Joshua Kunst has analysed Stack Overflow postings and found that R is currently the fastest growing topic. Stack Overflow is a question and answer site popular with software developers. Questions are tagged with topics and these topics formed the basis of the analysis. Kunst used R to perform the analysis and he provides a walk-through---making extensive use of the pipeline operator from the … [Read more...]
Why Managing Risk with Spreadsheets is Risky
I'm encouraged by the fact that some organizations I speak to are trying to get their spreadsheet sprawl under control. However, far too many remain ignorant of the risks they are shouldering. Stratford Dick of Marsh ClearSight recently published an article describing how spreadsheets might be hurting your company. In his article he highlights the following risks. Spreadsheet development is … [Read more...]
Don’t tell me you don’t have the data
If they can follow a seal into the freezing Antarctic water, you can collect a few log entries. Really. … [Read more...]
Subjectivity in data science
An article recently published in Nature reinforces the fact that the real challenge in data science is not mastery of the technical tools, but the ability to understand and define the problem. Researchers posed the question of whether the color of a soccer player's skin is a factor in how many red cards (serious reprimands) he receives. Seems like a pretty straightforward analysis. The authors … [Read more...]
Analyzing an Isle of Man TT legend
The BBC has an article on using a sensor array to determine what makes 23-time Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness so quick. Motorcycle riders have been tackling the 38-mile street circuit for over a hundred years. As it's run on (closed) public roads, it's an incredibly dangerous race. Riders average 212kph (132mpg) round the course---often coming within inches of stone walls and … [Read more...]