Just checked today’s weather forecast, and…
Although, I doubt it will actually amount to anything!
Posts with the "bbc" tag
Russian Sprinter: Igo Zoominoff
Mock the Week is brilliant this week.
Bing Search – the Decision Engine?
What a strange phrase to use – a decision engine. Personally, I find search most often not for decisions but for information, yet perhaps, to inform a decision, somehow!
Anyway, today we get to hear the first about Bing. Its going to be Microsoft’s new search engine, replacing what was MSN Search, then Windows Live Search, then just Live Search. Some would suggest they are, as always, trying to topple the mightly Google, yet others suggest this is way beyond their aspirations, and they are aiming lower, at Yahoo say.
Now, I haven’t actually read a great deal on this, but there’s a million and one links and stuff to click-through to via twitter posts. Interestingly, I’ve actually not used a search engine at all to research this, only on links from Twitter – literally the people’s search engine. But the essence of the project seems to be to bring every source of information together, and to display it as the result of a bing search.
Whether this be your weather or searching for a new camera, it appears to be able to find appropriate sites, route out the appropriate content and then select this and use it on its own pages, formatted together neatly. That is a massive ask.
The product / holiday selection features seem to be particularly notable in the promotional video, with bing acting like a combination of all the various price comparison websites for pretty much everything in one search result page. If achievable, this would be very impressive, time-saving and useful, but it is achievable? Microsoft obviously think so, but it would be a miracle if they have.
As yet its not yet available to use online, but I look forward to giving it a try. Oh, and not sure if it is taking on the other upcoming new-kid-on-the-block site Wolfram Alpha, but by the looks of the video bing can answer specific questions – or is it just showing that this is basic search and they are above that??
More? Have a look at…
Pixie and Business Bullet – Links for 2009-04-29
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Enjoyed this earlier, she seems a really nice singer. Do like the new Radio 2 page as well, although (like an increasing number of 'new' BBC sites, the dual or even triple header takes up far too much before the fold)
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I try to watch this everyday, its a really good little bulletin which goes out every day from the telegraph. Sadly, my favourite newspapers don't seem to do something like this, but its pretty good and comprehensive
A Green and Pleasant Land
This was on telly last night. Its very green in these parts!
BBC iPlayer HD
Very soon, it looks like the BBC is to bring HD content from its infantile BBC HD channel to BBC iPlayer – possibly this month or the beginning of next month.
Its probably about time and apparently its already common abroad.
There are issues, however. Broadband speeds will need to be pretty quicker, quicker than I can get I presume. Broadband speeds for many in built up areas are getting much faster nowadays, but for those in country areas where lines have not be upgraded to carry such data rates we are once again left with a second class service. However, perhaps its best that if the service is available, those who can get it should? Also this is going to be bandwidth hungry for the ISPs and home screens are going to need to be up to the job are they not? They haven’t released info on what the resolution is supposed to be, but I presume to view HD content you are going to need a HD screen? While this may be the case for the growing numbers who use iPlayer through Virgin or their Wii, the fast majority still view on their computers. Is this another push to encourage iPlayer use on TV?
There’s much more information and links, at this website.
Also, it looks like this story was, at least, partly broken by Twitter updates. Is Twitter to become the new place secrets are leaked, whether its deliberate or accidental!
PS – there’s no leaks there, but you can view my Twitter at twitter.com/robparker.
Recommended: Stephanie Flanders
It may seem like Stephanie Flanders has missed all the excitement of the past few months to Robert Peston, but she’s back now and blogging away just like her colleague.
Her blog, Stephanomics, is a good read and is actually very interesting. Her post(s) yesterday were so good I thought they were worth a mention here. With the radical step of the Bank of England announcing they were to commence quantitative easing, the blog had a really interesting article which was very explanatory in what the scheme may acheive, what it may not, how it may get there and what will be required. As with economics, there’s no definite conclusion, but it was a really good post. There’s a few technical bits of terminology, but they are well explained in context and that only adds to the informative nature of the post.
Anyway, go have a look and a read.