Top Stories: January 9-14, 2012

Big data explained and exploited (in a good way), the goals of a chief innovation officer, and why it's a good time for publishing startups.

Here’s a look at the top stories published across O’Reilly sites this week.

What is big data?
It’s the hot trend in software right now, but what does big data mean, and how can you exploit it? Strata chair Edd Dumbill presents an introduction and orientation to the big data landscape.

Can Maryland’s other “CIO” cultivate innovation in government?
Maryland’s first chief innovation officer, Bryan Sivak, is looking for the levers that will help state government to be smarter, not bigger. From embracing collective intelligence to data-driven policy, Sivak is defining what it means to be innovative in government.

Three reasons why we’re in a golden age of publishing entrepreneurship
Books, publishing processes and readers have all made the jump to digital, and that’s creating considerable opportunities for publishing startups.

The rise of programmable self
Taking a cue from the Quantified Self movement, the programmable self is the combination of a digital motivation hack with a digital system that tracks behavior. Fred Trotter looks at companies and projects relevant to the programmable-self space.

A venture into self-publishing
Scott Berkun turned to self-publishing with his latest book, “Mindfire.” In this TOC podcast, Berkun discusses the experience and says the biggest surprise was the required PR effort.


Tools of Change for Publishing, being held February 13-15 in New York, is where the publishing and tech industries converge. Register to attend TOC 2012.

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