There’s no video, and even memories may be sketchy of an historic few seconds in the exhibit hall of TDWI conference last week in San Diego. The word is that Steve Swoyer, prolific industry journalist and recent reporter at the Pacific Northwest BI Summit in July, displayed the Summit’s secret handshake. That one existed at all was news even to Summit producer Scott Humphrey, who happened to see it all from across the room. Real or not, it’s strictly NDA (not for disclosure).
Pacific Northwest BI Summit
The value of small industry events
Any run-of-the-mill industry event calls itself a failure when just 24 attendees show up. An audience of that size tempts any keynote speaker to flee. The so-called “welcome” reception seems more like a wake for an unpopular deceased. Throughout, a deadly calm fills every room.
Some events of that size, though, sparkle with life. Potential for real, meaningful contact is rich. Interesting conversations last longer. You get to know people better.
The Pacific Northwest BI Summit, held every July in Grants Pass, Oregon, is my prime example. It is the Bohemian Grove of the business intelligence industry. I attended as press for the third time this summer.… Read the rest “The value of small industry events”
Big Data, big hype, big danger
A remarkable thing happened in Big Data last week. One of Big Data’s best friends poked fun at one of its icons: the Three V’s.
The well-networked and alert observer Shawn Rogers, vice president of research at Enterprise Management Associates, tweeted his eight V’s: “…Vast, Volumes of Vigorously, Verified, Vexingly Variable Verbose yet Valuable Visualized high Velocity Data.”
He was quick to explain to me that this is no comment on Gartner analyst Doug Laney’s three-V definition. Shawn’s just tired of people getting stuck on V’s.
How strange to be stuck on a definition, but we get stuck all the time trying to define Big Data.… Read the rest “Big Data, big hype, big danger”