Google Is Using Ancient Obsolete Technology, Says Engineer Who Just Quit

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-is-using-ancient-obsolete-technology-saysengineer-who-just-quit-2011-6 i!""1#$%m&or' ( $oogle engineer who recently le)t says that the company uses *obsolete* so)tware to run its search engine and other ser%ices. +hanji #rasanna was on the $oogle ,a%e team and quit earlier this year a)ter recei%ing his bonus chec- )or 2010. .n a blog post he e!plains why $oogle/s so)tware is out o) date: 0ere is something you/%e may ha%e heard but ne%er quite belie%ed be)ore: $oogle/s %aunted scalable so)tware in)rastructure is obsolete. +on/t get me wrong1 their hardware and datacenters are the best in the world1 and as )ar as 2 -now1 nobody is close to matching it. 3ut the so)tware stac- on top o) it is 10 years old1 aging and designed )or building search engines and crawlers. (nd it is well and truly obsolete. #rotocol 3u))ers1 3ig4able and 'apReduce are ancient1 crea-ing dinosaurs compared to 'essage#ac-1 56.71 and 0adoop. (nd new projects li-e $,41 8losure and 'ega6tore are sluggish1 o%erengineered 9e%iathans compared to )ast1 elegant tools li-e j:uery and mongo+3. 7otably1 ;aceboo- is a big user o) 0adoop1 which is open-source so)tware )or massi%e parallel processing. ;aceboo- just opened its )irst data center a)ter years o) leasing space )rom third-party pro%iders1 and released detailed specs about it under an open-source license -- a sharp contrast with $oogle/s secrecy. Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-is-using-ancient-obsolete-technology-saysengineer-who-just-quit-2011-6 i!""1#$%t<194

Virtual currency

Bits and bob

5un 1=th 20111 20:=0 by 5.#. > 9.7+.7 (7+ $.4. > '?93.@R7?

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Object 2

'294.7 ;R2?+'(7 )amously called )or the abolition o) the ;ederal Reser%e1 which he thought ought to be replaced by an automated system which would increase the money supply at a steady1 predetermined rate. 4his1 he argued1 would put a lid on in)lation1 setting spending and in%estment decisions on a surer )ooting. 7ow1 ;riedman/s dream has )inally been realisedAalbeit

