Links via Dianne Fraher Fodell Program Director, IBM Global University Programs
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Elastic Cognitive Computing
" ... Schahram Dusdar gave a very interesting presentation today on "Elastic Cognitive Computing" as part of our Cognitive Systems Institute Speaker Series. Please continue the conversation here with Schahram, who's published works are posted here: dsg.tuwien.ac.at To listen to a recording of Schahram's talk today, .... Slides. How people, software and things can be connected with 'elastic computing', A means of flexible and adaptive interaction? A term I had not heard of. A way to think about elements that need to be connected in new ways. Researching this more with some of the references posted here. See the WP definition of elastic computing, relating it to cloud computing, or needing elastic resources. But I am seeing it beyond just adaptable resources in the cloud.
Links via Dianne Fraher Fodell Program Director, IBM Global University Programs
Links via Dianne Fraher Fodell Program Director, IBM Global University Programs
Comments on Myers-Briggs
In the enterprise we used Myers-Briggs personality testing. It was always cautioned that the method was not precise, and at best allowed us to understand that there were definable differences between people. Adjustments in management style might be called for. A Wired article on the topic. The article makes the most sense if you know something about Myers-Briggs.
The Unilever Foundry
Startup innovation Space. Recently mentioned in the funding of Glimr.
" ... Collaborate, Experiment, Pioneer.
At Unilever Foundry we are on a mission to collaborate with innovators to make sustainable living commonplace whether your're an established startup ready to scale-up, a creative designer or inventor, there are many ways for us to work together.
Are you ready to join the Foundry? ... "
" ... Collaborate, Experiment, Pioneer.
At Unilever Foundry we are on a mission to collaborate with innovators to make sustainable living commonplace whether your're an established startup ready to scale-up, a creative designer or inventor, there are many ways for us to work together.
Are you ready to join the Foundry? ... "
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Innovation in a Consumer Society
Today's ISSIP talk:
" ... This week’s presenters for the ISSIP Service Innovation Weekly Speaker Series are Drs. Peder Inge Furseth and Richard Cuthbertson. They will present “Innovation in a consumer society and The Service Innovation Triangle”. ....
Background
Sides and talk.
" ... This week’s presenters for the ISSIP Service Innovation Weekly Speaker Series are Drs. Peder Inge Furseth and Richard Cuthbertson. They will present “Innovation in a consumer society and The Service Innovation Triangle”. ....
Background
Sides and talk.
Merck and Innovation
3 ways Merck is shaking up its innovation programs
'... Like most pharmaceutical companies, Merck has struggled in recent years with regulatory pressures and new technologies. To stay competitive, the firm is seeking to implement a "lean-startup software ethic" while establishing repeatable processes that can keep new ideas flowing. "Change and innovation are choices, not givens, in any organization, and there are managerial levers for making these selections wisely," write Frank Cespedes, Jay Galeota and Michael Wong ... "
'... Like most pharmaceutical companies, Merck has struggled in recent years with regulatory pressures and new technologies. To stay competitive, the firm is seeking to implement a "lean-startup software ethic" while establishing repeatable processes that can keep new ideas flowing. "Change and innovation are choices, not givens, in any organization, and there are managerial levers for making these selections wisely," write Frank Cespedes, Jay Galeota and Michael Wong ... "
Chomsky and non speaking AI
Not sure I complete agree, or that I agree that AI requires speaking. Most of the AI I have done is about augmenting with AI, mot necessarily needing to speak it, but to delivery in anyway that is useful. Was Chomsky responsible? Net, I say no.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Focusing in the World of Digital Assistants
Until now you have been able to pick and choose in the world of Apps, hardware and services to help do your job. The typical challenge has been between Google and Apple. Google Now and Siri for asking questions, searching and notification. You could typically mix and match the service provider to suit your needs. Now this article suggests that further improvement will require more focused integration and thus less choice. Will this happen in all advisory systems? How can cooperation be preserved? With a set of standards for advisory protocols?
Design Key to the Connected Home
How very true, Even in small tests we did the complexity rose quickly. I am now testing several home systems. Design exists at the high level aesthetic level, and at the detailed standards level. Good thoughtful challenge piece in Wired,
When Our Homes Become Connected, Designers Will Save Us
" ... Designers have a crucial role in how this shakes out. As opposed to merely looking at products in terms of efficiency or profit, designers are trained, at least theoretically, to be sensitive to a broader spectrum of issues. They’re the ones who are supposed to think about how products fit into our lives and society at large. And more and more, they’re in a position to bring those considerations to bear on how a product is developed. In territory as vast, lucrative, and unknown as the Internet of Things (IoT), that’s a hugely important responsibility. Thankfully, some designers already are thinking hard about the job and the potential pitfalls of designing for our newly connected world. ... "
When Our Homes Become Connected, Designers Will Save Us
" ... Designers have a crucial role in how this shakes out. As opposed to merely looking at products in terms of efficiency or profit, designers are trained, at least theoretically, to be sensitive to a broader spectrum of issues. They’re the ones who are supposed to think about how products fit into our lives and society at large. And more and more, they’re in a position to bring those considerations to bear on how a product is developed. In territory as vast, lucrative, and unknown as the Internet of Things (IoT), that’s a hugely important responsibility. Thankfully, some designers already are thinking hard about the job and the potential pitfalls of designing for our newly connected world. ... "
Nash and Business Strategy
In K@W: John Nash lives on in business strategy. A Podcast:
" ... Nash’s body of work in game theory earned him the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences along with game theorists Reinhard Selten and John Harsanyi. He became a household name thanks to the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind. Based on the book by Sylvia Nasar, the movie — which won the Academy Award for Best Picture — stars Russell Crowe as Nash and depicts his battles with paranoid schizophrenia.
Wharton management professors Keith W. Weigelt and Louis A. Thomas, who count game theory among their research specialties, discussed why Nash’s work will endure on the Knowledge@Wharton show on Wharton Business Radio on SiriusXM channel 111. (Listen to the podcast at the top of this page.) ... "
" ... Nash’s body of work in game theory earned him the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences along with game theorists Reinhard Selten and John Harsanyi. He became a household name thanks to the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind. Based on the book by Sylvia Nasar, the movie — which won the Academy Award for Best Picture — stars Russell Crowe as Nash and depicts his battles with paranoid schizophrenia.
Wharton management professors Keith W. Weigelt and Louis A. Thomas, who count game theory among their research specialties, discussed why Nash’s work will endure on the Knowledge@Wharton show on Wharton Business Radio on SiriusXM channel 111. (Listen to the podcast at the top of this page.) ... "
Incentivizing Knowledge Sharing
A long time challenge. Blogs like this were an early example of feeding wikimedia sharing devices in the enterprise. Gamification methods were also examined. Standards and ontologies were developed. In APQC.
Facebook Opens Paris AI Center
In TechCrunch: Facebook: More than just identifying faces, using information in social to create a number of alternative models and link them to engagement and value. AI is back.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Maps Warn When a Store Will Close
When navigating to a place we would like to have enough information to use that place before we spend the effort to get there. What is more important than knowing a place is open for business when we arrive? In essence augmented reality, or key information about a place. Google maps plans to have this in place. I recall a previous effort that included inventory information about places as well. But have never seen that implemented in places I mapped or visited. What other information is key? In Mashable. How about in hospitality applications?
Can Amazon Make Machine Learning More Accessible?
In DataNami:
First we had IBM Watson Analytics, then Microsoft launched Azure Machine Learning. With last week’s launch of Amazon Machine Learning, the e-commerce giant is the latest tech giant to attempt to democratize the development and use of machine learning models and make the technology useful to people who aren’t data scientists.
“Have you noticed how applications seem to be getting smarter all the time?” Amazon says in a video on its website. Banks alert you when there is a suspected fraudulent transaction in your account, and stores make recommendations of new products that are similar to ones you previously purchased. “These are examples of ways you can use a technology called machine learning.” ... '
First we had IBM Watson Analytics, then Microsoft launched Azure Machine Learning. With last week’s launch of Amazon Machine Learning, the e-commerce giant is the latest tech giant to attempt to democratize the development and use of machine learning models and make the technology useful to people who aren’t data scientists.
“Have you noticed how applications seem to be getting smarter all the time?” Amazon says in a video on its website. Banks alert you when there is a suspected fraudulent transaction in your account, and stores make recommendations of new products that are similar to ones you previously purchased. “These are examples of ways you can use a technology called machine learning.” ... '
IBM Pushing Spark for Big Data
In the WSJ: IBM ... has thrown its weight behind Spark, an increasingly popular tool that is used to analyze large amounts of data in real time. Spark opens up all sorts of emerging business applications, such as the ability to quickly target ads toward people passing in front of a digital billboard.
