The Information Continuum and the Three Types of Subtly Semi-Structured Information | Kellblog

Insightful analysis from Dave Kellogg; read the full post 

We generally refer to MarkLogic Server as an XML server, which is a special-purpose database management system (DBMS) for unstructured information.  This often sparks debate about the term “unstructured” and the information continuum in general.  Surprisingly, while both analysts and vendors frequently discuss the concept, the Wikipedia entry for information continuum is weak, and I couldn’t easily find a nice picture of it, so I decided to make my own.

The Information Continuum and the Three Types of Subtly Semi-Structured Information | Kellblog

Forrester: Google still a distant Office competitor | ZDNet

I look forward to seeing the Google spin attempt on this information item

For all the noise about — and from — Google giving Microsoft a run for its money in the office/productivity market, the reality is rather different, according to Forrester Research.

New Forrester data, released on May 11, claims that 81% of the enterprises it surveyed are running Office 2007 and 78% supporting SharePoint, compared to only 4% using Google Apps. Forrester also says that one third of survey respondents are already planning an upgrade to Office 2010 within the next 12 months. (Forrester’s sample is 115 North American and European enterprise and SMB decision makers, the researchers said.)

Forrester: Google still a distant Office competitor | ZDNet

Google: UMass discontinuing Google Apps service potentially unprecedented | The Daily Collegian

Another Google Gone case study

University of Massachusetts officials sent a campus-wide e-mail in early April announcing undergraduate students can no longer sign up for Google Apps and that the service will eventually be phased out completely – an exceedingly rare and potentially unprecedented move, according to Google.

The reason for discontinuing Google Apps, according to OIT, is the low adoption and usage rates among undergraduate students since the service was introduced in September 2009. In the eight months since Google Apps became available on campus, around 7 percent of the University’s 20,000 undergrads have switched from the traditional University-provided e-mail service, UMail, to Google Apps, and “only a small number” of that 7 percent log in frequently, OIT said in the e-mail.

Google: UMass discontinuing Google Apps service potentially unprecedented | The Daily Collegian

Verizon: We're making a tablet with Google | Relevant Results - CNET News

More fun with today’s headline-first, optional facts-later journalism 2.0 case study

Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam confirmed plans Tuesday to release a tablet computer running software from Google at some point, but did not elaborate on timing.

The Wall Street Journal spoke to McAdam, who said "we're looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience." The two companies signed a partnership last year to develop a family of mobile devices based on Android, although it's not clear if McAdam is referring to Android, Chrome OS, or just Google applications running atop something else.

In fewer words (and as clarified by a Google statement appended to an article update), there is nothing to substantiate the WSJ headline, but hey, it’s the WSJ, so CNet ran with it anyway…  A useful resource to track issues and examples in this sort of non-journalism: RegretTheError.com

Verizon: We're making a tablet with Google | Relevant Results - CNET News

Why Microsoft : Google Docs does not make Office better

Microsoft obviously does not agree with Google’s latest attempt at making itself relevant in the productivity applications market; see the full post from Microsoft Online Product Management team director Alex Payne for more details

Google is of course doing this now as the business launch of Office 2010 happens tomorrow (Wednesday May 12, 2010). I’m not going to focus on the launch in this blog as there already has been a ton of great news about Office 2010, SharePoint 2010, Exchange 2010, etc. What I want to do is spend a little time focusing on Google’s argument. I used to think it was something that Google implied. Given the quotes and articles today, I now see that Google is being explicit in their claim. They are claiming that an organization can use both seamlessly.

This just isn’t the case. Let me explain […]

Why Microsoft : Google Docs does not make Office better

Facebook Executive Answers Reader Questions - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

A timely snapshot of Facebook’s official positioning on privacy and other issues

Last week we asked readers to submit questions about Facebook and its approach to privacy, which Elliot Schrage, vice president for public policy at the company, had agreed to answer.

We sifted through roughly 300 questions left by readers on our original blog post and our New York Times Facebook page and e-mailed a selection to Mr. Schrage. His answers appear below, after some general remarks. In some cases we shortened the questions and fixed typos.

Facebook Executive Answers Reader Questions - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

Verizon Wireless, Google Work on Tablet - WSJ.com

This is a timely journalism 2.0 reality check – nothing specific about a new tablet offering was announced by either Verizon or Google, and still the press runs away with yet another “iPad killer” themed story (the banner headline for the WSJ article: "Verizon, Google Developing iPad Rival")

"What do we think the next big wave of opportunities are?" Mr. McAdam said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "We're working on tablets together, for example. We're looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience."

Verizon Wireless declined to discuss details on the timing or the manufacturer of a such a tablet. Google's role in the tablet wasn't immediately clear, though Mr. McAdam mentioned it in the context of the discussions the two companies have about bringing new smartphones to market.

