How to Create Solutions in Software: The Cloud and More
November 8, 2019
DarkCyber is working on a white paper. This white paper is about Amazon AWS and its products/services for LE and intel professionals. Don’t worry, the white paper will be free to those affiliated with an enforcement organization.
In that white paper, DarkCyber’s team includes a diagram with layers. One of the reviewers of the paper told a team member:
Layers. What’s AWS? A birthday cake?
We talked about our diagram and the notion of layers. One person talked about “Layers in Software: From Data to Value.” The article included this diagram, which is different from the illustration in the DarkCyber white paper, but it conveys the same message. Here’s the Jessitron image:
The main idea is explained this way:
Feature teams need to do everything, from the old perspective. But that’s too hard for one team — so we make it easier.
This is where Developer Experience (DevEx) teams come in. (a.k.a. Developer Productivity, Platform and Tools, or inaccurately DevOps Teams.) These undergird the feature teams, making their work smoother. Self-service infrastructure, smooth setup of visibility and control for production software. Tools and expertise to help developers learn and do everything necessary to fulfill each team’s purpose. Internal services are supported by external services. Managed services like Kubernetes, databases, queueing, observability, logging: we have outsourced the deep expertise of operating these components. Meanwhile, internal service teams like DevEx have enough understanding of the details, plus enough company-specific context, to mediate between what the outside world provides and what feature teams need. This makes development smoother, and therefore faster and safer. We once layered by serving data to software. Now we layer by serving value to people.
This is a useful explanation. It applies to Amazon’s approach to the LE and intel sector. There is a twist in the Amazon digital river of products and services. That’s to be expected.
What is that twist?
The white paper will be out one the reviewers complete their inputs.
Stephen E Arnold, November 8, 2019
Azure Stability, Bonked Win 10 Updates, and C for Credge
November 4, 2019
Yep, do the ABCs. I spotted “Microsoft’s Edge Browser Gets a New Chromium Logo.” The main point of the story is a log for Microsoft’s version of the Google Chrome browser. Some pundits have dubbed this shotgun marriage of two giants with thoughts of an unassailable market position Credge. Here’s the logo in its swirliness.
Perhaps the effort put into this Credgey logo took away from some other tasks at the new Microsoft; for example, the Fast Search engine “improvements”, making Microsoft Word’s image placement more intuitive after many, many years, and providing clear, simple explanations for common problems?
What’s DarkCyber’s assessment of the Credge logo? It appears that someone (possibly a contractor) knows how to manipulate Adobe Illustrator gradients.
But the logo looks a bit like this antecedent from Deposit Photos, a photo and vector image licensing vendor:
Maybe, just maybe, Azure issues, botched updates, and a possibly derivative logo are more difficult than fiddling with stock art?
Stephen E Arnold, November 4, 2019
What Country Is Number One in AI?
November 4, 2019
China says, “It is not our country.” The US says, “It is not our country.”
“China Experts: US Still Out Front in Tech Race Despite Pentagon Claim” presents the Chinese side of the argument. There’s nothing like the “I’m just a back country AI expert. What do I know?” argument.
Abacus News states:
Chinese experts said China’s progress had been exaggerated and many of its achievements were only partial successes so far.
We noted this statement used to support the “we’re behind” argument:
“The US military wants more budget, more new equipment, more new R&D projects. And the theory of a China threat is, of course, a handy excuse,” Ni [Lexiong, a Shanghai-based military commentator] said.
Whom does one believe?
DarkCyber believes that one need only look at the demographics of computer scientist, engineering, and mathematics students in MA and PhD programs to get a sense of where technology innovation is heading.
What are those data? What’s the demographics in the US and China? What percentage of graduates from each country’s top schools remain in country?
Without these data, the assertions are meaningless. With these data, the Chinese assertion may not reveal the scope of the country’s information efforts.
Stephen E Arnold, November 4, 2019
Moderation: Feedback Loops Are Not Particularly Interested… Unless
November 3, 2019
I read the Los Angeles Review of Books’ essay “Why Technologists Fail to Think of Moderation as a Virtue and Other Stories About AI.” The write up explores Possible Minds: 25 Ways of Looking at AI. The essay and Possible Minds are worth reading.
DarkCyber wants to add one very small, probably angstrom-sized point:
Technology thrives on feedback loops.
Like a screech from the sound system in a 1960s’ school auditorium, feedback loops are not into moderation. The one attribute some of the most interesting technology giants share is the thrill of a fast ride on a feedback loop. Amazon is not alone with momentum, flywheels, and magnetism.
Do something. Money arrives. Do that something again. Money arrives. Like the auditorium’s sound system, zap. Whine.