The number of such uses is expected to greatly expand as Internet-connected sensors become pervasive in physical objects, a phenomenon known as the Internet of Things. By working to push Spark into the mainstream now, IBM hopes to catch an emerging market at the very early stages. ... "
See the tag link Spark below for more notes on Apache Spark use, including introductory posts. Also looking forward to see how this can be closely linked to Watson cognitive efforts. Note also the mention of real time retail interactions like in-store displays or smartphones.
Wikipedia more Secure?
In Engadget: It has been suggested that you could understand what a company was doing by tracking what they searched for in a public place like the Wikipedia. Now they are default encrypting that traffic, making it more difficult to do. " .... The initiative should also make it at least a bit tougher for censorship-happy governments to block inconvenient facts. Encryption isn't new on the organization's sites (you've had a manual HTTPS option since 2011), but this always-on policy means that you never have to think about it .... ". Comments suggest it provides little additional security against the determined.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Open Source Tools and Software
Open source has been a long time interest of mine, both for enterprise needs and personally. Just reviewed some of my links and writings on open source software and methods and decided to pass them along. Here is the tag link for open source.
IOT Dwarfing Big Data
In Gartner: Internet of Things will dwarf big data. Since the IOT will be a major source of data, this is not much of a big difference. Some of the statements about what the IOT is are too restrictive. Customers and crowds are already part of the same internet.
Waze as Panopticon
In the New Yorker. Google subsidiary, social driving App Waze is sharing its data with Los Angeles. Data driving and pattern improvement and intelligence. How is this like Bentham's Panopticon? What are the implications?
" .... The L.A.-Waze partnership is, at least in theory, an initial step toward allowing the city’s planners and engineers to regain a healthier role in mediating the kinds of longstanding cross-town conflicts that Waze has renewed and amplified. Whether the deal will help to resolve fundamental long-term issues related to the city’s growth and inadequate infrastructure is another matter. It’s even still up for question whether improved data-sharing will improve conditions in the short run. .. "
" .... The L.A.-Waze partnership is, at least in theory, an initial step toward allowing the city’s planners and engineers to regain a healthier role in mediating the kinds of longstanding cross-town conflicts that Waze has renewed and amplified. Whether the deal will help to resolve fundamental long-term issues related to the city’s growth and inadequate infrastructure is another matter. It’s even still up for question whether improved data-sharing will improve conditions in the short run. .. "
Creativity and Productivity in Smart Service Systems
Talk by Jim Spohrer Director, Global University Programs at IBM" Boosting the creativity and productivity of people in smart service systems"
(CSIG) The Naples Forum on Service - Naples, Italy, Wed June 10th, 2015
Continued discussion on Linkedin.
Service science and advisory systems will be a key launching point for new kinds of cognitive AI systems. These and many related topics have are being discussed in this blog.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Online Data Science Apprenticeship
Live and ready, just updated, DSC's online apprenticeship. Have scanned their work and it seems to be well done. Impressed by the work that DSC has done providing information about data science topics in general. Worth a look, Get started here.
" ... This is an ideal program for professionals with a quantitative background and some industry experience - in a nutshell, for anyone who understands our cheat sheet and can get started using it. This program is for self-learners. Completed projects, submitted to and reviewed by Dr. Vincent Granville, will be featured, published, and promoted on our network, reaching out to the largest audience of data science decision makers, peers and hiring managers. Examples of such projects can be found here and here.
Ideal for people who want to change career paths, consultants, people managing data scientists, or students starting an analytic degree. In short, the easy way to become a data scientist for educated self-learners.
Free from unnecessary advanced matrix algebra or obscure, confusing, misused stats developed before the era of computers (p-value, GLM, model-based predictive analytics). Instead focusing on building automated, black-box, simple, scalable, efficient, robust, high ROI solutions for many modern applications (API's, machine-to-machine communications and real time), leveraging distributed architectures as needed, and using a unified cross-disciplinary approach. Applications: IoT, digital (mobile) and web data, marketing, risk management, operations research, finance, bioinformatics, healthcare, environmental data science, engineering, business analytics, model-free predictive analytics, business optimization, big data and more. .... "
" ... This is an ideal program for professionals with a quantitative background and some industry experience - in a nutshell, for anyone who understands our cheat sheet and can get started using it. This program is for self-learners. Completed projects, submitted to and reviewed by Dr. Vincent Granville, will be featured, published, and promoted on our network, reaching out to the largest audience of data science decision makers, peers and hiring managers. Examples of such projects can be found here and here.
Ideal for people who want to change career paths, consultants, people managing data scientists, or students starting an analytic degree. In short, the easy way to become a data scientist for educated self-learners.
Free from unnecessary advanced matrix algebra or obscure, confusing, misused stats developed before the era of computers (p-value, GLM, model-based predictive analytics). Instead focusing on building automated, black-box, simple, scalable, efficient, robust, high ROI solutions for many modern applications (API's, machine-to-machine communications and real time), leveraging distributed architectures as needed, and using a unified cross-disciplinary approach. Applications: IoT, digital (mobile) and web data, marketing, risk management, operations research, finance, bioinformatics, healthcare, environmental data science, engineering, business analytics, model-free predictive analytics, business optimization, big data and more. .... "
More on Kroger Online Ordering
In Cincinnati Enquirer: " ... Clicks to ease trips at Liberty Township Kroger ... Some long-time Kroger's customers say clicks beat old-fashioned shopping trips and they are eager for the supermarket's expanded online shopping service. Shoppers at the Liberty Township Kroger Market Place store, which is the first in the region to offer expanded "click and collect" service, say they are ready to stroke their computer keyboards rather than stroll store aisles. .... "
Business Leadership Mind Maps
The Bigger Plate site has a broad library of mind maps, both complete and in useful template form. Most recently a set of business leadership mind maps, I will take a further look. ( Apparently now requires their mind mapping software. If this is not the case please let me know and I will update and re-post. )
Identifying the Shopper
Via Retailwire: Retailers increasing ability to ID the shopper. The discussion comments at the link are also interesting. " .... If you have a smartphone in five years, there's a really good chance stores are going to know a lot about you as soon as you make your entrance. In fact, according to a new report by Boston Retail Partners (BRP), nearly two-thirds of retailers (883 percent higher than at present) will identify customers in that way. ... "
Next Waves of Digital
In Adage: Interesting perspective ... The world is moving quickly, so understanding what may be next is useful.
Digital's Third Wave Is Coming: Don't Miss the Ride
Four Big Opportunities for Agencies and Brands in the Next Wave of Digital ... by Brandon Geary, chief strategy officer at Possible, Seattle.
Digital's Third Wave Is Coming: Don't Miss the Ride
Four Big Opportunities for Agencies and Brands in the Next Wave of Digital ... by Brandon Geary, chief strategy officer at Possible, Seattle.
Fixing Your Process
In the APQC Blog, fixing the process. But even more important, do you understand it, and are you ready to fix it?
Friday, June 12, 2015
Can Collaborative Innovation and Technology Accelerate and Lower the Cost of Innovation?
In CIMdata's Linkedin Group: My former colleague writes.
CIMdata's Dr. Suna Polat asks the question, Can Collaborative Innovation and Technology Accelerate and Lower the Cost of Innovation?”
I experienced a strategic “innovation” transformation when I worked in Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) diaper business between 1996 and 2007. In my first assignment the name of the business was “Diaper Category,” later it became “Baby Care.” This was an indication of a significant change in the business strategy—the focus was no longer only on the product (the diaper) but also on the job-to-be done (caring for the baby.) ... " (Read the rest for detail and discussion).
CIMdata's Dr. Suna Polat asks the question, Can Collaborative Innovation and Technology Accelerate and Lower the Cost of Innovation?”
I experienced a strategic “innovation” transformation when I worked in Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) diaper business between 1996 and 2007. In my first assignment the name of the business was “Diaper Category,” later it became “Baby Care.” This was an indication of a significant change in the business strategy—the focus was no longer only on the product (the diaper) but also on the job-to-be done (caring for the baby.) ... " (Read the rest for detail and discussion).
Making Information Useful
Podcast and text, interesting thoughts.
Thomson Reuters on making information useful
The CEO of the news, information, and professional-software company, Jim Smith, discusses how truly meeting customer expectations is at the heart of the company’s effort to continue growing and digitally adapting. ....