A Google spokesman declined to comment on the Verizon tablet, but said anyone can use the company's mobile software to create phones and other devices.

Verizon Wireless, Google Work on Tablet - WSJ.com

A Revamped Microsoft Office, Free on the Web - NYTimes.com

A major Microsoft milestone day; see the full article for more details and consider watching the 11:00 a.m. EDT launch event today

Over the last three years, Microsoft’s share of the office software market has remained static at 94 percent, according to the research firm Gartner. Adobe ranks second in office software revenue with almost 4 percent of the market, leaving scraps for about eight other companies. Microsoft’s business software group brought in $19 billion last year.

A Revamped Microsoft Office, Free on the Web - NYTimes.com

How to Save the News - Magazine - The Atlantic

The cover story from the latest issue of The Atlantic, by James Fallows

Plummeting newspaper circulation, disappearing classified ads, “unbundling” of content—the list of what’s killing journalism is long. But high on that list, many would say, is Google, the biggest unbundler of them all. Now, having helped break the news business, the company wants to fix it—for commercial as well as civic reasons: if news organizations stop producing great journalism, says one Google executive, the search engine will no longer have interesting content to link to. So some of the smartest minds at the company are thinking about this, and working with publishers, and peering ahead to see what the future of journalism looks like. Guess what? It’s bright.

Also check the link to Google chief economist Hal Varian’s “A Google-Eye View of the Newspaper Business”. Excerpt from that (2010/03/09) presentation:

The next slide explains “what can be done”

How to Save the News - Magazine - The Atlantic

Blockbuster Gone Digital - Science and Tech - The Atlantic

Somehow I think it’s going to take more than an API to resurrect Blockbuster at this point.

Just when investors thought beleaguered Blockbuster wouldn't make it, the movie rental company is going digital. After more than 25 years of renting out videos and DVDs, Blockbuster Inc. announced the launch of a new application programming interface (API) to deliver its movies to myriad platforms, including smart phones, gaming consoles, tablets, and digital television boxes. Alex Williams of ReadWriteWeb reports that the adoption of a new digital API strategy gives Blockbuster "the leverage to give the customer a unified experience across multiple channels," providing customers with new avenues to purchase Blockbuster products. The API will bridge the gap between Blockbuster's monstrous inventory and the growing market of Internet-ready devices that has left the rental giant toiling under the specter of financial ruin.

Blockbuster Gone Digital - Science and Tech - The Atlantic

Why Microsoft : Global Educators Choose Live@edu for Better Security and Privacy

More Live@edu updates – excerpts:

The first bit of news was the strategic technical collaboration agreement signed between Microsoft and ePals which ZDNet Blogger Chris Dawson called a ‘Game Changer’. If you aren’t familiar with ePals, it’s the world’s largest K-12 Learning Network reaching 600,000 educators, 25million teachers in 200 countries. So their decision to leverage Live@Edu as a platform for the future is a big deal for education.

[…]

These UK universities are part of a growing number of educational institutions on every continent that have selected Live@Edu.  In fact, 10,000 institutions have enrolled with Live@Edu in the last six months.  I wanted to provide an example of ten schools that have published a case study about joining Live@edu since January 1, 2010. Alone they represent over 1.3 Million students and faculty: 

See the full post for more details

Why Microsoft : Global Educators Choose Live@edu for Better Security and Privacy

Technology Review: Patient's Social Network Predicts Drug Outcomes

A fascinating application of social networking technology

Earlier this month, the journal Lancet Neurology published a study showing that the generic drug lithium did nothing to slow the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a devastating neurological disease. The findings would likely have been a disappointment to patients--they refuted an earlier, much smaller study suggesting that lithium could alter the disease's rapid decline--but many already suspected this outcome. Eighteen months earlier, PatientsLikeMe, a for-profit patient networking site and data aggregator based in Cambridge, MA, had come to a similar conclusion, much more quickly and at much less cost.

Technology Review: Patient's Social Network Predicts Drug Outcomes

Chill Out! Obama Doesn’t Hate Your iPad. | Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD

The rest of the (non-)story…

More interesting: Wouldn’t it be weird if the President of the United States gave a speech about the education gap, made a passing reference to technology’s ability to distract us, and then the short-attention-span media made it look like he was coming for your Twitter account?

Not weird, you say? Just kind of predictable?

Okay. So here, for the record, are Obama’s prepared remarks for his commencement address at Hampton University yesterday (below). They clock in at more than 2,000 words (the speech he actually delivered was a tiny bit longer), but if you slug your way through it, you’ll find that your iPad is probably safe.