Stephen E Arnold, November 3, 2019
MIT and Mendacity
September 27, 2019
I am back from a fun series of locations. Nifty USSR style apartment blocks, big statues, and weird refrigerator magnets. I missed the thrill and excitement of MIT’s struggles with ethics and money. (Spoiler: Money won it seems.)
I noted this write up a few moments ago:
This MIT Press Reader article observes:
It isn’t possible for everyone to live on principle; as a practical matter, many of us must make compromises in asymmetrical relationships, without the control or consent for which we might wish. In those situations — everyday 21st-century life — there are still ways to carve out spaces of resistance, counterargument, and autonomy.
Good to know about the irrelevance of principle. MIT thinking in full bloom.
Embrace obfuscation; for example:
Obfuscation assumes that the signal can be spotted in some way and adds a plethora of related, similar, and pertinent signals — a crowd which an individual can mix, mingle, and, if only for a short time, hide.
You get the idea. Deception.
John Kenneth Galbraith was on the right track. He allegedly said:
Among all the world’s races, some obscure Bedouin tribes possibly apart, Americans are the most prone to misinformation. This is not the consequence of any special preference for mendacity, although at the higher levels of their public administration that tendency is impressive. It is rather that so much of what they themselves believe is wrong.
On my flight back to the US, I read “How an Élite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.” The New Yorker makes clear that MIT’s attempts to cover up (obfuscate) its relationship with Mr. Epstein, the deceased person of interest with allegedly improper interests in young girls, did not work.
But there’s more. I read “M.I.T. Media Lab, Already Rattled by the Epstein Scandal, Has a New Worry” which stated in the typical New York Times manner:
Four researchers who worked on OpenAg said in interviews with The New York Times that Mr. Harper had made exaggerated or false claims about the project to its corporate sponsors, a group that included the retail giant Target, as well as in interviews with the news media.
Enough already.
How does one spell “mendacity”? Does it start with the letter “M”?
I wonder if top flight academic institutions are what they seem. Maybe some institutions are obfuscating but failing.
I wonder if there is a Bulgarian refrigerator magnet for doing the best one can under difficult circumstances.
Stephen E Arnold, September 27, 2019
Apple, Google, and Avid: The Perils of Complexity and Arrogance
September 27, 2019
Apple wants to make Mac users safe. The technology Apple uses requires passwords. Behind the scenes, Apple’s zeros and ones are beavering away to make Mac use a breeze. The trick? Just stick with Apple.
Google wants to point fingers at Apple iPhone and get Chrome on every Mac computer. Ads, surveillance, and real estate are probably motives. The Googlers are darned confident that their code is just peaches. Imagine the pain and shame of posting an admission of sorts that Google nukes some Macs. See this post. (Bonus time?)
Then there is Avid. To prevent the ethical lads and lasses in Hollywood and other video hot spots from pirating software, dongles are the answer. That’s Avid’s policy. No dongle, no go.
The problem is that none of these confident (maybe arrogant?)outfits think about the unknown dependencies within users’ computers. There are too many users. There are too many combinations of software and dongles.
The solution is to assume that everything will work. But when it doesn’t, the arrogant outfits have to explain that:
- Their code may not be perfect
- The security procedures may cause problems
- The dongle things add complexity.
Will these types of issues become more frequent? Will smart software avoid these problems? Will pigs fly?
Stephen E Arnold, September 27, 2019
Chef Cooks Up a Management Stew
September 24, 2019
What happens when a programmer deletes open source software? The answer is to cancel a contract with the US government.
Information about this interesting not-so-passive resistance moment surfaced on the Chef blog. Barry Crist allegedly wrote:
While I and others privately opposed this and various other related policies, we did not take a position despite the recommendation of many of our employees. I apologize for this. I had hoped that traditional political checks and balances would provide remedy and that our relationship with our various government customers could avoid getting intermingled with these policies. However, it is clear that checks and balances have not provided relief to the fundamental issues of the policies in question. Chef, as well as other companies, can take stronger positions against these policies that violate basic human rights. Over the past year, many of our employees have constructively advocated for a change in our position, and I want to thank them.
The fix?
Do not renew the US government contracts. Donate money to groups “that help vulnerable people impacted by the policy of family separation and detention.”
Vice describes the employee’s deleting code and the Chef decision to dump US government contracts this way:
a ballooning activism community within tech companies and the broader tech community.
DarkCyber finds the employee push back interesting for several reasons:
- The failure of management to manage is a characteristic of a number of technology-centric firms
- Employee activism can derail a company’s business processes
- The push back appears at this point in time a function associated with educated professionals.
Without a resolution, will US government agencies turn to non-US companies to provide needed software and systems?
Will employees demand a say in what a commercial enterprise does to generate revenue to pay those who work for the organization?
Will stakeholders tolerate intentional erosion of revenues because employees can destroy or possibly corrupt data, software, and systems because of a personal perception about rightness?