Thomson Reuters on making information useful
The CEO of the news, information, and professional-software company, Jim Smith, discusses how truly meeting customer expectations is at the heart of the company’s effort to continue growing and digitally adapting. ....
Effective Scenario Planning
In McKinsey: Has been a while since I have worked with this technique, some good ideas and hints to make it useful. Not the same thing as Business Process Modeling, but some of the suggestions are similar. I would like to hear of examples where they have been used together and produced real value.
" ... Overcoming obstacles to effective scenario planning
Scenario planning can broaden the mind but can fall prey to the mind’s inner workings. Here’s how to get more out of planning efforts.Overcoming obstacles to effective scenario planning. ....
When scenario planning has worked well, it has proved enormously useful to a wide range of organizations as a tool for making decisions under uncertainty. First popularized by Shell in the early 1970s, the approach should be a natural complement to other ways of developing strategy—especially when executives are as concerned about geopolitical dynamics as many are today. It would probably be more widely used if it hadn’t been such a disappointment to many executives. In fact, 40 percent of those we surveyed in 2013 described it as having little effectiveness. ... "
" ... Overcoming obstacles to effective scenario planning
Scenario planning can broaden the mind but can fall prey to the mind’s inner workings. Here’s how to get more out of planning efforts.Overcoming obstacles to effective scenario planning. ....
When scenario planning has worked well, it has proved enormously useful to a wide range of organizations as a tool for making decisions under uncertainty. First popularized by Shell in the early 1970s, the approach should be a natural complement to other ways of developing strategy—especially when executives are as concerned about geopolitical dynamics as many are today. It would probably be more widely used if it hadn’t been such a disappointment to many executives. In fact, 40 percent of those we surveyed in 2013 described it as having little effectiveness. ... "
Marketers and Predictive Analytics
This makes much sense. Marketing as a whole is a kind of prediction with considerable risk. Anything that can be done to improve your accuracy is of value. Taking analytics to the next stage, providing prescriptive advice, is also expanding. Advisory systems based on data and cognitive interaction. Expect continuing value.
AI and the Angry Customer
Addressing the angry customer with AI? Have investigated this in the past with advisory systems. People do react to systems differently than people. Possible yes, see hints at this in our Mr. Clean effort, link in tag below.
New Product CPG Innovation Shifting
Interesting view of consumer product mix:
" ... Despite the fact that 85 percent of American household needs are consistently filled with the same 150 items1, new product innovation is the lifeblood of the CPG industry. But bringing to market successful new products is no easy task. While estimates vary, generally accepted new product failure rates range from 60 to 80 percent of launches within the industry. .. "
" ... Despite the fact that 85 percent of American household needs are consistently filled with the same 150 items1, new product innovation is the lifeblood of the CPG industry. But bringing to market successful new products is no easy task. While estimates vary, generally accepted new product failure rates range from 60 to 80 percent of launches within the industry. .. "
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Big Data Myths and Cautions
From DSC, by Martyn Jones. I add: Not a bad selection of warnings and cautions of the use and use of Big Data. Similar things could have been said about many residents of the hype-cycle over the years. I know, I have ridden a number of them. Bottom line, Big Data is a combination of data availability, Stat/Math Analytics and Business Decision Understanding. All logically combined and delivered, and with some previous limitations of computing and connectivity removed. It is certainly not magic, or even a science. Its a process that has both great potential value, and risks.
Kroger Expands Online Shopping
In Cincinnati, A good example of how bricks retailers are testing shop online and pickup grocery shopping. For Kroger pickup is only at one store so far. The demographics would be interesting, and link to loyalty propositions.
How Everything Will Recognize You
In TechDirt: Consider this an extension of the IOT: smaller and smaller visual sensors connected to systems that can quickly analyze what they are looking at. Counting, tracking, identifying. Sensing signals, establishing connections. One way sensory analysis.
June Issue of Shopper Marketing
Steve Frenda writes:
The June 2015 issue of Shopper Marketing is available. Digital version: http://goo.gl/qEcbkQ. if you prefer a .pdf: https://goo.gl/YT23Fn
The June 2015 issue of Shopper Marketing is available. Digital version: http://goo.gl/qEcbkQ. if you prefer a .pdf: https://goo.gl/YT23Fn
Semantic Parsing for Human Reason and Understanding
Today's CSIG talk:
Lenhart Schubert from the University of Rochester, presented "From Semantic Parsing to Reasoning." ... Slides here.
This presentation is quite technical, but also gives an excellent non technical introduction to the current state of the art and continued deep challenges in knowledge based text understanding. Points to some excellent examples of work underway and tools like KNext and WordNet. We used these for some consumer engagement applications, without attempting to solve the very deep underlying problem.
... sign up for making a presentation by sending a note to (fodell@us.ibm.com). The format for these calls is 20-25 minutes by the presenter on work he/she is doing in Cognitive Computing or Cognitive Systems, followed by 5-10 minutes of questions and answers. A link to slides (if used) and a recording of each call will be available on the CSIG website (http://cognitive-science.info/community/weekly-update/).
Lenhart Schubert from the University of Rochester, presented "From Semantic Parsing to Reasoning." ... Slides here.
This presentation is quite technical, but also gives an excellent non technical introduction to the current state of the art and continued deep challenges in knowledge based text understanding. Points to some excellent examples of work underway and tools like KNext and WordNet. We used these for some consumer engagement applications, without attempting to solve the very deep underlying problem.
... sign up for making a presentation by sending a note to (fodell@us.ibm.com). The format for these calls is 20-25 minutes by the presenter on work he/she is doing in Cognitive Computing or Cognitive Systems, followed by 5-10 minutes of questions and answers. A link to slides (if used) and a recording of each call will be available on the CSIG website (http://cognitive-science.info/community/weekly-update/).
Cisco on the Gateway to the Future
Have recently been watching Cisco scroll by on my 'set top box', and musing how this is all efficiently brings together internet and other media and the future connected home. Found this recent piece:
By Joe Chow, vice president, Connected Devices Business Unit, Cisco
" ... Every couple of years, dating way, way, way back, someone boldly questions the future of customer premise equipment (CPE), and in particular, the set-top box. (To test this logic, do a search on “the death of the set-top box.”)
This week is all about shaking off old perceptions, and building anew. So I’ll say it – set-tops are not what they used to be. They will continue to transform dramatically. The Connected Home is evolving to gateways. Allow me to explain. Think of a home with three HDTVs. Servicing all three used to mean using three, full-featured set-tops. Modern set-tops (themselves morphing toward gateways) enable a service provider to put in one main set-top, which feeds video over IP to client boxes, which are much smaller and less expensive. Instead of three full-featured set-tops, one, connected to as many smaller, more cost-effective clients as there are big screens to feed. ... "
By Joe Chow, vice president, Connected Devices Business Unit, Cisco
" ... Every couple of years, dating way, way, way back, someone boldly questions the future of customer premise equipment (CPE), and in particular, the set-top box. (To test this logic, do a search on “the death of the set-top box.”)
This week is all about shaking off old perceptions, and building anew. So I’ll say it – set-tops are not what they used to be. They will continue to transform dramatically. The Connected Home is evolving to gateways. Allow me to explain. Think of a home with three HDTVs. Servicing all three used to mean using three, full-featured set-tops. Modern set-tops (themselves morphing toward gateways) enable a service provider to put in one main set-top, which feeds video over IP to client boxes, which are much smaller and less expensive. Instead of three full-featured set-tops, one, connected to as many smaller, more cost-effective clients as there are big screens to feed. ... "
Big Oil Embraces Big Data
Last year discussed analytics with an energy services company.
Big Data and Big Oil: GE’s Systems and Sensors Drive Efficiencies for BP
With energy demands rising and reserves of oil and gas becoming more challenging to access, the productivity revolution promoted by the Industrial Internet is of vital importance to the oil and gas sector. By combining decades of manufacturing expertise with its rapidly expanding software engineering capability, GE is leading the big data revolution so that its customers can operate both more effectively and efficiently.
The Industrial Internet drives improved business outcomes for customers by harvesting the vast quantities of data produced by the GE machines they have installed, such as jet engines and MRI scanners, and feeding this into advanced analytical systems. By analyzing the data it is possible to pursue the ‘power of one percent’, a GE term which states that efficiencies of only one percent can make a dramatic impact across the $32.3 trillion of relevant sectors. ... "
Big Data and Big Oil: GE’s Systems and Sensors Drive Efficiencies for BP
With energy demands rising and reserves of oil and gas becoming more challenging to access, the productivity revolution promoted by the Industrial Internet is of vital importance to the oil and gas sector. By combining decades of manufacturing expertise with its rapidly expanding software engineering capability, GE is leading the big data revolution so that its customers can operate both more effectively and efficiently.