not by a real-world central ban-. 3it8oin1 the world/s *)irst decentralised digital currency*1 was de%ised in 200B by programmer 6atoshi 7a-omoto Cthought not to be hisAor herAreal nameD. @nli-e other %irtual moniesA li-e 6econd 9i)e/s 9inden dollars1 )or instanceAit does not ha%e a central clearing house run by a single company or organisation. 7or is it pegged to any real-world currency1 which it resembles in that it can be used to purchase real-world goods and ser%ices1 not just %irtual ones. 0owe%er1 rather than rely on a central monetary authority to monitor1 %eri)y and appro%e transactions1 and manage the money supply1 3it8oin is underwritten by a peer-to-peer networ- a-in to )ile-sharing ser%ices li-e 3it4orrent. 4he easiest way to store 3it8oins is to sign up to an online wallet ser%ice through which all transactions are carried out. 4his1 o) course1 means trusting the pro%ider o) that ser%ice not to cheat1 or go out o) business1 ta-ing clients/ sa%ings with it. ,arier users can install a personal digital wallet on their own computers. 4hey must then1 howe%er1 -eep it sa)e )rom %iruses or physical damage. 2) a laptop went up in smo-e1 so would the %irtual coins stored on its hard dri%e. CEeeping bac--up copies would do the tric-.D (ll transactions are secured using public--ey encryption1 a technique which underpins many online dealings. 2t wor-s by generating two mathematically related -eys in such a way that the encrypting -ey cannot be used to decrypt a message and %ice %ersa. .ne o) these1 the pri%ate -ey1 is retained by a single indi%idual. 4he other -ey is made public. 2n the case o) 3it8oin transactions1 the intended recipient/s public -ey is used to encode payments1 which can then only be retrie%ed with the help o) the associated pri%ate -ey. 4he payer1 meanwhile1 uses his own pri%ate -ey to appro%e any trans)ers to a recipient/s account. 4his pro%ides a degree o) security against the)t. 3ut it does not pre%ent an owner o) 3it8oins )rom spending his 3it8oins twiceAthe %irtual analogue o) counter)eiting. 2n a centralised system1 this is done by clearing all transactions through a single database. ( transaction in which the same user tries to spend the same money a second time Cwithout ha%ing )irst got it bac- through another transactionD can then be rejected as in%alid. 4he whole premise o) 3it8oin is to do away with a centralised system. 3ut trac-ing transactions in a sprawling1 dispersed networ- is tric-y. 2ndeed1 many so)tware de%elopers long thought it was impossible. 2t is the problem that plagued earlier attempts to establish %irtual currenciesF the only way to pre%ent double spending was to create a central authority. (nd i) that is needed1 people might as well stic- with the go%ernment de%il they -now. 4o get around this problem1 3it8oins do not resemble ban-notes with unique serial numbers. 4here are no %irtual ban-note )iles with an immutable digital identity )litting around the system. 2nstead1 there is a list o) all transactions appro%ed to date. 4hese transactions come in two %arieties. 2n some1 currency is createdF in others1 nominal amounts o) currency are trans)erred between parties. 2n the %ery )irst transaction the creator/s computer )orged G0 units o) the currency. 4he ne!t transaction would ha%e in%ol%ed subtracting some amount )rom the creator/s account and crediting it to a recipient/s. 4hese actions1 and any subsequent ones1 were automatically broadcast to the entire networ-. (t )irst1 when the networ- was small and transactions )ew and )ar between1 %eri)ying them was been straight)orward. 4he )irst person to con)irm the new transactions would o))er his updated log as the one against which any )uture transactions ought to be judged. .nce e%eryone else agreed that this candidate register was indeed accurate1 it would be adopted and the new transactions included in it con)irmed. 2) anyone tried to game the system by erasing an old transaction Cso he could re-use the same money againD or adding an unwarranted new one Ctrans)erring the same money as be)ore1 sayD1 he would be promptly )ound out1 his proposed log discarded1 and the transactions rejected as in%alid. 0owe%er1 as the networ- e!pands )rom do"ens o) users to thousands1 and transaction %olume grows1 so does the number o) logs %ying )or the o))icial crown. $etting e%erybody to scrutinise the )irst

