Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Alphabet DeepMind and NHS

Concrete example of the use of Big Data in creating a new prediction model.

Google will be using NHS data to warn doctors of potential kidney issues.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/23/13726280/deepmind-nhs-data-streams-app-new-deal

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Triumph of the curious

This article in the Ringer analyzes the path Theo Epstein took to guide the Cubs to their first World Series victory in 108 years. He led a revolution of the "curious" over the incurious. His easy challenge to the status quo helped solidify the value of intelligently applied advanced analytics in baseball.

Data can be powerful, but it also needs to be harnessed carefully.

Here is a link to the article:

https://theringer.com/2016-world-series-chicago-cubs-theo-epstein-analytics-war-9f1248c44eb7#.fw8ba92p0

Friday, November 4, 2016

10 Ways to improve your Google searches

From this article:
Brightside: 10 Ways to Search Google

1.  Either This or That:  Use the word "or" to help you search both at once and select the one that you want.
2.  Search using Synonyms:  Use the ~ to help search for additional related terms.
3.  Search within websites:  Add the url for the specific site to the search term.
4.  Wildcards:  Use the *. Allows for any combination including the relevant term.
5.  When lots of words are missing:  Use "AROUND + (n)" to help. Example: I wandered AROUND(4) cloud will turn up results like "I wandered around lonely as a cloud"
6.  Use a time frame:  Add specific dates to the search to help focus the results.
7.  Searching for a title or url:  Use the term "intitle:" or "inurl:" Example:  "intitle:husky"
8.  Finding similar websites:  Use the term "related:" Example:  "related:nike.com"
9.  Whole phrases:  Add quotation marks around a quote to get the exact quote in order in results.
10.  Unimportant search words:  Use the minus sign to eliminate the word.  Example:  "Interesting books -buy" for books that are interesting but that you don't want to buy.


Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The cost of free shipping

I am more and more convinced that the unseen impact of logistics can make a tremendous difference in healthcare.

This article from Fast Company talks about the economics of "free" shipping. While organizations may not charge the customer for delivery, there is no such thing as free shipping. In fact, the rising costs of delivery are forcing many organizations to take a very hard look at their policies. I wouldn't be surprised if there are new incentives to pick items up in a store or otherwise offset the convenience of door-to-door delivery.

https://www.fastcompany.com/3061686/free-shipping-is-a-lie