The Industrial Internet drives improved business outcomes for customers by harvesting the vast quantities of data produced by the GE machines they have installed, such as jet engines and MRI scanners, and feeding this into advanced analytical systems. By analyzing the data it is possible to pursue the ‘power of one percent’, a GE term which states that efficiencies of only one percent can make a dramatic impact across the $32.3 trillion of relevant sectors. ... "
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
More Retail Robotics: Now in the Warehouse
What looks to be a more generalized robotic solution for warehouse tasks.
A supermarket thinks it can create the most advanced robot known to man
Online-only supermarket Ocado is a household name in the UK, and some of you undoubtedly rely on the service to deliver your weekly shop. Something you're unlikely to be aware of, however, is Ocado's work in cutting-edge robotics research. (No, seriously.) A special division of the company looks at technology that'll ultimately benefit its grocery delivery business. And currently, that arm is involved in developing a robot that would make the most advanced automatons around right now look like Furbies. The SecondHands program aims to build a robot that'll effectively become an Ocado warehouse employee, aiding technicians that work in these mammoth sorting offices with equipment repair and all manner of other tasks. ... .... It's collaborating with four European universities, including the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology that, for many years, has been working on the ARMAR humanoid robot program SecondHands will be derived from. ... '
A supermarket thinks it can create the most advanced robot known to man
Online-only supermarket Ocado is a household name in the UK, and some of you undoubtedly rely on the service to deliver your weekly shop. Something you're unlikely to be aware of, however, is Ocado's work in cutting-edge robotics research. (No, seriously.) A special division of the company looks at technology that'll ultimately benefit its grocery delivery business. And currently, that arm is involved in developing a robot that would make the most advanced automatons around right now look like Furbies. The SecondHands program aims to build a robot that'll effectively become an Ocado warehouse employee, aiding technicians that work in these mammoth sorting offices with equipment repair and all manner of other tasks. ... .... It's collaborating with four European universities, including the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology that, for many years, has been working on the ARMAR humanoid robot program SecondHands will be derived from. ... '
SAP Previews new Analytics Tools
Appears also be trying to deliver more automated data science tools for specific usage templates:
SAP previews new analytics tools for IT, business users
SAP has made no secret of its desire to be front and center in the trend toward easy-to-use analytics tools, and on Tuesday the company offered a glimpse at several upcoming capabilities for different types of enterprise users. ...
For example, for IT departments, SAP unveiled an IT Operations Analytics tool that's designed to help manage modern data centers. Announced on a conference call about analytics for the SAP community, the new offering aims to show what's happening all across a data center, including real-time streaming of log data and the ability to combine diverse data sources into a single view for easier root-cause analysis.... "
SAP previews new analytics tools for IT, business users
SAP has made no secret of its desire to be front and center in the trend toward easy-to-use analytics tools, and on Tuesday the company offered a glimpse at several upcoming capabilities for different types of enterprise users. ...
For example, for IT departments, SAP unveiled an IT Operations Analytics tool that's designed to help manage modern data centers. Announced on a conference call about analytics for the SAP community, the new offering aims to show what's happening all across a data center, including real-time streaming of log data and the ability to combine diverse data sources into a single view for easier root-cause analysis.... "
Designing Happiness
In FastCoDesign: Good thoughts on the topic. " ... Designing Happiness ... The Secret to Customer Loyalty? It's less about the moment of interaction and more about what comes before and after. .... To devise innovations that make customers feel differently, we need to broaden the lens beyond the operational and transactional to focus more on the behavioral and emotional—what we at Lippincott are starting to call "the happiness halo." ... '
Building Robotic Pants
In CACM:
Scientists at the University of Bristol have developed robotic pants with built-in artificial muscles designed to aid the elderly or people with disabilities.
The soft robotic clothing gives users added strength and balance to prevent falls and let them move around more easily. The material also can give users bionic strength, helping them stand up, climb stairs, and walk more steadily. ... "
Scientists at the University of Bristol have developed robotic pants with built-in artificial muscles designed to aid the elderly or people with disabilities.
The soft robotic clothing gives users added strength and balance to prevent falls and let them move around more easily. The material also can give users bionic strength, helping them stand up, climb stairs, and walk more steadily. ... "
Improving Network Security with Big Data
Good examples:
Having a secure network is vital in today’s digital landscape and with so many headlines about data breaches and identity theft, security is of the utmost importance. For some companies, this loss of information to the often unknown hacker is a huge embarrassment and can lead to enormous losses in sales and widespread consumer mistrust. ... "
Having a secure network is vital in today’s digital landscape and with so many headlines about data breaches and identity theft, security is of the utmost importance. For some companies, this loss of information to the often unknown hacker is a huge embarrassment and can lead to enormous losses in sales and widespread consumer mistrust. ... "
AI Can Delegate Work
AI Can now Delegate Work
Brought to my attention in an HBR Article
AI Is Getting Good Enough to Delegate the Work It Can’t Do, by Katherine Barr
My thoughts: As we think about how we decide which tasks can be augmented and/or replaced by AI/Cognitive, it will be important to understand the tasks well. Some of the O*Net work and database, mentioned here previously, will be a great place to start. The article title implies further that even the delegation of the work needs to be appropriately 'intelligent'. Another challenge for practitioners like us. .....
Brought to my attention in an HBR Article
AI Is Getting Good Enough to Delegate the Work It Can’t Do, by Katherine Barr
My thoughts: As we think about how we decide which tasks can be augmented and/or replaced by AI/Cognitive, it will be important to understand the tasks well. Some of the O*Net work and database, mentioned here previously, will be a great place to start. The article title implies further that even the delegation of the work needs to be appropriately 'intelligent'. Another challenge for practitioners like us. .....
Tuesday, June 09, 2015
Wal-Mart Facts
In Fortune. It's the largest company in the world, and a number of other fun numbers of impressive scale. Ending with: " .... It hasn’t grown nearly as much as Amazon. In the last three years, Walmart’s sales grew by a total of 8.6%. Revenue at Amazon, meanwhile, has nearly doubled.... "
How Fast are Things Changing?
Potentially very fast, a simple view of the rate of change in computing power since 1940 to get to a computer processing roughly to the speed of a human brain ....
Tesco Tries in Aisle Rolling Robotics
In CWorld: Six foot tall robots, not really human-like android, more like large vacuum cleaners. Possibly scaring the Tesco shoppers? At least this could open shoppers to the expectation of having roving robotics in the aisles. Vendor is RFSpot." ... As Tesco clothing shoppers rifle through the chain's apparel assortment, they'll be sharing the aisles with six-foot-tall RFID robots, rolling up and down scanning clothing tags for inventory.
F&F, which is the name of the apparel unit of Tesco, the world's second-largest retailer by revenue, is running the robots as part of a five-store trial. Officially called RFspot Pro and nicknamed Robbie by the F&F team, the robots roam the floor, continually scanning tens of thousands of passive UHF EPC Gen2 tags, strolling up the aisles at about one meter/second on three sets of wheels, reading tags from as many as 30 feet away. ... "
More on the Apple Metaio Acquisition
In ReadWrite: Comparison to other efforts about augmented reality at Microsoft and Google. Metaio brings in a clear maturity in the space, with applications in retail and with automakers. Impressed with my conversations with them. Have experimented with their smartphone navigation App.
" ... Metaio began as a project inside Volkswagen in 2003 to build a platform for augmented-reality experiences. It later spun out of the German automaker. One of the projects the firm has worked on in the past is a showroom app for Ferrari that lets users overlay various virtual graphics on top of the cars in front of them. ... "
" ... Metaio began as a project inside Volkswagen in 2003 to build a platform for augmented-reality experiences. It later spun out of the German automaker. One of the projects the firm has worked on in the past is a showroom app for Ferrari that lets users overlay various virtual graphics on top of the cars in front of them. ... "
Wal-Mart Strengthening E-Commerce
In The NY Times: Registration. Interesting comparisions and numbers between Amazon and Wal-Mart. " ... Walmart, Lagging in Online Sales, Is Strengthening E-Commerce ... In the world of brick and mortar, Walmart is a titan, ringing up more than $1 billion of sales a day.
