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Published: 29th July, 2016 |
Content Copyright © 2016 Bloor. All Rights Reserved. |
Zizo is a UK-based provider of analytics as a service. For those with long memories the company used to be called Data-Re, and it was originally founded back in 2002 before changing its name to Zizo in 2014. What's interesting about Zizo are a couple of things, the first of which is the database that it uses, which is the subject of this blog. A further discussion of what Zizo does will follow in a second blog. |
Zizo uses a patented (in Europe and the United States) database known as a pattern database. As far as I know this is the only commercial implementation of a pattern database so I'd best describe how it works. Basically, suppose you want to insert a row of data into your database. What a pattern database does is to examine each field and, whenever it encounters a field that it does not currently have in its database - whether that is a company name, a town, an account value, an email address or whatever - then the database will create a "pattern" to represent that value. If it has seen that value before then the database creates a pointer to the existing pointer and increments a counter that records how many times that that pattern currently occurs within the database. With the possible exception of this last element, this is exactly the same way that tokenisation works, so if you are familiar with the use of tokens to support compression then, at a simple level, you can think of patterns as being equivalent to tokens. Of course, patterns do more than tokens so they are not really the same but you do get all the advantages of advanced compression. Zizo claims typical rates of 30 to 1 or as much as 100 to 1 for call detail records (CDRs). |
There are actually several ways in which Zizo's approach differs from that of tokenisation. One (I'll come to another a little bit later) is that you do not need to reverse the tokenisation because Zizo transforms the query so that it runs against the pattern space. This makes a lot of sense: very much in line with taking the query to the data rather than vice versa. |
Patterns may be compounded. Thus the row you have inserted consists of a series of patterns that, in effect, you can think of as being concatenated into a "root record". Perhaps more pertinently, queries equate to patterns. For example, "sales by region" would equate to the compound pattern consisting of the sales pattern and the region pattern. It's not hard to see that answering queries of this type - and more complex queries - can be handled very efficiently in a pattern database. |
Zizo operates in-memory so there are considerations about total memory size. The fact that the database is pattern-based reduces storage requirements and the compression available does the same. Nevertheless, memory is expensive and you do not want to have to pay for excessive amounts of it so, to optimise memory usage Zizo constantly monitors the patterns that are held in memory. This monitoring not only does conventional things like monitoring how frequently a particular query is run but it also takes into account the complexity of queries and their resulting patterns, as well as how expensive it would be to rebuild that pattern if it was to be rolled out of memory. Thus the software optimises the use of the patterns in memory. This is a second way in which Zizo's pattern database differs from tokenisation in that Zizo is dynamic and adapts to the way that users access the database, while conventional tokenisation is static. |
Anyway, enough about the database: this should have given you at least a flavour of how it works. However, I should add that while there is a proprietary environment provided by Zizo for accessing the database, the environment actually supports SQL so you can use your tool of choice for doing so, if you want to. Moreover, the query engine, while it works with patterns under the covers, will transform results in rows and columns so that the environment looks relational even if it is not. |
In my next blog I will discuss Zizo's offering more generally but the database is the secret sauce behind the analytics that Zizo is providing, hence my starting with the database. |
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A taste of Lesvos recipes |
Olive bread |
Yield: 4 medium loaves |
For the bread dough |
2.2 lbs (1 kg) flour |
1 tsp salt, |
1 package active dry yeast |
½ tsp sugar |
½ cup ACAIA or Aeolian Olive extra virgin olive oil |
600 ml (20 fl oz or 2 ½ cups) warm water |
1 cup black olives, chopped |
1 teaspoon oregano |
For the olive filling |
½ cup black olives, chopped |
4 spring onions, chopped |
7 fresh mint leaves |
4 tbsp ACAIA or Aeolian Olive extra virgin olive oil |
1. To prepare the dough, sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt. |
2. In another small bowl, dilute the dry yeast and sugar with half of the water; add in the ACAIA extra virgin olive oil. Add liquid mixture to the flour mixture. |
3. Add in the chopped black olives. Stir all the ingredients gently, gradually adding the rest of the water. Knead well until the dough pulls easily away from the sides of the bowl. Cover and let sit for an hour, until almost doubled in size. |
