Big Data: everybody wants some

in code on 2014-06-24 11:12 (#3PE)

Nobody can quite pin down what Big Data is, but apparently everybody wants some. Or is afraid of it. Or both. Nevertheless, gains in processing power and decreases in hardware costs are permitting us to crunch numbers in a bigger way than ever thought possible. And there's a lot to show for it:

Not surprisingly, big data is being used to predict the outcome of the 2014 World Cup [video link]. It's increasingly being used to monitor and quantify social media behavior to inform credit and lending decisions. It's also being used to monitor and supervise conditions along the entire food chain, with obvious safety and health benefits. In fact, the folks at ITWeb would like to debunk the myth that Big Data is only being used to monitor your social media habits and sell you more junk. Although it's being used for that, too.

big data in auto marketing (Score: 1)

by carguy@pipedot.org on 2014-06-24 13:17 (#28T)

http://www.autoextremist.com/current/2014/5/27/big-data-talks.html
Amusing editorial -- starts out straight, then turns into fiction.

Since I was sworn to secrecy, the only thing I can say about the location is that Big Data resides in a bunker-like facility sheltered in a deep forest in one of the states surrounding the Great Lakes. You'd never know that it exists, because there's a popular bar in front of it that's a favorite of the locals. Little do they know that the guy they know as "B.D." is in fact, the man himself: Big Data.
After the comely PR woman (complete with plaid shirt, tight jeans and a pair of kick-ass boots) plied me with Leinenkugels and a couple of brats, I was ushered out back and then guided down steps to a well-lit tunnel that I'm guessing was about 100 feet in length.

Re: big data in auto marketing (Score: 1)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-06-24 14:26 (#28W)

Awesome read, and I love the ending:

B.D.: Nice chatting with you. Oh, and one more thing?
AE: What's that?
B.D.:There's one thing Big Data can'tdo.
AE: Really? What's that?
B.D.: Big Data can't compensate for a shitty, ill-conceived product or a really dumb idea.

Hope those youngsters over at Hacker News are listening - they seem to think data and algorithms are all it takes.

"to inform credit and lending decisions" (Score: 1)

by fatphil@pipedot.org on 2014-06-26 22:09 (#29H)

That is "selling you more junk", as it's selling you a loan, on top of the junk you're buying that requires you to take the loan.