But in the online world, the retailer’s business, while growing, remains far behind Amazon. With less than one-sixth the online sales of Amazon, Walmart has been repeatedly outgunned and outsmarted by Amazon’s price-matching, robot-utilizing, competition-crushing machine. ... "
But in the online world, the retailer’s business, while growing, remains far behind Amazon. With less than one-sixth the online sales of Amazon, Walmart has been repeatedly outgunned and outsmarted by Amazon’s price-matching, robot-utilizing, competition-crushing machine. ... "
Internet of Things Transparency Ad Targeting
See EvryThng: The Internet of Things Smart Products PlatformEVRYTHNG is the award-winning IoT cloud platform that connects any consumer product to the Web and manages real-time data to drive applications. Smart products don’t just deliver connected experiences and support services, they share data with enterprise systems and other device clouds for smarter ROI .... "
In Adage:
Internet of Things Data Could Fuel Ad Targeting
Next Home for Connected Product Data Is the Marketing Database
The Internet of Things has promised to turn our everyday interactions with stuff into data for logistical and marketing applications.
But now that more and more corporations, including Diageo and Mondelez, have tested actual web-connected products in the market, the industry is approaching the next stage of connected appliances and food packaging. That means figuring out where all that information will go and how it will be used. IoT platform company Evrythng sees a home for data generated by connected thermostats, bottles of booze, designer handbags and washing machines in first-party marketing databases.... "
A new realm of marketing and retail transparency? We looked at a number of web connected packages, displays, shelves, kitchens, rooms and appliances.
Monday, June 08, 2015
Innovation in the Digital Age Webinar
Colleague Suna Polat points me to a free seminar she will be part of. Link to register.
CIMdata to Host Free Webinar on Innovation in the Digital Age
Free educational webinar, focused on how to make innovation a systemic capability within the organization, will take place on June 25, 2015
.... CIMdata, Inc., the leading global PLM strategic management consulting and research firm, announces an upcoming free educational webinar, “Innovation in the Digital Age.” The webinar will take place on June 25, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. (EDT).
Using a systemic innovation case study from Procter & Gamble, the webinar will describe use cases appropriate for PLM and Collaborative Innovation (CI). The webinar will also show how PLM and CI solution providers have an opportunity to connect and collaborate to expand their markets by developing a consistent terminology and communication around innovation and clarifying how their offerings complement each other and fit into the solution architecture of their clients.
Dr. Suna Polat, CIMdata’s Director of Collaborative Innovation & Social Product Development Consulting Practice, will host the webinar. Dr. Polat has 25+ years of experience in technology development, product development, innovation management, implementation of strategic innovation capabilities—including modeling and simulation (M&S), open innovation, knowledge management—social technologies and social product development, and driving change and adoption. This wide range of expertise was gained through her career at Procter & Gamble and more recently through her experience at CIMdata, which she joined in June 2014. ..... "
CIMdata to Host Free Webinar on Innovation in the Digital Age
Free educational webinar, focused on how to make innovation a systemic capability within the organization, will take place on June 25, 2015
.... CIMdata, Inc., the leading global PLM strategic management consulting and research firm, announces an upcoming free educational webinar, “Innovation in the Digital Age.” The webinar will take place on June 25, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. (EDT).
Using a systemic innovation case study from Procter & Gamble, the webinar will describe use cases appropriate for PLM and Collaborative Innovation (CI). The webinar will also show how PLM and CI solution providers have an opportunity to connect and collaborate to expand their markets by developing a consistent terminology and communication around innovation and clarifying how their offerings complement each other and fit into the solution architecture of their clients.
Dr. Suna Polat, CIMdata’s Director of Collaborative Innovation & Social Product Development Consulting Practice, will host the webinar. Dr. Polat has 25+ years of experience in technology development, product development, innovation management, implementation of strategic innovation capabilities—including modeling and simulation (M&S), open innovation, knowledge management—social technologies and social product development, and driving change and adoption. This wide range of expertise was gained through her career at Procter & Gamble and more recently through her experience at CIMdata, which she joined in June 2014. ..... "
Nielsen Doubles Down on Neuro
Roger Dooley in Forbes. Precisely the phrase I thought of when I read of Nielsen's acquisition of Innerscope Research. At first surprised, since more recent results have led to less credibility in neuromarketing methods. But looking more closely at Innerscope, this integrates a number of less dramatic methods, like facial coding and other biometrics to their tool mix. So there will be some tools in their box when they come to visit or renew their contracts that must certainly be relevant. Probably also brings clients to Nielsen. Following.
BlueSpring Visual SharePoint Search
Have previously known BlueSpring as a BPM vendor. Have been informed of their capabilities of visual search of SharePoint data. I remember that search process for analytics data being painful. This is built on the Zakta visual search engine, which is impressive. Worth a look." ... Provide an instant boost in find-ability, visual appeal and value to users of Microsoft SharePoint. ...
Organizations have spent millions of dollars making Microsoft SharePoint™ the de-facto standard platform for their associates to store, collaborate and share information. Sites, document libraries, lists, wiki’s, discussion boards and blogs abound housing all types of corporate IP from HR frequently asked questions to new product development ideas. Gaining access to this semi-structured or unstructured data can be daunting for a casual user looking for information to better perform their job. ... "
Speak Without Speaking: SmartStones Delivers Prose
Startup Smartstones has come up with a means to associate a gesture with snippets of prose. More here. " .... We just released our gesture-to-speech app, Smartstones :prose, and we'd love to know what you think of it. :prose lets you setup a list of words and phrases that you use regularly, associate each with a gesture like a tap or swipe, and it speaks it aloud in whatever language you like. We've also extended its capability for those with an Apple Watch to remotely push spoken messages to the tethered smartphone. ... "
Higher Performance Computing and a New Paradigm
Via Doug McDavid,
Big data spawns a new scientific paradigm. From Pacific Northwest Labs, which we worked with on text analytics visualization.
Presentation
High Performance Computing for Data Intensive Science by John R. Johnson
Computational Sciences & Mathematics Division
Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate
Big data spawns a new scientific paradigm. From Pacific Northwest Labs, which we worked with on text analytics visualization.
Presentation
High Performance Computing for Data Intensive Science by John R. Johnson
Computational Sciences & Mathematics Division
Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate
Digital Shopping Booming
In Retailwire: More on the emergence of digital grocery shopping. Delivery versus pickup remains a challenge.
Sunday, June 07, 2015
In Search of Value of the Internet of Things
I am continuing to look at valuation of data as an asset and its valuation. This Forbes article by Joe McKendrick looks at another angle, how can we value the internet of things? Those same components will be creating the data that will ultimately be used by the network and related anaytics. Can a valuation be derived from that network of interaction?
Examining Marketing Breakthroughs
In Adage: Perhaps obvious, but worth thinking about. Prompted by recent conversations which started with 'Does this work?' " ... .... Best Practices: How to Harness the Chaos of Experimentation for Marketing Breakthroughs .... Four Ways to Integrate Experimentation into the Marketing Playbook ... "
Recipes for Control: If This Then That: IFTTT
Brought to my attention: IFTTT. If this then That. With connection to Amazon Echo.
What is IFTTT?
IFTTT gives you creative control over the products and apps you love.
Philips
Turn on or off your lights with a tap ....
If I post a picture on Instagram, save the photo to Dropbox ....
What are Recipes?
Recipes are simple connections between products and apps.
There are two types of Recipes: Do Recipes and IF Recipes.
Do Recipes
Do Recipes run with just a tap and enable you to create your own personalized Button, Camera, and Notepad. The Do apps are available for iOS and Android.
See also their blog.
What is IFTTT?
IFTTT gives you creative control over the products and apps you love.
Philips
Turn on or off your lights with a tap ....
If I post a picture on Instagram, save the photo to Dropbox ....
What are Recipes?
Recipes are simple connections between products and apps.
There are two types of Recipes: Do Recipes and IF Recipes.
Do Recipes
Do Recipes run with just a tap and enable you to create your own personalized Button, Camera, and Notepad. The Do apps are available for iOS and Android.
See also their blog.
Robotic Pets
Emergence of Robotic pets. Remember well the Tamagotchi craze, examined it for possible tie ins. See the tag below. Are we heading back that way with new robotic capabilities?
Scores of children spent the mid-1990s raising, neglecting, and ultimately killing a new breed of pet — the egg-shaped Tamagotchi keychain. With three buttons and a pixelated grayscale screen, it wasn't even cute enough to rival the pet rocks of the '70s. But it might have been prophetic.