proposal aired across the networ- )or inconsistencies soon becomes impracticalF the whole system grinds to a halt. 6ome way is there)ore needed to ensure that the o))icial register can be updated and agreed on in real time Cor nearlyD1 while pre%enting indi%iduals )rom tampering with it. 'r Cor 'sD 7a-omoto/s ingenious solution in%ol%es two related cryptographic techniques: hashing and )orced wor-. ( hashing algorithm con%erts a message into a number called a hash %alue1 or a digest. 2) this number is big enough1 it pro%ides a unique representation o) the original Csince the same algorithm could not concei%ably yield identical hash %alues )or di))erent messagesD. 'oreo%er1 it is impossible to reconstruct the original on the basis o) the digest alone. 7or is it possible to predict what the digest would be )or e%en a slightly twea-ed %ersion o) the original messageF )iddling with a single letter will produce a completely di))erent digest. 2n that regard1 digests appear to be generated at random. (s a result1 hashing is what computer scientists call an irre%ersible process. 8onsider a hashing algorithm which con%erts anything )ed into it to a whole number between one and 11000. ;or random sets o) data1 the algorithm would spit out a %alue below 111 say1 once in e%ery 100 tries1 on a%erage. 7ow suppose some data are gi%en in ad%ance. 0ow does one )ind a number that needs to be appended to these gi%en data to produce a hash %alue below 11H 3ecause hashing is irre%ersible1 and digests are essentially random1 the only way to do this is through trial and error: by splicing di))erent numbers onto the old data and hashing the whole lot until the desired result pops out. .n a%erage1 this will require 100 tries. 0owe%er1 once the answer is )ound1 e%eryone else can %eri)y whether the problem has indeed been sol%ed by running the hashing algorithm just once1 with the proposed solution. 4his type o) pu""le can only be crac-ed using brute )orce1 which is why it is dubbed )orced wor-. ,ith 3it8oin1 all new transactions are automatically broadcast across the entire networ- and analysed in portions1 called bloc-s. 3esides any new as-yet-uncon)irmed transactions1 each bloccontains the digest )or the last bloc- to ha%e got the nod )rom the networ-. 4hat last bloc- will always come )rom tip o) the longest chain o) bloc-s currently on the networ-. 4his chain is1 in e))ect1 the o))icial logAcon)irmation that all the pre%ious bloc-s tot up. ;or a new bloc- to be deemed %alid1 some computer on the networ- must create a transaction log )or it that do%etails with the pre%ious bloc-s. 4o pre%ent acceptance o) bogus logs1 gi%ing it a seal o) appro%al has to be prohibiti%ely costly to any indi%idual user1 but relati%ely cheap )or the networ- as a whole. 4his is done by ma-ing it into a )orced-wor- tas-1 which in%ol%es using the %alid bloc-s and the new transactions to generate a digest consisting o) 2G6 bits Cie1 any number between 0 and 22G6D. 4he tas- is complete when the system/s algorithm spits out a hash %alue below a preset target Cli-e 11 in the e!ample abo%eD. 4he target is set so that the pu""le is sol%ed by someone on the networ-1 and a new bloc- appro%ed1 e%ery 10 minutes. 4o -eep this rate constant as the networ-/s ran-s swell and its combined computing power grows1 the target is lowered in order to ma-e generating a %alue below it harder. C8on%ersely1 i) the networ- were to shrin-1 it would get easier again.D 8reating the doctored bloc- and ha%ing it %alidated and attached to the o))icial log would thus require outpacing the networ-/s combined computing power. 4his can only happen i) a )raudster controls more than hal) o) the networ-/s total number-crunching capacity1 which is possible1 but e!tremely e!pensi%e )or any one person. 4he system can thus rely on users to police it. (s a reward )or gi%ing up some computing power to that end1 the )irst user to crac- the )orced-wor- tas- gets G0 coins )or the e))ort. 4his is done by always ma-ing the )irst new transaction in each bloc- the conjuring up o) G0 coins out o) nothing. ,hen other participants agree to append the new bloc- to the o))icial chain1 they also %alidate the creation o) the new money Cthey would1 o) course1 reject it i) someone tried to game the system by minting more than G0 coinsD. 4his is also how 3it8oin ni)tily gets around the problem o) increasing the money supply without a

