Category: Information Operations (IO)

Must  read.

The blockchain is a threat to the distributed future of the Internet

EXTRACT

The need to replicate the whole chain of blocks on our computer is an insurmountable barrier to entry if you’re searching for an alternative to IBM, Amazon or Google. The Twister chain is still small, but think about how, to date, the initial synchronization for Bitcoin requires storage space of more than 65GB for the complete download of the blockchain.   . . .

The alternative on which we can build a great new Internet era is projects like GNU social, Friendica, Hubzilla, Diaspora, and efforts to design common protocols like ActivityPub, not on the blockchain. Without a doubt, the blockchain will be very useful for registering large corporate capital markets and making cross-border banking transactions, but as system for the development of everyday applications on the Internet, it’s a danger to the distributed structure of the network.

Continue reading “Jean Lievens: Is Blockchain a Threat to the Distributed Internet? UPDATED with 2 Comments”

The Real Lesson for Data Science That is Demonstrated by Palantir's Struggles

The real message from the Buzzfeed article goes beyond just Palantir and is highly relevant to the data science world. It ultimately comes down to the question of what is the value of data analysis?, and secondarily, how do you communicate that value?

See Also:

Palantir @ Phi Beta Iota

Now Big Data Has to Be Fast

I read “Big Data Is No Longer Enough: It’s Now All about Fast Data.” The write up is interesting because it shifts the focus from having lots of information to infrastructure which can process the data in a timely manner. Note that “timely” means different things in different contexts. For example, to a crazed MBA stock market maven, next week is not too useful. To a clueless marketing professional with a degree in art history, “next week” might be just speedy enough.

The write up points out:

Continue reading “Stephen E. Arnold: Now Big Data Has to Be Fast (But We Still Only Process 1%)”

Dissing the GOOG: After 15 Years, the Halo Tarnishes

From my perspective, the search giant turned Leonardo can envision with the best mankind has offered. The challenge seems to be finding a way to keep the online advertising machine pumping money.

I read “Is the Online Advertising Bubble Finally Starting to Pop?” This is an interesting question. The write up presents some data which make clear that Google is generating less revenue per click than it did in 2014. I looked at a chart which shows a decline in the “cost of ad space per dollar of revenue.

If the data are accurate, erosion of Google’s ad revenue is now a problem for Google to solve. The write up opined:

Continue reading “Stephen E. Arnold: Advertising Revenue Collapsing, Will Google Collapse Also?”