Despite its rise and fall, the Tamagotchi could have ushered in the start of a robotic pet trend that will only grow in the coming decades, argued University of Melbourne veterinary science researcher Jean-Loup Rault in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. As the world population heads toward 9.6 billion by 2050 and technology advances, robotic pets could serve as an emotionally satisfying substitute for their live counterparts in cramped living quarters, he speculated. .... "
Scores of children spent the mid-1990s raising, neglecting, and ultimately killing a new breed of pet — the egg-shaped Tamagotchi keychain. With three buttons and a pixelated grayscale screen, it wasn't even cute enough to rival the pet rocks of the '70s. But it might have been prophetic.
Despite its rise and fall, the Tamagotchi could have ushered in the start of a robotic pet trend that will only grow in the coming decades, argued University of Melbourne veterinary science researcher Jean-Loup Rault in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. As the world population heads toward 9.6 billion by 2050 and technology advances, robotic pets could serve as an emotionally satisfying substitute for their live counterparts in cramped living quarters, he speculated. .... "
Analytics, Machine Learning and the Internet of Things
Good overview article.
Analytics, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things ...
Our increasingly connected world, combined with low-cost sensors and distributed intelligence, will have a transformative impact on industry, producing more data than humans will be able to process. Will businesses be able to adapt and evolve quickly enough to maintain their place in the competitive landscape? How will humans make sense of and benefit from these new sources of information and intelligence embedded in our environment? ... "
Analytics, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things ...
Our increasingly connected world, combined with low-cost sensors and distributed intelligence, will have a transformative impact on industry, producing more data than humans will be able to process. Will businesses be able to adapt and evolve quickly enough to maintain their place in the competitive landscape? How will humans make sense of and benefit from these new sources of information and intelligence embedded in our environment? ... "
IBM Many Eyes to Shut Down
We examined this method when it first emerged. A kind of crowd sourcing visualization. It was never used internally because it did not allow for making the results secure. But it was useful for showing examples of data visualization, which I did in presentations. Would have preferred it to be passed on to some other group. In Fortune.
Saturday, June 06, 2015
Fraud Detection with Graph Analytics
In Analytic Bridge: A quick look at the value of graph analytics for fraud detection and analysis in retail.
Feeling Virtual Reality
In TechDirt: An area we examined to communicate feelings like 'softness' to consumers. This is a Kickstarter thing, don't know how well it works, but worth an examination.
" ... True virtual reality — the kind we've been envisioning now for decades — is inching ever closer to, well, reality. But while most of the focus is new devices that let you see a virtual world, there are some people out there working on the other senses to round out the simulated experience. This week, we're looking at Gloveone, a haptic feedback system that wants to do for touch what devices like the Oculus Rift are doing for sight. ... "
" ... True virtual reality — the kind we've been envisioning now for decades — is inching ever closer to, well, reality. But while most of the focus is new devices that let you see a virtual world, there are some people out there working on the other senses to round out the simulated experience. This week, we're looking at Gloveone, a haptic feedback system that wants to do for touch what devices like the Oculus Rift are doing for sight. ... "
It's the Numbers and the Process
In the NYT times today. It's not just how many numbers you gather, it's making sure you gather the right numbers. All models include and exclude context measures. Which means, that you need to understand the process you are improving. Have I said this before? Untold number of times to analysts and executives. Nice to see it stated, not very succinctly, non technically, in a publication like the NYT. Keep repeating it. It's numbers, analytics and decision process.
Free Machine Learning e-Books
Another set of online resources. Here free machine learning e books. The world continues to change in ready access to technical knowledge.
Friday, June 05, 2015
Big Data Winning at the Casinos
In Forbes: Still think there is real connection between the analytics of casinos and retail. We explored. Simulation in particular is a direct application. We talked this to Harrah's. See the casino tag link below.
" ... Caesars Entertainment, formerly known as Harrah’s – the company which runs the famous Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas and more than 50 other casinos worldwide – established itself as an early leader in Big Data customer service.
It has hit more than a spot of bother recently with a messy bankruptcy of its casino operating unit and reportedly facing fines of up to $20 million over money laundering allegations. The most valuable of the individual assets being fought over by creditors is the data collected over the last 17 years through the company’s Total Rewards loyalty program, which gained Caesar’s a reputation as a pioneer in Big Data-driven marketing and customer service. .. "
" ... Caesars Entertainment, formerly known as Harrah’s – the company which runs the famous Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas and more than 50 other casinos worldwide – established itself as an early leader in Big Data customer service.
It has hit more than a spot of bother recently with a messy bankruptcy of its casino operating unit and reportedly facing fines of up to $20 million over money laundering allegations. The most valuable of the individual assets being fought over by creditors is the data collected over the last 17 years through the company’s Total Rewards loyalty program, which gained Caesar’s a reputation as a pioneer in Big Data-driven marketing and customer service. .. "
State of Self Checkout
In Progressive Grocer: It is a journey that has been progressing for more than 15 years. Still controversial the article says. Some retailers have removed the systems. Was an early look at how the average person interacted directly with a complex retail system. Looked at a half dozen systems as they progressed. After that, and the emergence of smartphones, came the concept of consumers scanning items in the aisle to speed the process. Completely automating the checkout system, with the aid of embedded RFID chips, was also examined. The work continues.
Myth of Jobless AI Future
In Forbes: Good piece with a look at the history of jobs and technology. This was similarly written about in the late 80s. Jobs will continue to evolve radically.
Thoughts about the Essence of Flow
In InfoQ: A concept we worked with in the world of supply chain, but now it is useful in many more domains. Well presented. It is summarized: " ... In this article I have talked about that all processes are constrained by bottlenecks. A common scenario in a software development company is that too much is going on at once, the work is too scattered and too thin. The relay baton in 4 x 100 meters Relay is a good example of flow. Finally a shift in mindset is described, to go from focus on resource efficiency to focus on flow efficiency and then some examples how to get flow are given. .. "
Cognitive Computing MOOC
Via Jim Spohrer. Looks to cover considerable depth.
Learn about Cognitive Computing in your spare time
IBM MOOC titled "Cognitive Computing -- Question Answering Technologies behind IBM Watson"
We have designed a massive open online course (MOOC) on the question answering technologies behind IBM’s original Watson Jeopardy!® system. This MOOC is taught directly by developers of the system and based on a Columbia University graduate course that Alfio Gliozzo taught for two years. It covers background concepts needed to understand IBM’s Watson Jeopardy!® system and cognitive technologies. Topics include: Deep QA Architecture, Semantic Integration and Machine Learning, NLP, Unstructured Information Management Architecture, Structured Knowledge in Watson, Domain Adaptation, and Distributional Semantics. ...
This MOOC is accessible from "Learn the Technology"in http://ibm.com/watsonacademy and a 1.5-minute course trailer at http://ibm.co/1yCV7QZ.
Learn about Cognitive Computing in your spare time
IBM MOOC titled "Cognitive Computing -- Question Answering Technologies behind IBM Watson"
We have designed a massive open online course (MOOC) on the question answering technologies behind IBM’s original Watson Jeopardy!® system. This MOOC is taught directly by developers of the system and based on a Columbia University graduate course that Alfio Gliozzo taught for two years. It covers background concepts needed to understand IBM’s Watson Jeopardy!® system and cognitive technologies. Topics include: Deep QA Architecture, Semantic Integration and Machine Learning, NLP, Unstructured Information Management Architecture, Structured Knowledge in Watson, Domain Adaptation, and Distributional Semantics. ...
This MOOC is accessible from "Learn the Technology"in http://ibm.com/watsonacademy and a 1.5-minute course trailer at http://ibm.co/1yCV7QZ.
Data Warehousing v. Big Data
Good points. By Martyn Jones. I heard a manager recently say they had switched from an emphasis on Data Warehousing to Big Data. But they are not the same thing. Warehousing is architecture and organizing for purpose. It is useful but can be boring. Big Data is using analytic methods, most of them with a long lineage, more effectively against increasingly complex data. When it works, it is exciting and directly valuable. The two methods should be combined, but in the rush to do a quick job with Big Data, obeying the hype mantra, there has been a rush to ignore the needed architecture. If you don't do the architecture now, you will pay for it later.
Thursday, June 04, 2015
Shopping Cart Invented Today
Have done lots of experimental work with the humble cart/buggy/trolley. Was also invented at the Piggly-Wiggly chain that claims to be the first modern process grocery store. (You walk around and make selections) Was invented on June 4 in 1937, some say. Much more related interesting cultural trivia.(Update) Consider how it has then evolved into the Smart Cart. Which we studied for years. That form has not yet succeeded.