central mint. 6ince bloc-s are created at a constant a%erage rate1 and there is a set number o) coins minted per bloc-1 the total money supply1 too1 increases at a steady clip. ;or now1 this is =00 coins e%ery hour on a%erage. ?%ery )our years1 though1 the minting rate is set to )all by a hal). 2t will drop to 2G coins per bloc- in 201=1 to 12.G coins in 201&1 and so on1 until the total supply plateaus at 21m or so around 20=0. 4he idea is to mimic the e!traction o) minerals Cthe transaction-%alidating so)tware is called the 3it8oin minerD. (s the most readily accessible resources are e!hausted1 the supply dwindles. @nli-e real resources1 howe%er1 there is no as-yet-undisco%ered1 hidden lode a )ortunate prospector can stri-e to disrupt the money supply. 6hould a power)ul new computer be introduced to the networ-1 the di))iculty o) the )orced-wor- challenge would soar1 -eeping the rate at which bloc-s are appro%edAand new money createdAunchanged. 2n theory1 then1 the system ought to -eep a lid on in)lationAma-ing it attracti%e to critics o) inter%entionist monetary policy o) the sort practised since 200I by (merica/s ;ederal Reser%e under the label quantitati%e easing. C4he mineral analogy1 in particular1 appeals to proponents o) a return to a gold standard.D 2t o))ers other apparent bene)its1 too. 4he currency can be used by anyone Cunli-e credit cards1 )or instanceD1 anywhere. 4ransaction costs are also li-ely to be lower than those )or traditional payment systems1 though these are not in )act "ero. 6ome are re)lected in the hardware and energy used to police the system. 6ome surely creep in whene%er those who ha%e no wish to mine 3it8oins themsel%es purchase them )or dollars1 euros and se%eral other currencies at specialised sites li-e 't. $o!. 9egally1 3it8oin e!changes are subject to the same regulations as ones trading commodities. ;or e!ample1 an e!change must report any transaction abo%e J1G10001 a policy meant to stem money laundering. ;or the purposes o) ta!ation1 meanwhile1 reimbursing somebody )or a product or ser%ice in 3it8oins is treated as barter. 4he ta! code ma-es pro%isions )or such practices1 though1 admittedly1 they can be tough to en)orce. 4his has not stopped some (merican politicians )rom e!pressing gra%e concern about the %irtual currency. 8harles 6chumer1 a prominent +emocratic senator1 has in%eighed against it1 claiming it is just what drug dealers ha%e been waiting )or. (ll the cle%er cryptography means 3it8oin dealings are di))icult to trace. 3ut not impossible. (ccording to 3it8oin/s de)enders1 its users may be more di))icult )or a go%ernment agency to pinpoint than someone paying with a credit card. 3ut they are easier to catch than those using cash. 'oreo%er1 any drug trade in%ol%es sending physical products to recipients. (uthorities already trac- many pac-ages sent by groups under in%estigation. ,hen it comes to physical deli%ery1 the method o) payment is irrele%ant. (nother worry1 )or the authorities at least1 is that1 in theory1 a 3it8oin account cannot be )ro"en. 3ut1 li-e cash1 3itcoins can be nabbed by sei"ing the computer on which they are stored. .rdinary )ol-1 meanwhile1 ha%e di))erent concerns. 4hey )ear being bil-ed by a cabal o) cle%er bo))ins1 who can insidiously )iddle with the system/s so)tware to ta-e ad%antage o) less gee-y types. 4his queasiness1 though understandable1 may be misplaced. (s an open-source project1 the computer code which undergirds 3it8oin can be %iewed1 and modi)ied1 by anyone. (s with all such %entures1 howe%er1 i) a change is introduced that most participants do not accept1 they will simply re)use to download that %ersion o) the so)tware. 6ince the sel)-pro)essed gee-s who ma-e up the web/s open-source communities o)ten delight in Cand e!cel atD scrutinising seemingly impenetrable lines o) computer language1 it is highly unli-ely that someone could get away with surreptitiously inserting a command to create e!cess 3it8oins and siphon them o)) to his account1 )or instance. ;or the same reason1 the open-source nature o) the project is also a bulwar- against hac-ers or malware. 2ndeed1 as cybercrime goes1 3it8oin may be sa)er than traditional )inancial institutions1 which are o)ten on the recei%ing end o) such attac-s. (nd then there are the currency/s economics. 4hese ha%e engendered a surprisingly li%ely debate. .ne particular bone o) contention is whether it ma-es sense to decrease the rate o) money creation with time. 6ome people thin- this will entail disastrous de)lation i) the demand )or 3it8oins grows

at a )aster rate than new coins are minted. (s recent wild swings in their dollar price amply demonstrated1 they are not the most predictable o) %ehicles. 4he %olatility is largely down to the )act that the currency remains illiquidAonly 6.Gm currency units Cdi%isible to eight decimal placesD are currently in circulation among some 101000 users Cincluding se%eral hundred merchants who accept payment in 3it8oinsD. 4his seems unli-ely to change in the )oreseeable )uture1 as e%en 3it8oin/s most ardent supporters admit. 4hat is not because people are queasy about intangibles. ()ter all1 much o) modern pecuniary acti%ity already in%ol%es bits rather than bob and consumers ha%e embraced credit cards1 electronic trans)ers and the li-e. 4he di))erence is that established )iat currenciesAones where the bills and coins1 or their digital %ersions1 get their %alue by dint o) regulation or lawAare underwritten by the state which is1 in principle at least1 answerable to its citi"ens. 3it8oin1 on the other hand1 is a community currency. 2t requires sel)-policing on the part o) its users. 4o some1 this is a )eature1 not a bug. 3ut1 in the grand scheme o) things1 the necessary open-source engagement remains a niche pursuit. 'ost people would rather de%ol%e this sort o) responsibility to the authorities. @ntil this mindset changes1 3it8oin will be no ri%al to real-world dosh.

The digital econo y

Jobs o! the !uture

(pr &th 20111 1G:G& by #.8.