4. To prepare the filling, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. |
5. Once the dough is double in size, separate it into 4 equal, round-shaped pieces. |
6. Place one quarter of the filling in the center of each piece of dough, sprinkle with the oregano and fold the dough over the filling to form a loaf. |
7. Place all the loaves on greased pans, with the fold of each facing downward. |
8. Let them rise for an hour. |
9. Baste with ACAIA extra virgin olive oil. Use a sharp knife to score the bread (5 times) to ease the baking procedure. |
10. Bake for half an hour at 350°F (175°C). |
You may add other ingredients in the filling such as sundried tomatoes, feta cheese or anchovies. |
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Friday, November 2, 2012 |
What happens in traffic |
We all have those moments in the car when a song comes on that you LOVE. You can't help but dance. |
Clearly, the only reasonable thing to do is crank the radio and sing along. Bonus if you sit in traffic long enough to find the same song on two different radio stations. Let's face it, they all replay the new stuff about 3 times an hour. My husband and I have become big fans of Carly Rae Jepsen's, Call Me Maybe. And by big, I mean huge. We blame it on the Olympic swim team's video for being so amazing. It got us hooked. We break out all the classic moves like the fist pump. Everyone has thrown a fist pump or two in traffic, right? |
Brandon never lets me videotape him dancing in the car, or anywhere for that matter, but he has some signature moves when a good song comes on. This unusual dance move, whatever it may be, was caught while drinking. That'll teach him to let his guard down. I was caught mid sentence yelling "tell me you got that". Now if only it were a video instead. Blast! |
Anyway, back to the car. I'm pretty sure you should get extra points if the person next to you in traffic starts dancing too. It's too cold this time of year to roll down the windows to let them hear the music, but they get the idea that you're singing to your favorite song. No explanation needed. Sometimes I even scare my husband when a good song comes on. I'll gasp before reaching for the volume and he goes into panic mode looking for a homeless man that is surely about to run into the road based on my brief hyperventilation. I'm not sure why he has to be homeless. |
The worst is when you're flipping through your presets and you find the very end of your favorite song. How disappointing is that?! You go from cloud nine to rock bottom in 2-point-5 seconds. There should be a repeat button in cars. I'm not sure how it would be possible, but someone needs to figure that out, stat! I'll wait right here. |
1 comment: |
Sarah said... |
Love it :) we're big fans of Carly Rae, too! |
Monday, November 17, 2014 |
Work, Friendly Reminders and... |
After coming into work this morning, the woman who prepares the coffee and other office things walked around placing photocopies of some paper on our desks. |
When I settled down to take a look, I saw that it was divided into four parts and had some go-to keigo for the phones and phrases to use when passing people in the hallway. |
There are a lot of things like this here; signs in bathrooms telling you to think about others when you use the toilet, reminders to slow down, reminders to greet people in the hallways. A lot of it is neat, in a way. Sometimes a reminder can do a lot to put you on the right track, much like what happens when an elementary school student running through the hallways hears, "Why don't you take it slow?," and they turn around to see a teacher. Suddenly the student becomes more aware, slows down, and, what's perhaps most important, it happens in a moment. No one is yelled at. No one is punished. |
My apartment has signs asking everyone to think of others and not turn up their TVs or stereos too loudly, and more. Unfortunately, they are just gentle requests, and when I've called to the management company to ask them to get my neighbor to stop his 30 minute intervals of smoking, they promised a note. "Even though his smoke gets into your room, we can't tell him he can't smoke on his porch. All we can do is remind him that his habit is causing others an inconvenience." |
So, since my neighbors have been having annoying loud squeaky bed sex at ungodly hours, I am not really sure that a phone call to the owners is going to stop anything. Really? Who has sex at 2am on a Sunday night/Monday morning? Or 4:30am on a Wednesday? Come on, that's just weird. |
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 |
Body Image is Effed Up |
I've been in Japan for close to eight years. I remember when I first arrived and how I'd walk around downtown after work. August is unbearably hot and humid in Japan, and yet it seemed like none of the girls walking around me noticed the heat. They looked cool (literally) and put together. From their perfectly permed and styled hair, to their perfect make-up and well-fitted clothing...and heels (!!!), I felt completely out of place. |
I was used to wearing jeans and t-shirts with baseball caps. in a braid... |
