The PlanetRecruit Blog

Facial recognition software too creepy for Google

You know something's wrong with the potential application of some technology when Eric Schmidt, Google’s executive chairman, says the Cookie Monster won't build a giant database able to recognise and identify individual faces. It is well known that the company has, in the past, worked on such a system but now it will not be deployed.

Eric Schmidt, was speaking to an audience at Google’s 'Big Tent' gathering on the growth of the internet and the ramifications this may have for the privacy of the individual in a world increasingly dominated by huge databases containing information on billions of people.

Schmidt opined that facial recognition technology is one of the developments that has "most surprised" him and added that the “surprising accuracy of these systems is very concerning”.

Are SMEs really more appealing to the younger generation?

I read some comment on the job market recently that put forward the opinion that corporate / blue chip employers are struggling to attract younger talent. According to the article, this demographic is more naturally drawn to smaller start-up companies over the big players in any given market. 

The theory is that smaller organisations are more adaptable and agile, allowing them to change quickly to meet the demands of their customers, but also are more concerned with the needs of their staff. This is offset against a perception that in a corporate company you will become a tiny cog in a big machine and no longer be rewarded with significantly better pay or benefits. This seems a reasonable enough proposition, and there is always the chance that working in a small organisation you'll get in on the next big thing. 

The whole theory feeds into the ‘anti-corporate message’ that has always been there, but has arguably become more commonplace since the recession. People are more aware than before of the impact that big brands can have on the UK economy and local businesses – a big well-known supermarket on your side of town will hurt local shopkeepers for example. And let’s not get started on the general antipathy towards other large corporates such as oil companies, energy suppliers and telecoms companies.

Video Killed the Interview Star

I posted on PlanetRecruit previously about Google Books now containing over five million books, which is pretty impressive. But even more impressive are YouTube’s growth figures, which have reached frankly terrifying levels. Every single day, YouTube receives and hosts another six years' worth of video. That’s 36.5 hours of video added every minute.

Start watching nothing but YouTube videos today and you’ll be five years, eleven months and 30 days behind before the end of the day. Tomorrow, you’ll be 12 years behind; the next day, 18 years. So perhaps we can all be forgiven for having missed the latest must-see viral sensation.

Video is everywhere on the web these days, in all kinds of formats and places. For instance, if you’re reading this then you’re probably a user of Skype or Oovoo or one of the many other VoIP (Voice-over Internet Protocol) services on the web. However, as the parent of two small children whose relatives live some on the other side of the world, I can personally vouch for the value of these services. VoIP joins the family together like no other technology I’ve seen before. Children today are growing up seeing nothing unusual in talking to real-time moving images of people on a screen when it’s late at night, even though it’s early morning here.

Navigating the technology and applications market

Making sure that we meet the needs of our clients means that we are constantly keeping an eye on emerging technologies, staying on top of demand, so that when a new type of requirement materialises, we are in a position to respond and offer expert assistance. This does involve an element of guesswork and sometimes when you call heads it will come up tails from time to time.

We recently took such a plunge when we began providing specialist services to those looking to hire mobile application developers, specifically the development of new applications using the Android platform. Entering a new market takes time and money so it was with some satisfaction this week that I learnt that the number of Android mobiles has passed the number of iphones for the first time. Gartner research predicts that Android will account for almost 50 per cent of the smartphone market by the end of 2012, giving it an enormous lead on its competitors.

The market is ever more steadily moving towards applications and devices that can be used on the move. While we don’t yet have a credible rival to the iPad tablet, we are surely only a few upgrades away from having an iPad killer on the market, most likely running on Google's honeycomb platform.

Digital Fame

Google Books reportedly now contains over five million books. That’s 500 billion words covering over 500 years: a seriously impressive figure. But even more impressive is what you can do with 500 billion words – as long as they’re digitised.

The big change doesn’t come from the sheer mass of words and numbers but from the fact the text is stored in a computer, enabling quick and easy searches for words or phrases you’re interested in. If you’ve ever tried to find a particular quote in, say, ‘The Complete Works of Shakespeare’, then you’ll understand why this is a big deal. 

But digital books aren’t just a useful toy for English Literature students. Researchers have studied these five million books and counted the number of times words appear in them from 1800 to the year 2000, tracking how our use of word usage has changed in that period. So far, so academic.

RockMelt: The social web browser launches

If I could hand out an award for ‘Browser Least Likely To Be Used In The Workplace’, it would have to go to RockMelt. This is the next-gen web browser that combines the framework of Google Chrome with instant access to all your favourite social networks.

It's like a one-stop shop for all your virtual needs. I can't imagine your boss will be letting you install it anytime soon.

I discovered RockMelt on Twitter. It seemed that most of my friends had been receiving beta invitations to test the software long before I had even heard about it. And in any case, what exactly is one supposed to assume of a programme called RockMelt? Good luck getting that name to catch on.

Google rocks the JPEG boat

Taking the next step in world web domination, Google has launched a new image file format that the company hopes will spell the end for industry standards such as TIF, PNG, and particularly for JPEG.

Initially released in a preview version aimed at developers, Google’s WebP (pronounced “weppy”, obviously) uses ‘lossy compression’ (a common method of compressing data that discards small but unnoticeable amounts of the original information, resulting in smaller files) to reduce image file sizes by almost 40% compared to JPEG, while retaining the same level of quality (although the degree of compression is adjustable, allowing for higher quality and file size if desired).

What does this mean in the real world? Essentially, that the mind-numbing time spent waiting for massive JPEG files to download or attach to emails – as well as mucking about with zip folders full of images and file delivery clients – could be considerably reduced.

Be with you in an instant

Google’s newest product Google Instant has put many people into a bit of a whirl. Will it be another step change in the way we use the web? Opinions are split.

Early indications are that it won’t affect SEO keyword rankings. I’ve just carried out the same search with instant switched on, off and logged out. All three searches have resulted in the same search results. However, it is worth noting that I didn’t even look at the screen as I typed my query into Google. So from a user perspective, it could have little impact – I bet the majority of users tend to concentrate on typing rather than the screen (unless you are a skilled PA who touch types).

Intel and Nokia focus on 3D mobile tech

Nokia, Intel, and Finland's University of Oulu announced a new innovation centre that will develop 3D mobile user experiences including virtual reality technologies like holograms. Forget Facetime on the iPhone 4, think Star Wars.

The Finnish facility is aligned with the new MeeGo open source platform that was announced by Intel and Nokia at Mobile World Congress in February of this year. According to both companies, MeeGo, which is the combination of Nokia's Maemo and Intel's Moblin, enables greater flexibility for an intuitive 3D experience on handsets.

Feature-rich fitness apps

The only reps I seem to do these days are with my drinking arm on a Saturday evening. I've been an on-off gym-goer / sportsman for the best part of a decade, but recently work, moving house and planning a wedding have all got in the way of going to the gym. I have toyed with the idea of a personal trainer, but it's eye-wateringly expensive and I generally don't like people shouting at me to "just do one more rep".
 
I knew there must be some tech that could help inspire some self-motivation to exercise whilst also charting my progress, so I turned to Google.