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+(K2 +1 a =L-year-old li%ing on the east coast o) the @nited 6tates1 is a big )an o) ,orld o) ,arcra)t but is an!ious that his hea%y wor-load is not lea%ing him enough time to play1 and there)ore ma-e progress1 in the online game. Rather than see his )riends race ahead o) him1 he contacts a 8hinese Mgaming-ser%ices retail companyN which sells him some ,o, gold1 the gameOs electronic currency1 which he uses to buy magic potions and other stu)) that boosts his power as a player. 4he gold was

bought1 in turn1 )rom a cyberca)P in a 8hinese town which employs young pro)essional gamers to play ,o, )or up to 60 hours a wee- to earn the online currency. 6itting in a ca)P playing computer games sounds a lot more )un1 and certainly less ris-y1 than wor-ing down a 8hinese coal mine. 4his is but one o) the estimated 1001000 online jobs that now pro%ide a li%ing )or people in places li-e 8hina and 2ndia1 according to a new study by in)o+e%1 an initiati%e o) the ,orld 3an- and its pri%ate-sector )inancing o))shoot1 the 2;8. .ther e!amples o) paid wor- becoming a%ailable )or anyone with a computer1 an internet connection and plenty o) spare time include: classi)ying the products in an online storeOs catalogueF transcribing handwritten documentsF and signing up as a bogus )an o) a consumer brand on ;aceboo- or some other socialnetwor-ing site1 to boost the brandOs %isibility in search results. (ccording to the ,orld 3an-Os research1 gaming-)or-hire ser%ices aloneAsuch as earning ,o, gold to sell on to rich1 busy )oreignersAwas a mar-et worth J= billion in 200B. (s a comparison1 the study notes that all the co))ee growers in the de%eloping world combined earned just JG.G billion )or their labours. (nother growing source o) cyberwor- is crowdsourcing: )or instance1 (ma"on )armed out the job o) eliminating duplicate pages on its e-commerce site to large numbers o) casual wor-ers1 who got paid a )ew cents each time they spotted one. 4his has de%eloped into a new line o) business )or (ma"on1 called 'echanical 4ur-1 which brings together people see-ing online piecewor- with employers loo-ing to )arm out tas-s. 4he in)o+e% report rec-ons there are now around 100 such online labour e!changes: thereOs now a word )or them in 8hinese1 witkey. 6ome crowdsourced tas-s are long and comple!1 and require special s-ills. 3ut many are simple and quic-1 and the so)tware tools needed to per)orm them are pro%ided )or the wor-erAthis sort o) tas- is -nown as Mmicrowor-N. (s we report in our print edition this wee-1 mobile phones and other handheld1 internet-connected gadgets are now ta-ing o)) across ()rica just as they already ha%e in de%eloping (sia and other regions. 7ot only will this bring paid cyberjobs within the reach o) millions o) ()ricansF it should also1 by boosting the demand )or mobile-internet access1 create a %irtuous circle in which growing use o) mobile telephony encourages more in%estment in in)rastructure1 which in turn puts more people in touch with the growing global digital economy.

"obile teleco s in A!rica

+igital re%olution

"a#ers o! ar#et

obile de$ices see a ne% gro%th

(pr &th 2011 > DAR ES SALAAM > )rom the print edition

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6o many ways to get connected these days 6@3-6(0(R(7 ()rica has long been depri%ed o) the cornucopia o) media enjoyed in richer places. 2t was not until 8hina began to e!port JG0 blac--and-white tele%isions to ()rica about a decade ago that broadcasting too- o)) outside the main cities. 4hat new1 much bigger mar-et has led