Make-up? On me??? |
No way. |
I was, however, ready to toss all of the clothes I brought with me from the US. In fact, I did end up sending back a lot of clothes and buying new ones in Japan. At that time, the only people in t-shirts, jeans and flip-flops were tourists. But the more I tried to find clothes that looked good on me, the worse I felt about my body. |
The first thing I went after was clothing. Japanese girls have a nice variety of fashion styles to choose from, but none of them look good on an athletic build. Or someone with a larger chest. Or someone with a larger butt... |
The short, shorts that look passable on a Japanese girl with slender legs and a flat butt, made me look like a hooker. Paired with the knee-high socks that are so popular here, and I might as well walk down the street with a neon "For Sale" sign flashing at my crotch. |
Did I mention that every other girl here has a thigh gap large enough to drive a MAC truck through? TWO! Side-by-side! |
Then I started thinking about make-up. I can try it, right? That should be someone straight forward. No. |
Nothing is that easy. |
I never wore make-up in the US and I had no idea where to start, so I started with Korean BB Cream...which comes in two shades if you're lucky. Both of them are typically too light for me. |
So, while I was feeling bad about my body, I started to feel bad about my skin color. I never really cared about this stuff when I was in the US. Well, I hated my body in the US, but being in Japan made me hate it even more. |
At work, what were probably meant to be compliments made me feel even worse: comments on the shape of my butt, the length of my legs, the size of my chest...the size of my arm muscles. Usually something like: "Oh! Sexy!" or "Wow! Big muscles!" Later, the same group of women would talk about how they want to avoid getting darker in the summer or how they don't want to bulk up. Oftentimes in the summer, I'd get people who'd hold up their arms next to mine to see how dark they got. |
Going up a size or two from my US size to my Japanese size was also a big hit. The reactions from coworkers at that time made me feel shitty at best: "YOU wear an XS??? NO WAY!!1" "Well, in US sizes I do" "Well, Americans are big, so..." |
At 5'3ish, I feel incredibly short at times. There are a huge amount of girls who are my height but weigh 30lbs less than me and totter around in heels all day. They all look a lot taller, they are a lot thinner and more. |
Finally, what is somewhat related is the way that white people are worshiped here. Any clothing ad will inevitably have a thin blonde staring back at me. If you are white and relatively thin, people will ask you to model. To a degree, white people are held up as a defacto beauty standard. Even the mixed models are almost always half-white. Half-Asians get featured only if they meet the standard, and you'll never see half-black models outside of a small number of magazines that cater to hip-hop fans. Heck, the half-black comedians are called ugly to their faces on TV. |
So, to sum up, this time of my life has been one of my lowest points with regards to my weight, height, appearance and everything. I weigh the most I've ever weighed in my life and I feel incredibly unattractive. It's this kind of stuff that makes me want to go to the US to take a break and take in all of the different body types. |
Sunday, November 9, 2014 |
Random Annoyances |
What never gets old here is the random reaction I get from Japanese workers when I'm shopping or out and about. |
On a lucky day, the staff gives me the same treatment as the locals: I'm asked if I have a point card (if the store has one), get my purchase rang up and I'm out with no issues. |
That happens maybe 50 - 60% of the time. |
The interactions that piss me off are the ones where, after asking the Japanese person in front of me if they have a point card or coupon, when my turn comes, they silently start ringing up my items. Of course, while they do this, I pull out my point card or discount coupon and they, at times, have to ring up the purchase again. |
The weird thing is that I'll pull out my card, they look at the card and give me the stock line they ask Japanese customers: "Do you have a point card?" |
Of course I have a point card, what the hell do you think i just pulled out? |
At other times, as soon as I step up to the counter, the face of the person at the register turns to horror and they just stop talking. Or they switch to speaking to me in broken English and pointing to the digital display to show me my total. |
You know, I'm not even going to give them any leeway. I don't live in a small town. This city gets a large amount of foreign tourists, but there is also a good number of foreigners and international students living here who can speak Japanese. |
There really is no excuse to ignore a customer or give them different treatment. You talk to me in Japanese, if I don't understand, then feel free to pantomime or whatever else. |
Sure, it's something small in the larger scheme of things, but this is one of those annoyances that just builds and builds. |
Monday, November 3, 2014 |
On Pregnancy in Japan |
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