Retailers and Gamification
A number of interesting Gamification examples in RetailWire. " ... As any adult who has downloaded Candy Crush or Angry Birds can attest, gaming isn't just for kids anymore. As many retailers can tell you, gamification strategies are a great way to get people to engage with your brand more holistically. What do you think of gamification as a way to engage customers, drive call to actions and gain customer insights? ... "
AllJoyn in New Windows 10
In Time Mag: " ... Microsoft announced last November Windows 10 would pack a technology called AllJoyn. An open source framework that encourages devices to be interoperable, AllJoyn was developed by the AllSeen Alliance, a group of more than 150 companies including the likes of Electrolux, Honeywell, LG, and Qualcomm that have banded together to make an open standard for Internet of Things (IoT) devices to speak to each other.
“AllJoyn technology is like dial-tone for things,” says Philip DesAutels, a senior director of IoT at The Linux Foundation. What he means is this new protocol harkens back to how when you bought something to plug into your home’s phone jack — an answering machine, a cordless phone, a fax — it would just work. The idea behind AllJoyn is that whatever smart home products you buy, no matter the manufacturer or which wireless method they use to connect, when they get plugged in, they are detected and connected to all the other AllJoyn devices on the network. ... "
Slide Makeovers for your Presentations
Good short example of how to easily make over your presentations. Also consider Prezi as a more dramatic change.
Frontiers in Service Science Conference
Service science is an area where advisory cognitive systems are of particular and immediate value. Several of my newer colleagues will be presenting at this upcoming conference. More to follow, will provide some additional news from the conference. :
The 24th Annual Frontiers in Service Conference
The 24th Annual Frontiers in Service Conference will be held July 9-12, 2015 in San Jose, California, USA. The event, hosted and sponsored by IBM, Cisco Systems, the Lucas Graduate School of Business at San José State University and the International Society of Service Innovation Professionals, is the world's leading annual conference on service research and management. Annually, Frontiers is sponsored by INFORMS, the AMA SERVSIG, and the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland. The AMA's SERVSIG doctoral consortium is held in conjunction each year. .....
The 24th Annual Frontiers in Service Conference
The 24th Annual Frontiers in Service Conference will be held July 9-12, 2015 in San Jose, California, USA. The event, hosted and sponsored by IBM, Cisco Systems, the Lucas Graduate School of Business at San José State University and the International Society of Service Innovation Professionals, is the world's leading annual conference on service research and management. Annually, Frontiers is sponsored by INFORMS, the AMA SERVSIG, and the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland. The AMA's SERVSIG doctoral consortium is held in conjunction each year. .....
Improved Cardboard VR
In Engadget: Better cardboard. Works for larger phones. Also includes the system working on IOS systems. Easy to try.
" .... Google brought virtual reality to the masses cheaply with Cardboard, a DIY headset announced at last year's I/O conference. Now, the search giant's building upon its 1 million VR viewers with an improved Cardboard headset that fits smartphone screens up to 6 inches. It also incorporates a new top-mounted button that replaces the finicky magnetic ring so that Cardboard works with any phone. ... "
" .... Google brought virtual reality to the masses cheaply with Cardboard, a DIY headset announced at last year's I/O conference. Now, the search giant's building upon its 1 million VR viewers with an improved Cardboard headset that fits smartphone screens up to 6 inches. It also incorporates a new top-mounted button that replaces the finicky magnetic ring so that Cardboard works with any phone. ... "
Big Data Cognitive Text Challenges in Health Care and Patent Law
In today's CSIG Call:
RP Raghupathi from Fordham presented Big Data Analytics challenges today on our Cognitive Systems Institute Speaker Series.
RP presented "Big Data Analytics in Healthcare, Social Media and Patent Law Cases." RP is the Director for the Center of Digital Transformation, a Professor in the Gabelli School of Business and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University.
A recording of this call will be available at this link . If you'd like to join upcoming weekly, 30 minute calls, please contact fodell@us.ibm.com for an invitation to speak or to listen
Continued conversation on the call contents.
RP Raghupathi from Fordham presented Big Data Analytics challenges today on our Cognitive Systems Institute Speaker Series.
RP presented "Big Data Analytics in Healthcare, Social Media and Patent Law Cases." RP is the Director for the Center of Digital Transformation, a Professor in the Gabelli School of Business and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University.
A recording of this call will be available at this link . If you'd like to join upcoming weekly, 30 minute calls, please contact fodell@us.ibm.com for an invitation to speak or to listen
Continued conversation on the call contents.
Wednesday, June 03, 2015
Book: The Gamification ToolKit
Just received. A short eBook. They write:The Gamification Toolkit
Dynamics, Mechanics, and Components for the Win, by Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter
An all-new ebook from the authors of For the Win, the global hit that has been called “a game changer,” “a home run,” and “a total win”
Take your gamification efforts to the next level
When The Economist covered Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter’s new book For the Win in 2012, they referred to gamification as a “management craze.” Since then, gamification has proved to be much more than a fleeting fad: it is a global movement. For the Win has been published globally in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish, and more than a quarter of a million people have taken Werbach’s gamification course on Coursera.
Now, in their new ebook The Gamification Toolkit, Werbach and Hunter go deeper into the key game elements and provide you with the tools to take gamification to the next level. This brief but comprehensive ebook is a user’s guide to help you build a game—for the win. ...
See also, related Coursera Course.
Using Prezi for Dynamic Presentations
A TED talk example of how to use the slide show alternative Prezi to give a more dynamic form of presentation. Well done, and an interesting topic. Easy to try for your next presentation.
Insight to Action Seminar: Linking Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics
Yesterday saw a very good DSC seminar by Mikhail Lakirovich of IBM. This presented how IBM is integrating machine learning methods and decision optimization. They demonstrated SPSS Modeler, which we used widely when it used to be called Clementine, A good, very visual way to think about predictive/prescriptive analytics. That also creates flow documentation of approaches used. And integrates intelligence about mapping solutions to business problems. The number of analytical templates available in the system is impressive. A mostly non technical seminar, suitable for the details-oriented analytical executive.
" ... DSC Webinar Series: From Insight to Action – Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics from IBM
Predictive analytics has become an imperative for organizations as they strive to incorporate data-driven decision making into their processes by understanding potential future outcomes. Prescriptive analytics can then build on this foundation by answering the eternal question "What should we do about this?" Recording of the seminar.
In today’s webinar you will learn how IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics can help you uncover patterns and trends in your data and how IBM Decision Optimization can be leveraged to incorporate those insights into optimal decisions and how IBM analytics lets your understand your data with ease and speed and translate that understanding into value.
Speaker: Mikhail Lakirovich of IBM
Hosted by: Tim Matteson, Co-Founder DSC
" ... DSC Webinar Series: From Insight to Action – Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics from IBM
Predictive analytics has become an imperative for organizations as they strive to incorporate data-driven decision making into their processes by understanding potential future outcomes. Prescriptive analytics can then build on this foundation by answering the eternal question "What should we do about this?" Recording of the seminar.
In today’s webinar you will learn how IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics can help you uncover patterns and trends in your data and how IBM Decision Optimization can be leveraged to incorporate those insights into optimal decisions and how IBM analytics lets your understand your data with ease and speed and translate that understanding into value.
Speaker: Mikhail Lakirovich of IBM
Hosted by: Tim Matteson, Co-Founder DSC
Learning and the Scientific Mind
Today's ISSIP Talk: Jan Visser, President of Learning Development Institute. Talk: “Building the Scientific Mind: A lifelong human development challenge”.
Slides used here.
Background site. And on Facebook.
Further discussion of talk in Linkedin Group.
Slides used here.
Background site. And on Facebook.
Further discussion of talk in Linkedin Group.
Dawn of AI, Again
In the Economist: Riding a new wave ...
The dawn of artificial intelligence
Powerful computers will reshape humanity’s future. How to ensure the promise outweighs the perils
Dread that the abominations people create will become their masters, or their executioners, is hardly new. But voiced by a renowned cosmologist, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and the founder of Microsoft—hardly Luddites—and set against the vast investment in AI by big firms like Google and Microsoft, such fears have taken on new weight. With supercomputers in every pocket and robots looking down on every battlefield, just dismissing them as science fiction seems like self-deception. The question is how to worry wisely. .... "
The dawn of artificial intelligence
Powerful computers will reshape humanity’s future. How to ensure the promise outweighs the perils
Dread that the abominations people create will become their masters, or their executioners, is hardly new. But voiced by a renowned cosmologist, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and the founder of Microsoft—hardly Luddites—and set against the vast investment in AI by big firms like Google and Microsoft, such fears have taken on new weight. With supercomputers in every pocket and robots looking down on every battlefield, just dismissing them as science fiction seems like self-deception. The question is how to worry wisely. .... "
Tuesday, June 02, 2015
Google Announces One Stop Privacy and Security Hub
In Google Official Blog: Just announced. Nice idea to have this in one place for ease of access. Some critics suggest that this could make it more vulnerable, but I don't think so. You can also adjust privacy, and I wonder how much this can interfere with their marketing goals? Looking forward to take a closer look at what it does reveal.
