Why computers can't figure out words

There was a time that when you wanted a quick lunch, you told the cook behind the counter exactly what you wanted. ...'Easy on the onions, and why don't you slice one of those pickles real fine and put it in there, with just a dab of mayonnaise?'...Then we industrialized the process, and the people behind the counter at McDonalds don't... [read more]

The impact of the drug war in Mexico

<!--break--> For the last couple of years, Mexico has been in the midst of an escalating drug war, with violent crime on the upswing in many areas. But tracking the impact quantitatively is difficult: in Mexico, about 85% of crimes go unreported, and corruption leads to inaccurate reporting in some districts. Diego Valle has taken on... [read more]

Because it's Friday: The dating equation

<!--break--> According to internet lore, there's a mathematical equation that governs the lower bound for the socially acceptable age of a potential dating partner: half your age plus 7, or, in mathematical terms, if x is your age then the lower bound is f(x) = x/2 + 7. Seems simple, right? if you're 20, then the minimum socially... [read more]

Winning the first game in a baseball series: a harbinger, or not?

<!--break--> For those not familiar with the major-league baseball in the US (and despite living here for more than 10 years, I still include myself in that category), the games usually played in series: team A visits the home of team B, and the two teams play two or more games against each other on successive days. It's common wisdom... [read more]

The demotion of the human brain

<!--break--> On a frigid summer afternoon in San Francisco, I talked last year with legendary computer researcher Gordon Bell about memory. For the previous decade, Bell had been recording just about every document, experience, encounter and heart-beat in his life. He and his co-author (and Microsoft Research colleague), Jim Gemmell,... [read more]

Which font uses the most ink?

<!--break--> If you're being particularly cost-conscious about your use of printer ink or toner, you may be wondering which font you should choose to minimize ink use. Here's an infographic with the answer: This is an interesting infographic in its own right, but what makes it cool is that these are not photoshopped images of Bic... [read more]

Gen "C"

<!--break--> For some time now I've been thinking about the whole generational categorization scheme that always gets a lot of coverage. The idea that certain age groups have some common traits has been around for a long time I guess. We have Boomers, Gen X, Y, Z, Millennials, etc. Now I suppose there are commonalities that are... [read more]

Data Visualization: Why (1 of 2)

<!--break--> Between business requests and breathless vendors, I am getting caught up in the growing tide of interest in “data visualizations” – managers requesting highly interactive, highly graphical, highly intuitive analytics interfaces (think Minority Report). But what are we trying to accomplish here? We keep on hearing about “... [read more]

Stupid Executives Should Be Fired !

<!--break--> April 1, 2010 A potential risk is lurking for opportunistic organizations losing sales. That is, there is a danger for companies that are making stupid decisions during this economic downturn. For example, executives who are reluctant to layoff large numbers of employees to improve short-term bottom line profits should... [read more]

LinkedIn Says Bye Bye to Market Researchers

<!--break--> Is the market research industry really interested in next gen innovation and quality? For those of you who haven’t heard yet, the greatest source for B-B market research sample just closed their doors. That’s right, LinkedIn is no longer offering sample to market research suppliers. For some this news will probably come... [read more]

Advanced Analytics

<!--break--> A major item organizations grapple with is the concept of advanced analytics.  They want it, but have little idea how to use the various tools to make it happen.  Unfortunately too much information often blurs the lines. For example, I watched a sales presentation on Predictive Analytics where the key... [read more]

Looking at Trees to Understand the Forest

<!--break--> David Simon (of The Wire fame) has sucked me into another brilliant television series with Generation Kill. It is the story of a Marine recon unit at the beginning of the Iraq war. At the heart of all the action, the seven-part miniseries offers an intimate and honest profiles of individual Marines. The... [read more]