Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Deep Web: The Cusp of a Technology Break-through

I was casually surfing and i found this interesting piece on a technology (Can't call it new as it was established in '05) called as Deep Web. A Trivia: Google (# 1 search place) can scan and provide results from a trillion web-pages. However, this repository is just a fraction of the whole web out there. How many times have you thought out of the box while googling and asked yourself: Why can't i get results for an uploaded picture or why can't google answer questions like : "Is there accommodation at Savoy on 28th Feb, 2009?" Sounds a bit off-the-shelve, but if you realize the amount of data sources connected to Internet, you would be awed by the power it can bring into ones hands.

I track the manufacturing software side for my division and there is scramble of events happening to jump the bandwagon and leverage the benefits of new-age technologies like "Cloud Computing". Every technology has its own pro's and con's and it depends on every individual organization to match up with its internal strategy to harness its true potential. Similarly, Deep Web is the scanning of Databases which is different from the traditional crawler program (web-spiders) which is actually a program. Spiders are used to unravel the hyperlinks between web-pages, but it is not so helpful in scanning data repositories. So, comes in a radically new search engine (An example: http://www.kosmix.com/) which matches databases in relevance to the string typed in. Trivia 2: Kosmix was founded by two Indian's - grads from IIT and Masters from Stanford. You guys make us feel so proud !




The technology is obviously complex, as it has to match every bit of your intended meaning and furnish expected results and not alienate you in using their engine :) What's even more cool is... the web-page throws up connected results and aids in additional surfing, if required. For ex: If i type in the name of the sport : Ultimate, the web-page build delivers a host of results (Quite a few of the are not related) like description of the sport, communities, people, videos..et.al. Hence, it's like a convergence of all kinds of information on one portal. User's have a one-stop shop to view and learn all they have to about a particular topic ! I am sure, this technology is expected to break barriers and start the avalanche of changing businesses.

Oh yeah: I wish this happens as well: I upload the picture of a boulevard in Prague' and i get the entire listing of travel advice journos, places to visit, travel options, hotel acco's, price ranges, nearby tourist locale's, what's hot and what's not and so on. Imagination is just unlimited but to bring the cogs to deliver requires innovation, passion and drive !

Monday, February 23, 2009

Reminiscence

A post after a bit too long.. Composition of whats been happening in the meanwhile..
As 2009 dawned, i was pretty sure of the life's short-lessons and the examinations that i had to clear before moving into the next league. Sure-footed with renewed confidence to do better and surpass set-goals have been the motto from the first of Jan. I have been judiciously juggled both of my split-lives (work and personal) to a reasonable extent and am more compassionate towards the society.
Giving back something to the society topped my "To-do" charts for this year. Hence, i decided to pursue "Deepam" a NPO run for bridging the literacy divide for the under-privileged kids. Believe me..the sessions with the kids over the weekends are a significant stress-buster and thought-provoking! I try to make it to all the sessions without fail, although i have missed a few due to planned circumstances and one-off events.
Being a movie-buff, i decided to plunge in to them (jus like age-old Rajasthan days) and watch the selected few like Munich, Shawshank Redemption, sit-coms like SATC, F.R.I.E.N.D.S and such others. They just ooze with creativity and have tingled my brain-buds to pursue the knowledge of film-making. Of course, i take a lot of cues from the vanity world and one such thing is this: Making a list of what all i would like to have in my life...and working my sweet a** off to have them in place within the next ten years. I had a real-hard time in making a realistic list (i do have a 3-series BMW on it:P).

Ultimate has taken a new definition in streamlining my way of living. This sport has so become an integral part of my life, that my biological clock is attuned to wake me up at 5:00 ! Not that, i have not done it before but this is with more agility and energy. Thanks to the wonderful set of folks and friends... this sport seriously keeps me fit and drives me to have extended work-sessions and push myself to the limits.

Nothing much to update on the personal front. Too bad for the shackles and respect for my community..Oh yeah ! a whole lot of my cuz's got married and became Daddies.. Sigh! people younger than me... Jeez..i seriously admire them from one side..but at the same time, angry at them for starting production at such an early stage! I went for a few..missed a few..but overall i am happy for them seeing settled in life. Every dog has its day :)

Officially, i have been promoted..more responsibilities, longer work-hours (i hope not) and the list is just endless here. However, it is true that rejoice is in the air for 2009 ! More to come.. i have a weakness for cars and i jus fell weak on my knees when i saw the new Fiat Linea ! Would test-drive it and be back to write my reviews about it.