Polinode Asks for Input
I continue to update information this graph analytics method, aimed at real-world organization problems. More at the Polinode tag below.
Andrew Pitts writes:
Polinode has now been in private beta for a while and we have been thrilled by all the helpful feedback that users such as yourself have provided us with! Just last week we welcomed our 300th beta user and we are happy to let you know that we are preparing to move from private beta to open beta soon.
Before opening up Polinode to the world though, we wanted to take some time to get some further feedback. There are two things in particular that we would appreciate your feedback on:
1. Some of the more significant proposed features we have in mind - we would like to give you the opportunity to help us prioritize these features; and
2. Our updated pricing structure.
What better way to collect your feedback than via a Polinode survey? ..... Beta request.
Andrew Pitts writes:
Polinode has now been in private beta for a while and we have been thrilled by all the helpful feedback that users such as yourself have provided us with! Just last week we welcomed our 300th beta user and we are happy to let you know that we are preparing to move from private beta to open beta soon.
Before opening up Polinode to the world though, we wanted to take some time to get some further feedback. There are two things in particular that we would appreciate your feedback on:
1. Some of the more significant proposed features we have in mind - we would like to give you the opportunity to help us prioritize these features; and
2. Our updated pricing structure.
What better way to collect your feedback than via a Polinode survey? ..... Beta request.
Siri, Cortana and SoundHound Compared
In CIO Today. Interesting look at current state of human to machine advisory communications. Much I would like to learn from the comparison. What's best in understanding and Semantics? Or is it really more about an adaptable and dynamic knowledge graph to anticipate your current context? How is risk of error being included in the correctness of an error, and how is that being communicated to the questioner? A good starting point for many advisory systems is search.
Kroger Adding Jobs
This includes jobs in Supply Chain, HR and online digital innovation. Kroger continues to see innovative changes. See the Kroger tag below for more examples of their work.
Big Data and Risk Management
In CWorld: A very natural place to apply pattern recognition. Risk Management. Deloitte and IBM at work. To take it further, any part of business that generates large amounts of quickly changing data, would benefit.
How Google Got Design
Interesting example of emergence of better design in Technology. In FastCoDesign: " ... How Google Finally Got Design ... Google’s transformation into a company that creates beautiful software is the story of how tech itself has evolved in the mobile era. ... "
Cloud Beacon Technology Example
Brought to my attention via Kontakt.io work with Carrefour. They write:
" ... The Cloud Beacon connects the Internet of Things together, giving real-time access to beacons that are deployed anywhere in the world through the power of our one-of-a-kind Cloud API.
What is a Cloud Beacon?
A Kontakt.io Cloud Beacon is a powerful piece of hardware that combines the flexibility of our award-winning Bluetooth Smart Beacons with a dedicated WiFi radio, giving it the ability to connect with and manage any bluetooth beacon around it and report back to the status of that beacon to our cloud.
Why use a Cloud Beacon?
Bluetooth beacons are designed to be a “set and forget” kind of technology: put your beacons out in a location and they will broadcast the same signal, day in and day out, for years. But there’s a problem: what if you want to change the settings on your beacon? What if you need to know if a beacon has broken or been stolen? How do you administer and update a beacon if it’s not right next to you? .. That’s where the Cloud Beacon comes in. Whether you want to rotate the beacon’s signal for security purposes, check the battery life, or even use the industry’s “Power Nap” feature to schedule when a beacon is active and when it’s conserving power, the Cloud Beacon is your one-stop location to do it all. .... "
Also their blog.
" ... The Cloud Beacon connects the Internet of Things together, giving real-time access to beacons that are deployed anywhere in the world through the power of our one-of-a-kind Cloud API.
What is a Cloud Beacon?
A Kontakt.io Cloud Beacon is a powerful piece of hardware that combines the flexibility of our award-winning Bluetooth Smart Beacons with a dedicated WiFi radio, giving it the ability to connect with and manage any bluetooth beacon around it and report back to the status of that beacon to our cloud.
Why use a Cloud Beacon?
Bluetooth beacons are designed to be a “set and forget” kind of technology: put your beacons out in a location and they will broadcast the same signal, day in and day out, for years. But there’s a problem: what if you want to change the settings on your beacon? What if you need to know if a beacon has broken or been stolen? How do you administer and update a beacon if it’s not right next to you? .. That’s where the Cloud Beacon comes in. Whether you want to rotate the beacon’s signal for security purposes, check the battery life, or even use the industry’s “Power Nap” feature to schedule when a beacon is active and when it’s conserving power, the Cloud Beacon is your one-stop location to do it all. .... "
Also their blog.
Monday, June 01, 2015
A Facility Management System
Just brought to my attention:
CINCINNATI, May 4, 2015 — Ascendum Solutions, a global information technology (IT) provider, announced today that it completed the acquisition of technology and business assets of FMS, a subsidiary of Turner Construction Company, an international construction services company. The acquisition specifically includes two major products: construction management (c.docs) and facility management (Facilify) software both built on Microsoft’s SharePoint platform. These domain specific products extend Ascendum’s portfolio of SharePoint solutions geared towards clients to improve performance, reduce cost and drive more value/ROI from their SharePoint investments.
To read this full press release, please visit http://ow.ly/MuQTL
CINCINNATI, May 4, 2015 — Ascendum Solutions, a global information technology (IT) provider, announced today that it completed the acquisition of technology and business assets of FMS, a subsidiary of Turner Construction Company, an international construction services company. The acquisition specifically includes two major products: construction management (c.docs) and facility management (Facilify) software both built on Microsoft’s SharePoint platform. These domain specific products extend Ascendum’s portfolio of SharePoint solutions geared towards clients to improve performance, reduce cost and drive more value/ROI from their SharePoint investments.
To read this full press release, please visit http://ow.ly/MuQTL
QR Codes and Counterfeiting
In Retailwire: Using QR codes to eliminate counterfeit goods. We examined a number of watermarking methods.
Recognizing Gaze Direction with Machine Learning
In Technology Review:
Virtual Eyes Train Deep Learning Algorithm to Recognize Gaze Direction
Gaze estimation is a classic problem of machine vision, which can now be solved by one computer training another.
Eye contact is one of the most powerful forms of nonverbal communication. If avatars and robots are ever to exploit it, computer scientists will need to better monitor, understand, and reproduce this behavior.
But eye tracking is easier said than done. Perhaps the most promising approach is to train a machine-learning algorithm to recognize gaze direction by studying a large database of images of eyes in which the gaze direction is already known. ... "
Virtual Eyes Train Deep Learning Algorithm to Recognize Gaze Direction
Gaze estimation is a classic problem of machine vision, which can now be solved by one computer training another.
Eye contact is one of the most powerful forms of nonverbal communication. If avatars and robots are ever to exploit it, computer scientists will need to better monitor, understand, and reproduce this behavior.
But eye tracking is easier said than done. Perhaps the most promising approach is to train a machine-learning algorithm to recognize gaze direction by studying a large database of images of eyes in which the gaze direction is already known. ... "
Apple HomeKit
Coming in June.
Apple unveiled HomeKit nearly a year ago, at the Worldwide Developers Conference last June. The idea was that Apple could turn the iPhone or iPad into a command system for the myriad smart-home devices like thermostats, garage doors and locks. Apple didn’t shed much detail about how HomeKit might work at the time, but the company said it would use a “common protocol” to help devices talk with each other and link securely with an iPhone or iPad. ... "
Apple unveiled HomeKit nearly a year ago, at the Worldwide Developers Conference last June. The idea was that Apple could turn the iPhone or iPad into a command system for the myriad smart-home devices like thermostats, garage doors and locks. Apple didn’t shed much detail about how HomeKit might work at the time, but the company said it would use a “common protocol” to help devices talk with each other and link securely with an iPhone or iPad. ... "
Smell Scape of a City
We did quite a bit of work in understanding how smell could be used in retail. One approach was to establish a formal smellscape of a space. It has been done with entire cities before, see the tag below, now advances in that mapping art.
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