NLP and Gender

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There are a number of papers written on the concept of using Natural Language Processing (NLP) of written text for determining gender. One of the better known papers is by Moshe Koppel and Shlomo Argamon "Gender, Genre, and Writing Style in Formal Written Texts". These works presume that the choice of words specific to gender. In their paper they site findings that women are far more likely than men to use personal pronouns ("I", "you", "she", etc), whereas men prefer words that identify or determine nouns ("a", "the", "that") or that quantify them ("one", "two", "more"). According to Moshe Koppel, one of the authors of the project, this is because women are more comfortable thinking about people and relationships, whereas men prefer thinking about things. (For speech there are all sorts of additional ques that can be picked up on, such pitch, intonation etc.)
You can test this idea at the Gender Genie at: http://bookblog.net/gender/genie.php
The concept of gender can be extended to Alpha-male type behavior, to submissive roles.
They can be extended to other types of roles, such as leader or follower, teacher or student.

Assuming that there are linguistic correlation between such roles, then there should also exist the possibilities of other linguistic correlations such as veracity (truthfulness), strength in negations. A lie detector, for example measures the correlation between biological response to veracity. A gamblers ability to read (detect and correlate) an opponents behavioral changes of a bluff can have a dramatic effect on the outcome of a poker game.

There is a difference between causal and correlation that should when evaluating the usefulness of such tools. For example, a sociopath on a lie detector. The measure of the correlation is not a measure of causal relationship. The causes underlying the correlation, if any, may be indirect and unknown, and high correlations also overlap with identity relations, where no causal process exists. For example the cause of the gender correlation may be more related to measure of alpha behavior than sex. Even if the cause is not understood if there is a strong correlation then usefulness/trustfulness of the information obtained from the analysis can be of greater value.

EU and the Oracle Sun merger

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The US press seems to be baffled why the the European Commission would be more concerned about open source effect on the Oracle purchase of Sun than the US Justice Department. Well that is simple, Europe has more readily adopted the use of open source. And oh yes, were did MySQL get its start? Sweden.

Yesterday (Sept 21) The EU asked Oracle competitors in the 10-page questionnaire to what extent the company could “influence/control/steer the reaction and development of the MySQL community” as the owner of a proprietary version of the software.

Oracle is the world’s largest maker of database software. MySQL is the most popular open-source database, meaning its software is freely available as a download to customers.

The questionnaire is part of the commission’s in-depth review of the deal that began on Sept. 3. Oracle Chief Executive Officer Larry Ellison said yesterday that Sun is losing about $100 million a month as the transaction is delayed by the EU probe. Mr Ellison said that Oracle and MySQL did not compete against each other, and said he would not sell off MySQL to get the deal approved.

Not compete? How many trade studies for which data base to use have I done? More than I can possibly remember. So they all went like this. Will the end costumer except open source, then are they an DB2 (IBM) or Oracle DB. ... And then why the opposition to sell?

And why else would the EC care? And readers of this article. Open source software development is relevant to investment research because it reduces the research and development expense of the publicly traded companies that make use of it. Companies in the EU are much more invested in such technologies, and would be hit harder if it disappears from the market.

And then there is java, Glassfish, Open ESB (open source equivalent to the recently acquired BEA) ..., but MySQL would be a bit more obvious competition to understand.

Smart Phones, Net Books, Ultrathins and Laptops.

As battery improve, CPU power increases, what is the future of staying connected? Which device should you choose. (or invest in)?

The answer to this question is becoming less a matter of technology, but more a matter of what your needs are. Do you need to stay connected while out and about. Do you need to web access while shopping. Can you type with your thumbs or one finger? How fast do you need to inter data, or ask for information? How small of a screen can you live with.

Why can't device manufactures get it right. What I really want is something more like an I-Pod. A pocket sized device while I am running around, jogging, etc. That will doc to my laptop base while I am visiting clients, so that I have a nice large keyboard, and large screen. Of course I then want to plug that into my home or office docking station with the wireless keyboard, surround sound, and excessively large monitor, and game joystick. All so that my data is always with me, on what I am using.

Other than the initial lower cost, I can't figure out why anyone really wants a netbook. The key boards are to small to type on (at least for me), and it won't fit into my pockets. I can't help but notice that if you buy an older laptop that about equals the price of a new netbook. When they first came out laptops where a lot heavier and pretty expensive. They did provide lightweight mobility. But now firmly bracketing netbooks are Ultrathins and Cliq.

The Cliq, which was just announced last Thursday, is a step closer to that vision. But it still not what I really want so until that time, I'll continue using my simple phone..... which is beeping to say it is out of battery, just like this laptop.... Maybe I will take a closer look at the Cliq.

"Consensus is more important than perfection”

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As a technologist, of coarse I can't agree with this quote.

"Consensus is more important than perfection,”is a quote from the new Manufacturing Czar, Ron Bloom. While at the USW Bloom says that the USWA still believes that the Canadian system works better and is the best way to deliver health care.

Bloom indicated that the Steelworkers union has begun to talk with its employers about the need for a comprehensive approach to health care in this country.

Obama anouncing Ron Bloom as manufacturing czar on labor day at the AFL-CIO picnic is an intersting move. Both the Steelworkers and the Autoworkers are sensitive to the relationship of health care to the issue of competitiveness.

In September of 2002, the Canadian divisions of General Motors, Ford, and Daimler Chrysler signed a letter together with the Canadian Auto Workers urging that Canada’s national health care system be “preserved and renewed”.

The letter goes on to explain that Canada’s publicly funded health care system provides much of the Canadian auto industry’s competitive advantage over the U.S.

At that time while Bloom was with the Steelworkers union stated he sees health care as a trade issue. He explains that employers in the U.S. are paying the freight for health care while their competition in other countries has publicly financed health care. He believes that large companies with stable, high wage employees will move to see that it is in their economic self interest to move toward a publicly funded program.

Ron Bloom has been involved in many complex union negotiations, especially over the formation of union-run trust funds to oversee retiree health care, a key issue for Detroit's automakers and the UAW.

In 2005, Bloom's former investment banking firm, Lazard Ltd., was retained by the UAW to review GM's finances when the automaker was seeking concessions on health care costs.

So is this shadow support for Obama Health care (via the unions), or union support, or manufacturing, or industry?

Technology? Ron Blooms past seems to be a series of union negotiations that seems to be an impediment to technology advancement by solely supporting union shops. This move seems likely to be more forced unionism, less American competitiveness, more job losses, and ultimately more bankruptcies and taxpayer-funded bailouts of corruptly run union pension plans.

Note: Obama's Ron Bloom is different from the entrepreneur Ron Bloom of Podshow Mevio who has a much more positive view for developing technology and business.

TARP and Bailout Impact on Innovation and Technology

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So what is the TARP and bailout strategy doing for innovation and technology advancement? Slowing it down, preventing investments for the most part. Yep, spending government money on companies that have failed to promote innovation and technology advancements won't get very far.

What is a Venture Capitalist to do? Invest in prosthetic limb technology. That is one place where the government is spending money but having trouble. (OK, that may be a good thing, since it is generally not economically easy to make a profit on something that about 100,000 people need). But spending money to support unions for products that people don't want (see the report on which models sold in response to the clunker deal)!

Actually this is one of the best times to be investing in new technology. The lead time for emerging technology to market puts most product releases about the time of the upswing of the economy (assuming you don't believe that the current administration will totally trash the economy for 8 years). If you have existing products, tighten your belts.