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Search: How the Data Explosion Makes Us Smarter
Search is as old as language. We’ve always needed to find something in the jumble of human creation. The first web was nothing more than passing verbal histories down the generations so others could find and remember how not to get eaten; the first search used the power of written language to build simple indexes in printed books, leading to the Dewey Decimal system and reverse indices in more modern times.
Then digital happened. Besides having profound societal impacts, it also made the act of searching almost impossibly complex for both engines and searchers. Information isn’t just words; it is pictures, videos, thoughts tagged with geocode data, routes, physical world data, and, increasingly, the machines themselves reporting their condition and listening to others�.
Search: How the Data Explosion Makes Us Smarter, the first in the Greenhouse Collection, holds up a mirror to our time to see if search can keep up. Author Stefan Weitz explores the idea of access to help readers understand how we are inventing new ways to search and access data through devices in more places and with more capabilities. We are at the cusp of imbuing our generation with superpowers, but only if we fundamentally rethink what search is, how people can use it, and what we should demand of it.
Then digital happened. Besides having profound societal impacts, it also made the act of searching almost impossibly complex for both engines and searchers. Information isn’t just words; it is pictures, videos, thoughts tagged with geocode data, routes, physical world data, and, increasingly, the machines themselves reporting their condition and listening to others�.
Search: How the Data Explosion Makes Us Smarter, the first in the Greenhouse Collection, holds up a mirror to our time to see if search can keep up. Author Stefan Weitz explores the idea of access to help readers understand how we are inventing new ways to search and access data through devices in more places and with more capabilities. We are at the cusp of imbuing our generation with superpowers, but only if we fundamentally rethink what search is, how people can use it, and what we should demand of it.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2014
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June 30, 2020For June, I decided to read a more technology related book. I chose, Search : how the data explosion makes us smarter by Stefan Weitz. Currently when we do a search on the internet, we think of some key words and put them in to a search engine to try and find more information. The book talks about how the evolution of search will become much more than keyword searches and how we are on the verge on some truly groundbreaking advancements. There are so many connected devices that are gathering data about our world in more and more complex ways. While searches are something we must intentionally do at this time, the book talks about how eventually the searches will just be done for us because technology will anticipate our needs based on all the data it knows about us and our surroundings. There really is a lot of potential for technology to increase our efficiency of daily living and push us to new levels of success at an ever increasing rate.
When relating this book to CTEP, it makes me wonder what impacts (if any) these advancements will have on the populations we work with. It seems the greatest barrier for those we work with to take advantage of technology is a lack of skills rather than access. While computer ownership varies greatly with participants, it seems fair to say that most own a smart phone these days. The technological advances mentioned by the book seem greatly tied to smartphones and apps. In that case, our participants should have the possibility to use the apps. However, maybe they will not know how to find and download the apps or how to use them. But then again, maybe some of these apps will come pre-loaded on future smartphones and everything will happen in the background without the smartphone user even needing to do anything. Some of the advancements may also require other internet connected devices, which may be cost prohibitive to some. It is hard to predict the future, but hopefully these upcoming advancements will be something that can really empower all people.
In a more broad reflection, I also hypothesize about the future of populations we work with in regards to technology. Will there continue to be a lack of technology skills? It seems that it is mostly older adults who are lacking the skills. The adult students I work with make it sound like their children are very smart when it comes to technology. Hearing from other CTEPs working with youth, it also sounds like youth are quite skilled at technology even if they are lacking some skills such as formal communication. If we look 30 years down the road, will most people have technology skills or will older adults continue to fall behind on the latest technologies? I'd like to think that there will be less people lacking skills at that point and that people will be more receptive to advancements since today's youth are growing up engrossed in technology.
