I just read an article on ZDnet on the dismal failure of 'Big Data' that was so bad I don't even know where to start. The author states that economics is a "big data" profession (why--what makes a profession "big data" or not?), and then goes on to say that because big data hasn't been... Continue Reading →
Some thoughts on the thinking behind building things
I’m going to write a bit about my thinking process whenever I build things, whether it’s websites, VBA applications, or financial models. I’m not too sure if this is going to be a “oh that’s so obvious why is he telling me this?” piece, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, one person’s normal behaviour... Continue Reading →
Business vs. IT
I was reminded today in a book I'm reading on visual analytics that the purpose of any analytical project is ultimately to make better decisions. Coming from a mixed business and IT background, I have had my fair share of IT vs. Business conundrums. With my IT hat on, I'm always thinking about efficiency, optimisation, ease-of-use,... Continue Reading →
Analytics Adoption: Evolutionary vs. Revolutionary Technology
In this post about analytics adoption, I'd like to start with a short story. The wife and I got ourselves each a Samsung Galaxy S4 over the weekend. Though it’s a great phone, we couldn’t help but feel that there was a distinct lack of a “wow” factor. We both moved to the S4 from... Continue Reading →
Before applying for a job, know what company it’s for
I came across (purely by chance) a job advertisement posted by a self-proclaimed SEO (search engine optimisation) company. Not having heard of it before and curious to know what it did, I did a quick search on the company hoping to find out more. True to form, the company appeared first on the first search... Continue Reading →
How measurable advertising makes us all the same
Seth Godin has a great post on how newer forms of direct marketing may be leading us toward a type of sameness. I understand where he's coming from. With instant feedback possible now with online sales, you can just about immediately see which product's selling better than others, after which you exert influence on working up... Continue Reading →
Recording ideas through Evernote
I've had my Samsung Galaxy S2 for a few months now, and I can't believe that I've only started seriously using Evernote for idea-tracking this past week. I'd actually downloaded this App early on in my Galaxy S2's life, but after my phone died on me due to an unfortunate, let's just say, "water accident",... Continue Reading →
The World Vision Christmas Gift Catalogue 2012: Good; but paperless would be even better.
Lix and I recently received the hardcopy World Vision Christmas Gift Catalogue in our mailbox, the second since we started co-sponsoring a Zambian child a little over a year ago. Though we largely ignored it the first time, this time around we sat down and went through it together, donating far more than we'd anticipated;... Continue Reading →
Dvorak Keyboard Layout Sucks
I hoped the header grabbed your attention because it'd sure as hell grab mine. I just read a (really long) article on how the studies/reports behind the Dvorak keyboard layout could just be all part of one hell of a marketing gimmick to help dear old Mr. Dvorak sell his keyboard layout (for the uninitiated,... Continue Reading →
Why the Dvorak Keyboard Layout Sucks
I just read a (really long) article on how the studies/reports behind the Dvorak keyboard layout (or simply, the Dvorak layout) could just be all part of one hell of a marketing gimmick to help dear old Mr. Dvorak sell his keyboard layout. For those who don't know, the Dvorak layout's an alternative to the Qwerty... Continue Reading →
Donn, fragments 