009”. A key passage in this write up was in my opinion:
Lots has happened over the past year especially: more than 100 new features have rolled out in Google Apps, we’ve engaged well over six million students and faculty (a 400% increase since this time last year), launched free Google Message Security for K-12 schools and have integrated with other learning services such as Blackboard and Moodle. These developments are just the beginning. According to the newly-released 2009 Campus Computing survey statistics, 44% of colleges and universities have converted to a hosted student email solution, while another 37% are currently evaluating the move. Of those that have migrated, over half — 56% precisely — are going Google.
Course materials? Coming in saddle bags strapped to Googzilla. Clop Cloppity Clop Clop—One of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse heading your way?
Stephen Arnold, November 14, 2009
I wish to report to the Defense Commissary Agency that I was fed one donut at my father’s assisted living facility. However, writing this article and the payment of a small donut are in no way related. The donut was better than the one at got at McDill too.
Exalead Nabs ACM Award at the Multimedia Grand Challenge
November 5, 2009
Last year, I had an opportunity to test drive the Exalead video search system Voxalead. I admit that several Exalead engineers bought me lunch and asked about computer use in Harrod’s Creek. I was sufficiently impressed with the Exalead’s engineers to make a short video about the service. At that time, few in the US were aware of Exalead’s system for converting video or any rich media into searchable content. Once converted a user can query the content and see a results list with the exact point in the video relevant to the query available with a mouse click. No more serial hunting.
The lunch was good but the technology was better. Upon my return to the US, I received a number of questions about the technology. I learned earlier this week that ACM awarded Exalead an award for this invention. Exalead told me:
Voxalead News lets you search for keywords inside videos, rather than simply searching limited external information like titles or descriptions. A tremendous timesaver, Voxalead further lets you jump right to the point in the video in which your search term is used! The Voxalead demonstration currently offers search in four languages (English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic) across a select set of news sources.
Since the award, Exalead has received inquiries about the technology from organizations in media, publishing, eDiscovery, competitive intelligence, and social networking.For more information, visit the Multimedia Grand Challenge 2009 Web page. You can also test drive Voxalead News and other Exalead innovations at the Exalabs site.
A happy quack to the Exalead team. Next time I am in Paris, I want another free lunch.
Stephen Arnold, November 5, 2009
The US Army is officially notified that I wrote this article because I liked that Exalead lunch and because I still think Voxalead is one of the most useful rich media search systems I have tested. Yes, a one star French meal makes this goose quite fat and happy, thank you.
Google and Its Video Ecosystem
November 2, 2009
The Guardian’s “Google Seeks to Turn a Profit from YouTube Copyright Clashes” is one of those “close but no cigar” write ups about the GOOG. The point of the story is that Google can work with copyright holders to monetize videos on YouTube.com. The idea is that content can generate cash and the copyright owners become Google partners, not enemies. The article references Google’s digital fingerprint technology which is disclosed in one of Google’s open source documents. The story had an interesting factoid:
At the moment YouTube says it streams 7bn videos a week and only 1bn of those are monetized. Of those 1bn, a third make money through the ContentID system.
The point that is omitted is that Google’s method makes it possible for a copyright holder to use Google as an integrated motion picture company just like those the Hollywood moguls of old assembled in the analog days. Google does it digitally and shifts the monetization load to copyright holders if those folks want to take control of the process. Check the eyeball count for YouTube.com here.
Stephen Arnold, November 2, 2009
Not a penny for this write up, trusted US Postal Service.
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