Progressive Gauge

Media and Research

Jack Vaughan

Talkin bout my Good Bubble

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Nobody, wise or unwise, knew or now knows when depressions are due or overdue.–JKG, The Great Crash 1929

I cozied round the fire with two books during the winter. Two books on The Great Depression. One, The Great Crash by John Kenneth Galbraith; the other, 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History – and How It Shattered a Nation by Andrew Ross Sorkin.

The backdrop for anyone reading these books would probably be the same at most any point at time [Read more…] about Talkin bout my Good Bubble

Random Notes: Polar Vortex Watch – Jellification – They Call the Winter Storm “Fern”

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Storm Fern 2026
Winter Storm Fern 2026 – NOAA

 

It’s early to tell whether the recent generation of AI advances will go beyond recommendation engines and fraud detection—the two shining stars of the big data era. The distinction is simple: If I fudge a recommender, I lose a possible sale; if I fail a fraud detection, I lose money I already have. [Read more…] about Random Notes: Polar Vortex Watch – Jellification – They Call the Winter Storm “Fern”

Look back: Multiglobal Hyperbole Engines in 2025 – Pt.1

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Hyperbole – Early Definition in 17th-century English manuals as a trope used when “one speaks much more than is precisely true… yea, above all belief.” Thought to derive from Greek forms combining Hyper, for “beyond” or “over”; and Bole for “a throwing” or “a casting.”  Ridiculously off target but long Javelin throwing in the Olympics is a cited example.

 

When I was a young cub in the trade press, the defining characteristic of the ‘promising’ reporter was someone who could adequately sense the presence of hyperbole, and write a sentence.

In the spirit of Diogenes and Hemingway, reporters are still trained to treat adjectives and adverbs as “red flags of exaggeration.”  Words like ‘first’ and ‘new’ and ‘solution’ are verboten.

Hyperbole was the arching concern for me through many years in the computer trade press… [Read more…] about Look back: Multiglobal Hyperbole Engines in 2025 – Pt.1

‘Co-Evolution’ and the trend of ‘Cyberselfish’

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PezOne finds oneself on a given day — as the semiretired do — talking about the old days. In this case, the days of Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog and — more explicitly — his follow-up Co-Evolution Quarterly.

Rattling on with a colleague, we both in our own ways recalled a time when the counterculture had some sway over technology. And that seemed to support the notion of a hopeful future. It seemed to ride on Brand’s vision. [Read more…] about ‘Co-Evolution’ and the trend of ‘Cyberselfish’

Information Examiner October 2025 – Connectors tackle AI with MCP

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The rise of Agentic AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) is transforming classic data integration, with the Model Context Protocol (MCP) emerging as a key piece of the new tooling. This protocol is changing how users interact with model data, and traditional data companies now race to meet the new requirements.

ISVs and enterprises can’t move fast enough on the new AI front, and traditional business databases will often be central. BI reporting will be an early target. Software architecture leads may turn increasingly to data connectivity providers like CData Software if they are going to move fast without breaking things. [Read more…] about Information Examiner October 2025 – Connectors tackle AI with MCP