When relating this book to CTEP, it makes me wonder what impacts (if any) these advancements will have on the populations we work with. It seems the greatest barrier for those we work with to take advantage of technology is a lack of skills rather than access. While computer ownership varies greatly with participants, it seems fair to say that most own a smart phone these days. The technological advances mentioned by the book seem greatly tied to smartphones and apps. In that case, our participants should have the possibility to use the apps. However, maybe they will not know how to find and download the apps or how to use them. But then again, maybe some of these apps will come pre-loaded on future smartphones and everything will happen in the background without the smartphone user even needing to do anything. Some of the advancements may also require other internet connected devices, which may be cost prohibitive to some. It is hard to predict the future, but hopefully these upcoming advancements will be something that can really empower all people.
In a more broad reflection, I also hypothesize about the future of populations we work with in regards to technology. Will there continue to be a lack of technology skills? It seems that it is mostly older adults who are lacking the skills. The adult students I work with make it sound like their children are very smart when it comes to technology. Hearing from other CTEPs working with youth, it also sounds like youth are quite skilled at technology even if they are lacking some skills such as formal communication. If we look 30 years down the road, will most people have technology skills or will older adults continue to fall behind on the latest technologies? I'd like to think that there will be less people lacking skills at that point and that people will be more receptive to advancements since today's youth are growing up engrossed in technology.
May 27, 2020
This was just 'ok', a very simplistic overview of "search" (which verges more on techno-Utopian) and it’s potential to revolutionize quality of life by helping to predict/anticipate user-needs and to better grasp context-dependent requests, so it can link up with other automated services to provide better experiences and more completed resolutions of those requests.
Given the original publication of the text, circa 2014, it isn't surprising how optimistic and general the book is with respect to more recent non-fiction books focused on computing technology. This was a period which saw the release of Google glass, and is roughly the start of the IoT era of computing technologies, and prior to the major security hacks that occurred a few years later by both non-state and state actors.
Much of the book structure is to introduce a topic, then paint a rosy “what if� scenario, which shows how that subjects of that topic (often a related software/technology broad with respect to search, but also verging on AI) could help users if it was integrated seamlessly with sensors, other smart technologies, or some sort of self-measurement device. In this way, the entire book can be thought of as a series of vignettes or introductory general case studies on data fusion.
Not all are totally vapid, the author, being Bing’s director has obvious background/expertise on this matter, but he only let’s those shine occasionally, specifically when discussing the notion of “slow search�, which as described with be a sort of intelligent agent that would gather information on what you are looking for, goals, needs etc., and then spend compute cycles to do a deep search that would integrate multiple application services across the net to satisfy your goals and/or sate the needs that motivated the search. The idea is interesting, but the author goes very little into how such a system would be implemented, and to modern ears, some of his suggested implementations, specifically those that require pervasive data-gathering on the end-user, seem naive.
I would wish for the author to write a more detailed treatise on this subject. As is, it’s really not too informative to most 2020 general readers, most of the vignettes are overly-simplistic, and have mostly become common-knowledge especially since the implementation of household assistant peripherals in the subsequent years after the books publications. Unfortunately, not recommended.
Given the original publication of the text, circa 2014, it isn't surprising how optimistic and general the book is with respect to more recent non-fiction books focused on computing technology. This was a period which saw the release of Google glass, and is roughly the start of the IoT era of computing technologies, and prior to the major security hacks that occurred a few years later by both non-state and state actors.
Much of the book structure is to introduce a topic, then paint a rosy “what if� scenario, which shows how that subjects of that topic (often a related software/technology broad with respect to search, but also verging on AI) could help users if it was integrated seamlessly with sensors, other smart technologies, or some sort of self-measurement device. In this way, the entire book can be thought of as a series of vignettes or introductory general case studies on data fusion.
Not all are totally vapid, the author, being Bing’s director has obvious background/expertise on this matter, but he only let’s those shine occasionally, specifically when discussing the notion of “slow search�, which as described with be a sort of intelligent agent that would gather information on what you are looking for, goals, needs etc., and then spend compute cycles to do a deep search that would integrate multiple application services across the net to satisfy your goals and/or sate the needs that motivated the search. The idea is interesting, but the author goes very little into how such a system would be implemented, and to modern ears, some of his suggested implementations, specifically those that require pervasive data-gathering on the end-user, seem naive.