to big changes. (si) 6hei-h o) (2L1 an online-news channel in 7airobi1 says Eenyan broadcasters ha%e gone )rom showing almost e!clusi%ely ,estern-made programmes in 200G to I0Q ()rican ones now. 9ocal content is booming in other media too: tal- radio1 music %ideos and tele%angelism ha%e all pro%ed lucrati%e. 3ut )or all types o) content1 e%eryone agrees that the ne!t big business opportunity is in mobile de%ices. 4he arri%al o) three submarine cables to ()rica in the past year has quadrupled data speeds and cut prices by B0Q. 6ince mobile-phone co%erage is )ar better than )i!ed-line a%ailability1 the result has been that the cellphone is swi)tly becoming ()ricaOs computer o) choice. 3y some counts there are already ILm mobiles in ()rica with at least rudimentary internet connecti%ity. ( JB0 smartphone made by 8hinaOs 0uawei and running $oogleOs (ndroid operating system sold out in se%eral ()rican countries in less than a month. 7o-ia claims a mar-et share o) GIQ in ()rica. 4he ;innish company ran-s with 8oca-8ola as the continentOs most recognised brand. 3ut recently sales o) the companyOs higher-end phones ha%e collapsed in larger ()rican mar-ets1 with 6amsung1 0uawei and Ri'1 ma-er o) the 3lac-3erry1 the main bene)iciaries. $i%en that the 3lac-3erry is priced )or big corporate customers1 its popularity is remar-able. Ri'Os head )or ()rica1 +eon 9iebenberg1 says strong demand has prompted it to rush out more modestly priced consumer models. &elated to'ics 'obile phones 8onsumer electronics ?lectronics 6cience and technology 6mart-phones

6till1 it is too early to count 7o-ia out. 6ome B0Q o) mobiles sold in ()rica are basic models in which 7o-ia still dominates. 4he J=0 7o-ia 1100 handset remains the Ealashni-o% o) communication )or the poor: G0m o) them are in use in ()rica. ( souped-up %ersion o) the 11001 e!pected soon1 will need to o))er a better screen1 internet connecti%ity and ideally some access to social-networ-ing sites li-e ;aceboo- and 4witter1 all without sacri)icing durability and price. 2) 7o-ia can achie%e this1 it could regain its edge. ;or those who want to sell entertainment1 howe%er1 the )uture is written on tablets. 0ere1 6amsung has stolen an early lead with its 4ab. 4hough it now costs around JG00 in ()rica1 ?ri- 0ersman1 a tech e!pert in 7airobi1 e!pects its price to )all by hal) in the coming year. (pple so )ar shows )ew signs o) bringing the i#ad within reach o) most ()ricans. 6imilarly1 Ri' says its #layboo- tablet computer1 due out in ()rica in 5une1 is meant to appeal to senior e!ecuti%es and ci%il ser%ants. ,holesale buyers in ()rica thin- the mar-et will ta-e o)) once tablets drop below J200. 7o-ia re)uses to be drawn on whether it will build a tablet equi%alent o) its rugged 1100 phone. 3ut its head o) sales )or ()rica1 3rad 3roc-haug1 is certain that tablets cheaper than 0uaweiOs JB0 $oogle phone will be commonplace in ()rica by 201L. 7o-iaOs boss1 6tephen ?lop1 says the company will in%est hea%ily in customers in ()rica and (sia who ha%e a mobile-phone signal but no internet e!perience. 2) 7o-ia dallies it may be le)t behind by ri%als who are already launching cheap tablets. ,hether on mobile phones or tablets1 being online is rapidly becoming the norm in ()rica. 4hat will boost the continentOs in)ormation and entertainment business and allow ()rican media houses such as the 7ation 'edia $roup Cin the eastD and 'edia2L Cin the southD to e!pand their businesses around digital content tailored to local languages and mar-ets. ,estern content-ma-ers will no doubt worry about the increased ris- o) piracy1 but i) they get their o))erings right ()rica will be a huge new mar-et )or their war

Ji

y Beans Wool

&eno, (e$) Entre'reneur* 9aura Rander +roduct,Ser$ice* Enitting and crochet supplies Start -ate* 2002 Startu' .osts* J=01000 &e$enue* J2.I million in 200B 9aid-o)) so)tware engineer Rander and her husband +oug plowed J=01000 into han-s o) yarn1 a website and a lease on a new store. $ood timing: 4he -nitting mar-et spi-ed in 200= a)ter a )ew celebrities1 such as 5ulia Roberts and Kanna ,hite1 were seen -nitting and crocheting. Rander )ound success with wal--in customers to her shopF she could teach them how to -nit in less than )i%e minutes1 and many wal-ed away with J100 worth o) no%elty yarns1 enough to ma-e )i%e scar%es1 a )ashion cra"e at the time. Rander now boasts an a%erage o) 201000 customers per month.