Just a reminder - today is the last day to vote for SxSWi panels.  We're really interested in four of them, so click the links below and vote if you love us! Scaling the Semantic Web Big Data, Big Dream Semantic Search: Life Beyond Ten Blue Links Semantic Search: Off to a Good Start

I just found out we've been selected to speak on a panel at SxSWi!  The panel is called "Big Data, Big Dreams" and is headed by Juan Sequeda of Semantic Web Austin.  The purpose of the panel is to explore how to scale applications that must handle very large amounts of data.  From the panel description:

How can we have applications that can scale with large amounts of data? Are relational databases sufficient? What other technologies are out there that can scale? This panel will talk about existing technologies that manage large amounts of data.

The 80legs crawler uses its own, custom-built data storage system, which has the very original name "Crawler Data Store", or CDS.  We actually explored various general-purpose data storage systems before deciding to build our own.  At the same time, we do use relational databases to handle other parts of our system.  We really do have a mash-up of data storage technologies, all working together. By the way - vote up the panel if you haven't already!

Here are the panels we're interested in - vote them up! Go Big or Go Home: Scaling Semantic Apps (http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/3918):  While the Semantic Web has generated excitement, its usefulness is still restricted to a few areas. Efforts to expand the coverage of semantic apps have revealed limitations in performance and technology. We'll discuss how people are addressing these problems and when semantic apps will provide real value for real people. Big Data, Big Dream (http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/3453):  How can we have applications that can scale with large amounts of data? Are relational databases sufficient? What other technologies are out there that can scale? This panel will talk about existing technologies that manage large amounts of data. Semantic Search: Life Beyond Ten Blue Links (http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/3270):  Ten blue links with a title and an abstract have dominated the lives of search users for over a decade now. Semantic technologies have the potential to change the face of search through a deeper understanding of the needs of users and the content on the Web. Will it be a revolution in search? Semantic Search: Off to a Good Start (http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/3272):  Pursued by a number of search companies both large and small, semantic search turned into one of the hottest trends in search innovation. What's the benefit for publishers, end-users and developers? This presentation examines the case for semantic search. Beyond Algorithms: Search and the Semantic Web (http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/4131):  New faceted search engines are emerging that promise smarter and more personalized results that take advantage of the Semantic Web. Do they deliver, and what do these engines mean for traditional search? How can obstacles such as scalability and diverse content provisioning platforms be overcome for Semantic Search to succeed? Side note:  If you're interested in some panels by Houstonians (and we always are!), check out these posts: http://www.startuphouston.com/2009/08/17/sxsw-2010-panel-picker-is-open/, http://www.schipul.com/sxsw2010/.

I saw a couple posts last week from some of my colleagues involved in the Houston startup scene that revolved around what Houston needs to have a more vibrant  startup and entrepreneurial culture.  The first one comes from Aziz Gilani, a local VC, who says that what's missing is a strong engineering/research university.  The second comes from Marc Nathan, who says what's needed is better managers/mentors to take technological ideas and execute on them. Both have valid points and both are right.  Aziz says they are different sides of the same coin.  But I would qualify that claim by saying that the universities and research organizations in Houston need to do a much better job of tech transfer out of their institutions.  Rice, in particular, seems to be lacking in this area, and I feel our team's exposure at the Rice Business Plan Competition highlighted this deficiency.  At RBPC, most of the competition comes from businesses formed around university-driven research.  The university has put a business team around an idea (usually by pairing an MBA with engineering grads).  This isn't always done by the university itself; sometimes the students take it upon themselves.  But however it happens in other universities, it does not happen at Rice.  How is it the university with the "largest business plan competition" does not have a competitive team each year? There are several things that Houston needs to do to become a more likely place for entrepreneurial activity, but creating better tech transfer programs is something that's actionable in the short-term.