Chase Reid goes back to to the early days of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to ponder its future . He explains how neural networks allow us – and computers to function.
His optimistic view of the future will inspire you.
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]]>Why does this scene from Total Recall come to mind?
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]]>The post Announcing Data Points: Mini Shows for Your Listening Pleasure appeared first on DataDriven.
]]>To that end, we’re announcing a new mini episode format called “Data Points” where we share live and in person on the spot.
Is this a good idea? Bad idea? Freakin’ brilliant idea? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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]]>The post Data Science: Seeing the Light appeared first on DataDriven.
]]>It’s been nearly a year since I realized that I have a new passion: Data Science. Long time readers of Frank’s World have noticed a distinct shift from UWP/XAML focus to more articles and posts on Machine Learning, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence.
For many who know me from my days as a Tablet PC MVP, Silverlight Insider, or Windows Champ, this may sound like a drastic change. After all, data people and client dev people rarely interact, let alone switch sides. Developers tend to choose sides: front end or back end. While there is the notion of a “full stack developer,” it is a rare creature that enjoys –and is good at– both.
For a while, there as a notion of a Devigner, or a developer with design skills. In my younger days, I had wanted to get into graphic design. However, my parents insisted on getting a an engineering degree. They would have tolerated doctor or lawyer. Clearly, a STEM field was in my future.
However, the way the world unfolded, it turned out that there was a need for software engineers to understand user experience and have an “eye” for design. I’ve particularly enjoyed making a living out of two of my biggest passions: engineering and graphic design. Building a great system has even more impact when you build a system that people enjoy using and, therefore, use it more to their potential. That was my passion for so many years.
Yet, there was something else I had ignored.
I’ve always had a fascination with statistics. Perhaps, it has something to do with being a lifelong baseball fan. But, being able to compute and get an idea of an outcome before it happens with math alone seemed like a magical power. This fascination carried me through my hatred of math up until high school. Math, as it is taught, almost guarantees an innumerate population. However, that is a topic for another day.
A year ago today is the day when I took a serious look at the field of Data Science: learning its from the inside out. This was done to get ready for an internal Microsoft event called the “Data Science and Machine Learning Summit.” It was billed to be a great way to explore and get into this new and expanding field.
Imagine my delight to find out that a lot of this “new field” rests on top of statistics. In fact, predictive analytics looks an awful lot like predictive statistics. I had found my new passion.
In fact, while attending the conference, I met some amazing people doing interesting things. From decoding brainwaves to help the disabled to fighting fraud, the application of statistics can do almost anything.
One of the entry points into this field was creating data visualizations for members of Congress, foreign dignitaries, and civic leaders around the country. I noticed how their eyes lit up when you can provide them with actionable intelligence and craft a presentation of the raw data that brings to life a real world problem from disparate, abstract chunks of data.
There is a dire need for people with a designer’s eye to present findings from data in a meaningful and impactful way. For me, Data Science has it all: a way to use my talents to make the world a better place.
I feel like a monster reincarnation of Jake Elwood: on a mission from God to make the world better. I am Frank La Vigne and I’m a Data Scientist. I am here to help!
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]]>The post If Data is the New Oil, then Welcome to Car Talk! appeared first on DataDriven.
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I like this analogy for several reasons. One, it frames the conversation putting data where it rightfully belongs. Data has value, adds value, and enables scenarios that previously had been impossible or impractical. Oil has transformed the world. Much like oil, Data Science and Analytics, will transform the world in ways that we can’t even imagine yet.We’re on the cusp of something big and while I’m not the first person to say that, I am likely to be the first person to point out that we probably can’t even imagine some of the places that the Data Revolution will take us.
Much like the people alive at the dawn of the oil age, we have no long term view of the good, bad, and ugly unintended consequences that lie ahead for our children and grandchildren, let alone the type of societal shifts that will come with mass automation of jobs that were once safely in the hands of humans.
Following the oil analogy, Data Mining is the act of retrieving this latent asset and Data Science is the art of refining the raw bits into something useful. However, as very few of us own or operate refineries, this transformation is very alien to us.
Most of the time, we only interact with the oil industry directly is at the gas station. That maps nicely to mobile apps, where the bulk of humanity interacts with the data industry.
But oil is different from data in this critical regard: you don’t need to invest in multiple millions of dollars of equipment to find, extract, and refine data. All you need is an account on a cloud service and the desire to seek answers.
If you’re on this site and have read this far, then you are not an average person who is content to fuel up and get on the road. You want to know more. You want to know how the car works, you want to lead the coming change in the world.
You want to be a driver of change rather than a passenger.
Along those lines, you can think of this show as Car Talk, a place where data enthusiasts can learn, share, and grow.
And you? You are not merely content to ride the wave of change and opportunity, you are a driver of change.
You are a Data Driver.
Welcome to the club.
Warm Regards,
Frank La Vigne & Andy Leonard
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