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Entries Tagged as 'Science'

50% of 50%

October 26th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Let’s pay attention to some basic math. We don’t like that, but we are adults, so let’s behave accordingly. In some respects, asking, “What is 50% of 50%?” is silly. Ask a mathematician that question. I did recently and the response was a laugh. The answer is 2,500%%. Huh? Everyone knows that […]

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Tags: Adults · Approximation · Clarity · Communication · Data Science · Knowledge · Science

Measuring Small Things

July 7th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Measuring small things is much more difficult than measuring large things. We do it anyways and report the results with great confidence. Woe is us. It is more difficult to measure small things that it is to measure large things. Consider measuring the diameter of a sphere. We can use a device […]

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Tags: Appearances · Data Science · Error · Estimation · Measure · Science

Data Science is the New Web Design

February 10th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Many of today’s data scientists are similar to man of the web designers of the 1990s. I think this is a good thing. A recent conversation with a colleague helped me to realized something about data science in today’s world. I thought data scientists were computer scientists, engineers, and mathematicians who knew […]

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Tags: Data Science · Engineering · Experiment · Expertise · Mathematics · Science · Systems · Technology · Tools · Web 2.0

Data has always been Everywhere

January 20th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Lest we forget, we have always had more data than we could process. For some reason, we are now recording it with magnetism. I just read yet another article telling me that “data is everywhere.” Then there are the usual numbers of peta-peta-something-or-other bytes of data every second or so. Cries follow […]

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Tags: Computing · Culture · Data Science · History · Scale · Science

What is Different in this Situation?

November 15th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips This is a variation on the question, “What is the difference that makes a difference?” When trying to modify behavior, we must be able to answer the title’s question. The title of this post is a fundamental science question. You are telling me that factor A is important here. Okay, it seems […]

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Tags: Adapting · Change · Data Science · Decide · Information · Science

The Essence of Data Science (attempt #2)

September 2nd, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips After a few more years, I think I understand the essence of Data Science. It isn’t that complicated. I wrote a post in November of 2020 attempting to describe the essence of data science. A few thoughts came to me recently. So here goes another attempt. A person has a large amount […]

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Tags: Computing · Data Science · Questions · Science · Time

Why Persons Don’t Become Vaccinated and How to Convince Them to be Vaccinated

August 19th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Many persons want many other persons to become vaccinated. Their methods, however, are achieving the opposite. “Become vaccinated,” is an oft-heard cry. (Actually, I read “get vaccinated” which brings cringes of pain to those of us who know the meaning of words.) And there are many who do not get the vaccine […]

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Tags: Breathe · Communication · Conversation · Health · Listening · Patience · Please · Respect · Science · Virus

Three More Explanations, Please

August 16th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Things are the way they are because… Fine. That is one explanation. Let’s have at least three more. Few things are as difficult as explaining why something is the way it is. We see more brown leaves on trees this year than we have in the past. Well, the reason is… Really? […]

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Tags: Alternatives · Analysis · Concepts · Experiment · General Systems Thinking · Science

We Know More Now, So…

February 25th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The pandemic has its own phrase for the use of bad or junk science and poor thought and communication. It’s in the “news” almost everyday now. I feel it came about from the pandemic, but there are other excuses we can use. It is that phrase in the title, We know more […]

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Tags: Communication · Ethics · Science · Thinking

Bias in AI or Just Another Bad Idea?

February 18th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Once again, someone creates all sorts of fancy explanations for what was simply a bad idea poorly conducted. There seems to be a lot of “bias” in the machine learning area of artificial intelligence research and practice. Or can we explain the problems without using such fancy terms like “bias?” What were […]

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Tags: Analysis · General Systems Thinking · Management · Problems · Process · Science · Systems