I would wish for the author to write a more detailed treatise on this subject. As is, it’s really not too informative to most 2020 general readers, most of the vignettes are overly-simplistic, and have mostly become common-knowledge especially since the implementation of household assistant peripherals in the subsequent years after the books publications. Unfortunately, not recommended.
September 16, 2023
PEARL RULE @ 52%
The Publisher Says: Search is as old as language. We’ve always needed to find something in the jumble of human creation. The first web was nothing more than passing verbal histories down the generations so others could find and remember how not to get eaten; the first search used the power of written language to build simple indexes in printed books, leading to the Dewey Decimal system and reverse indices in more modern times.
Then digital happened. Besides having profound societal impacts, it also made the act of searching almost impossibly complex for both engines and searchers. Information isn’t just words; it is pictures, videos, thoughts tagged with geocode data, routes, physical world data, and, increasingly, the machines themselves reporting their condition and listening to others�.
Search: How the Data Explosion Makes Us Smarter, the first in the Greenhouse Collection, holds up a mirror to our time to see if search can keep up. Author Stefan Weitz explores the idea of access to help readers understand how we are inventing new ways to search and access data through devices in more places and with more capabilities. We are at the cusp of imbuing our generation with superpowers, but only if we fundamentally rethink what search is, how people can use it, and what we should demand of it.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Ten years ago, I'd've lapped this up; now, using Pandora and Watson as examples of cutting-edge machine learning would require a history lesson for most under 40. I sort of get the idea the author would agree with this statement because he predicts glorious glowing things will come from AI as search technology improves and algorithms get sharper and sharper in their focus. Absent a decade's awareness-building curve, there's just no way to put the book on an equal footing with later projects. I came to the conclusion that, honestly, my eyeblinks would be better spent elsewhere. This book was an overview of search engines' capabilities and the possible future use of them.
That future came and went.
You should know that the author headed Bing, Microsoft's response to Google. He is, based on internal evidence and a quick peek at his biography, a True Believer in Markets and Tech being forces for good. Since I believe neither of those things, take stock of my PoV on the book with that information in mind.
The Publisher Says: Search is as old as language. We’ve always needed to find something in the jumble of human creation. The first web was nothing more than passing verbal histories down the generations so others could find and remember how not to get eaten; the first search used the power of written language to build simple indexes in printed books, leading to the Dewey Decimal system and reverse indices in more modern times.
Then digital happened. Besides having profound societal impacts, it also made the act of searching almost impossibly complex for both engines and searchers. Information isn’t just words; it is pictures, videos, thoughts tagged with geocode data, routes, physical world data, and, increasingly, the machines themselves reporting their condition and listening to others�.
Search: How the Data Explosion Makes Us Smarter, the first in the Greenhouse Collection, holds up a mirror to our time to see if search can keep up. Author Stefan Weitz explores the idea of access to help readers understand how we are inventing new ways to search and access data through devices in more places and with more capabilities. We are at the cusp of imbuing our generation with superpowers, but only if we fundamentally rethink what search is, how people can use it, and what we should demand of it.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Ten years ago, I'd've lapped this up; now, using Pandora and Watson as examples of cutting-edge machine learning would require a history lesson for most under 40. I sort of get the idea the author would agree with this statement because he predicts glorious glowing things will come from AI as search technology improves and algorithms get sharper and sharper in their focus. Absent a decade's awareness-building curve, there's just no way to put the book on an equal footing with later projects. I came to the conclusion that, honestly, my eyeblinks would be better spent elsewhere. This book was an overview of search engines' capabilities and the possible future use of them.
That future came and went.
You should know that the author headed Bing, Microsoft's response to Google. He is, based on internal evidence and a quick peek at his biography, a True Believer in Markets and Tech being forces for good. Since I believe neither of those things, take stock of my PoV on the book with that information in mind.