Chill Out! Obama Doesn’t Hate Your iPad. | Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD

Missouri's Newsy Changes Journalism on the iPad - NYTimes.com

Somehow seems appropriate for this to come from the Show-Me state…

Spencer's new startup Newsy.com has combined an innovative journalistic model, a low-cost Midwest business strategy and a beautiful touch-screen design to rocket to the Top 10 of News apps for the iPad in iTunes. Remember how the iPad was supposed to change journalism? Newsy could be an example of how it's actually working; the resulting app is one you should be sure to check out if you have an iPad.

Missouri's Newsy Changes Journalism on the iPad - NYTimes.com

Android vs. the iPhone — the Battle Heats Up - Digits - WSJ

Impressive, if the numbers can be verified; clearly the Nexus One flop isn’t a crisis in the bigger Android picture

Phones with Google’s Android operating system are outselling Apple’s iPhone, according to surprising new data from market-research firm NPD Group.

The firm, which gets its data from monthly online surveys, says Android had 28% of smart-phone mobile-browser market sales and shipments in the first quarter of 2010, ahead of Apple, which it reports had 21%. RIM’s BlackBerry system still leads, with 36%, according to the group.

Android vs. the iPhone — the Battle Heats Up - Digits - WSJ

Sprint Drops Plan to Offer Google's Nexus One

Maybe AT&T, which is apparently confirmed to have iPhone exclusivity until 2012, will help Google advance its strategy of disintermediating carriers…

Gizmodo reports that the carrier will instead focus its efforts on the upcoming HTC EVO 4G it will be launching this summer. Both devices are Android() phones, but the EVO is arguably more full-featured and will take advantage of Sprint’s 4G network — the next-generation cellular service that will be more akin to true mobile broadband with faster speeds than current 3G networks.

This comes as a one-two blow to Google(), considering Verizon also recently opted out of carrying the Nexus One. The other major U.S. CDMA carrier will in turn be focusing on its Droid Incredible handset as its flagship Android model.

In the meantime, Google’s Nexus One “Get your phone” page now includes

Sprint Drops Plan to Offer Google's Nexus One

iPad Usability: First Findings From User Testing (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)

More excellent advice Apple will no doubt opt to ignore; see the full post for more details and a link to download the full 93-page report

Summary:
iPad apps are inconsistent and have low feature discoverability, with frequent user errors due to accidental gestures. An overly strong print metaphor and weird interaction styles cause further usability problems.

"It looks like a giant iPhone," is the first thing users say when asked to test an iPad. (Their second comment? "Wow, it's heavy.")

But from an interaction design perspective, an iPad user interface shouldn't be a scaled-up iPhone UI.

iPad Usability: First Findings From User Testing (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)

Tech World Explodes Over Obama's Anti-iPad Remarks | The Atlantic Wire

Read the full post for a snapshot of yet another dimension of cyber-polarization. I think President Obama got it right; the vast majority of time I see people dedicating to their iPods, iPads, and game consoles is indeed much more about information as entertainment than other e-words, e.g., empowerment and emancipation, as Obama asserted, as well as education and enlightenment.

Are techies more zealous than gun owners? By the looks of their reaction to President Obama's remarks on "iPods and iPads," maybe so. Many will recall the NRA-fueled firestorm over Obama's comments on small-town Americans clinging to their guns. A corresponding outrage is now brewing in technology circles after the president criticized the sacred cow of tech: shiny gadgets.

Tech World Explodes Over Obama's Anti-iPad Remarks The Atlantic Wire

The PowerPoint Team Blog : Producer for PowerPoint: Now Official!

A major update to the free Microsoft Producer

It's a pleasure to announce the official release of a great tool for working with PowerPoint files, Microsoft Producer.

Microsoft Producer allows you to take an existing presentation file, capture and synchronize video and audio narration, add additional media content, and produce a unified set of content ready for viewing in a browser on your corporate intranet or a generally accessible web server.

A powerful tool for e-learning, corporate communications, sales... many corporations and schools have been using Producer on a regular basis for many years.

The PowerPoint Team Blog : Producer for PowerPoint: Now Official!

I want to like the iPad : On a New Road

Apparently James Gosling isn’t moving from Oracle to Apple; see the full post for more iPad observations.  For me, the iPad will remain mostly a game device (and heavier-than-my-Kindle e-reader machine) unless/until I can find a Safari extension for blogging (and that’s likely to be a while, since iPad Safari doesn’t support extensions).

Really, I do. I put in my order for a 3G iPad on day 1 and calmly waited my turn for the Blessed Object to arrive. It has that `I must have it' sensuality that Apple has become so good at. But a week later, I don't get it. It's magical, but the magic feels more Oz than Dumbledore. It feels more like a business model looking for a device to express it, rather than something that actually fills a need. I like a lot of Apple products, but this one is a clear victory of style over substance.

I want to like the iPad : On a New Road