Will the digital Druckers at Gartner, Gerson Lehrman, and Booz Allen offer advice which solves this management puzzle?
Without organization and span of control, work at some firms may be difficult to complete in a satisfactory manner. Getting paid to do work was a contract. An employee does this task and gets paid. If the employee does not do the work or destroys that work, the contract is broken.
Then what?
Stephen E Arnold, September 24, 2019
Quantum Wampum: Public Relations Output
September 23, 2019
Quantum computing generates PR wampum. Forget useful, cost effective, programmable computation. PR may be the true measure of quantum goodness.
Google modestly suggested that its wizards and wizardettes have achieve “quantum supremacy.” As I said, understated, tasteful. A Google-infused report explains that “Its quantum computer can solve tasks that are otherwise unsolvable.” CNet has the details.
IBM, not to be outdone, will roll out for your personal use a 53-qubit quantum computer in six or seven weeks. In fact, according to ExtremeTech:
The new 53-bit quantum computer will join the array of devices available through IBM’s Quantum Computation Center, which currently offers 10 quantum computers — five 20-qubit systems, one 14-qubit system, and four 5-qubit systems. Within a month, it’ll have 14 systems running, including the new 53-qubit machine.
And, IBM is positioning these devices as a “commercial” product / service.
Imagine. Cloud access to a quantum computer and an online ad vendor declaring itself the Big Dog in qubits. What’s next? More PR seems probable.
Stephen E Arnold, September 23, 2019
Information Technology Outsourcing: Good or Bad?
September 18, 2019
One of the early twentieth century woes was outsourcing IT jobs. These jobs were sent to India, China, and other places in Asia. The outsourcing was a topic for comedy sketch shows and a political slogan for right and left wingers. There is more to IT outsourcing than we think, especially in the United Kingdom. Computer Weekly shares a new side about IT sourcing in the article, “IT Outsourcing Is Increasing, But Not As We Know It.” There is nothing new bout the growing demand for IT workers, but service providers have changed what they offer their customers.
The outsourcing statistics are worrying for the United Kingdom economy, because Whitelane Research and PA Consulting discovered that 71% of UK organizations plan to outsource the same amount or more of their services in 2019, according to a survey of 760 IT deals. The same study showed that the same organizations are going to insource less at 16%, compared to 22% in 2018. The main reasons for the outsourcing is how traditional service providers are being changed to meet customer demands and businesses streamline operations, such as automation, AI, and mobile apps.
An IT expert said:
“ ‘Technology-driven challenger organizations are transforming the way services are delivered and consumed across sectors,’ said Manish Khandelwal, IT transformation expert at PA Consulting.”
The traditional service providers might be changing, but they, along with smaller players, are increasing their IT spending. The same IT expert observed:
“’Technology investments are growing, presenting significant opportunities for established service providers and new entrants with differentiated offerings,’ said Khandelwal. ‘Service providers that are able to transition from traditional delivery and commercial models without compromising the service quality are looking at an exciting future ahead.’”
Organizations want to meet their customers’ demands, while achieving their business goals at the same time. This requires changing the traditional service structure, but also how companies are established and how they spend their money. It does not look good for growing local economies, but it could offer individuals the ability to start businesses when they might never had the chance. It is tough balance to keep, but no one knows what the results will be.
Whitney Grace, September 18, 2019
Skip the Nose Ring. Think Cyborg Implants
September 16, 2019
Ah, cyborgs! Cyborgs are the invention of science fiction, a combination of a human with robotic parts. Some people with artificial limbs with robotic components could be considered cyborgs. A full blown cyborg, however, is still in the future, but it is not that far away. Fast Company reports on one man’s dream to combine humans and machine: “Yuval Noah Harari: Humans Are On The Verge Of Merging With Machines.”
Harari spoke at the Fast Company European Innovation Festival in Milan about how humans and machines are closer than ever to becoming one. He pointed how Apple, Facebook, Google, and other technology companies created an online reality. Harari said that technology, such as a smartphone, will not be separated from a human body:
“If we are able to somehow merge these technologies with the human body—through chips in our brains or bodies—Harari says this would be the biggest revolution in all of human history. Throughout our existence as a species, we have always been able to manipulate our environment and create tools that make our lives better. But until now, we haven’t been able to manipulate ourselves.”
He makes another comparison between technology and magic, i.e. the technology of the present is the magic of the past. Harari does make a good argument that humans have already manipulated genetics and there are technologies like IVF. He does go on to insult Earth, but with climate change adapting to another environment is not a bad idea. Perhaps his most valid argument is that humans armed with their technological creations have a tendency to use them negatively.
Harari wants technology to improve human consciousness: our creativity, compassion, and spirituality. Good idea, but could it work? The negative usually trumps the bad, powered by money.
Whitney Grace, September 16, 2019
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