Read
November 9, 2019Great read!
February 6, 2020
Repetitive
November 30, 2014
Read this over Thanksgiving and after suffering through a pretty elementary chapter one, the subsequent chapters have me thinking about all kinds of terms and possibilities.
For instance, what is it called when a computer is able to understand what you mean versus what you say (i.e. how can it translate search queries into actions geared toward a specific result)? And what IS that term? Is it seeking? Sorta. Not curating, not analyzing...it's term that likely hasn't been invented yet.
It's a good read on a subject we should all know more about, as the kinds of data we willfully provide to companies that can then translate that via algorithm into actionable/marketable results will dictate how computers evolve.
I've been trying to figure out a term for what this kind of "search" will do. Provider is pretty close. For instance, say it was cold and rainy outside and I wanted to go to the store. I have on shoes, pants and a t-shirt. Now, if I were to "search" for a coat, I'd soon find all of my coats, which is similar to what a Google search would pull up if I asked for a coat, just a list of places where to buy coats.
But today, my wife pointed out my water-resistant options that were warm enough to wear on a cool, wet day. Soon, computers will be able to do all of that and give options to get to the store. There's a term for that, but I'm not yet sure what it is.
The friend that sent this to me said it's 20% high school and 80% college-level discussion, and that makes sense. I would have liked that 20% to be graduate level instead of high school, but maybe that's being left for the next one.
Disclosure: I received this book for free.
For instance, what is it called when a computer is able to understand what you mean versus what you say (i.e. how can it translate search queries into actions geared toward a specific result)? And what IS that term? Is it seeking? Sorta. Not curating, not analyzing...it's term that likely hasn't been invented yet.
It's a good read on a subject we should all know more about, as the kinds of data we willfully provide to companies that can then translate that via algorithm into actionable/marketable results will dictate how computers evolve.
I've been trying to figure out a term for what this kind of "search" will do. Provider is pretty close. For instance, say it was cold and rainy outside and I wanted to go to the store. I have on shoes, pants and a t-shirt. Now, if I were to "search" for a coat, I'd soon find all of my coats, which is similar to what a Google search would pull up if I asked for a coat, just a list of places where to buy coats.
But today, my wife pointed out my water-resistant options that were warm enough to wear on a cool, wet day. Soon, computers will be able to do all of that and give options to get to the store. There's a term for that, but I'm not yet sure what it is.
The friend that sent this to me said it's 20% high school and 80% college-level discussion, and that makes sense. I would have liked that 20% to be graduate level instead of high school, but maybe that's being left for the next one.
Disclosure: I received this book for free.
May 27, 2015
This was a very interesting book that opens the reader up to how we will maybe interact with information in the future through Search(being a general term referring to an entity that effectively and efficiently takes all information available and uses it to create a complete answer to our inquiries) acting as something like a translator between all data and us humans.
I think my favorite part was closer to the end where Weitz starts discussing the value of our digital selves and the information we release. He makes a great point that we have laws in place protecting our physical self and our legal self but so far there has been very little regulation pertaining peoples' digital selves. Yet this self will become of utter importance as our entire lives become augmented by Search and more and more data is digitized. The future is bright so long as we understand that with great data should come great regulation and protection.
Overall, this was a very interesting book written in plain language and a quick read.
I think my favorite part was closer to the end where Weitz starts discussing the value of our digital selves and the information we release. He makes a great point that we have laws in place protecting our physical self and our legal self but so far there has been very little regulation pertaining peoples' digital selves. Yet this self will become of utter importance as our entire lives become augmented by Search and more and more data is digitized. The future is bright so long as we understand that with great data should come great regulation and protection.
Overall, this was a very interesting book written in plain language and a quick read.
January 20, 2015
Dull book that overstates advantages of digitizing everything, while minimizing potential risks. Most of the interesting parts are covered much better in other books.
August 28, 2015
Lots of breathless vision. A few interesting insights. Very little substance.
December 28, 2015
Excellent book. Insights from the expert.
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