Sometimes when dealing with performance metrics, there are contradictory signals.  For instance, although both are desirable, it is common for efficiency and efficacy to be in opposition.  An agent in a call centre can handle lots of calls while at the same time getting few sales; this is especially true if the agent’s main objective is to do lots of calls.  This is a highly efficient person albeit unsuccessful in terms of expanding the business.  Conversely, another agent by spending a…

How might a person go about studying something elusive like serial murder or terrorism?  I have no formal exposure in this area.  Much of the technology that I mention in this blog is meant for another purpose.  That other purpose is to study characters in movies, which for me is a great diversion.  In particular, I like to map out where certain characters might be found (or lost - i.e. missing characters): the settings they occupy, their roles, their relationships.  It goes without saying…

It’s possible I haven’t shared my story of being asked whether people can leap over lampposts.  The question was posed by a university professor although I don’t recall the exact context.  In response, I asked if the people are on this planet.  He hissed at me, “Of course they are on this planet!”  Some planets have low gravitational fields that make it possible for humans to leap great heights.  At the time it didn’t seem like an oratorical question; and so I made an effort to answer it. …

I have been using the term "mass data assignment" in my blogs. I thought I should offer the community some simulated examples. These are simple simulations: all the data is in one place in an agreeable format. The file contents are meant to be easy to peruse. When I was younger, there was a television series called "Stargate SG-1." I have a number of seasons on DVD. In this series, a special branch of the U.S. Air Force visits offworld sites using stable wormholes: teams enter the wormholes…

When I read a blog, I often find myself in deep thought as I approach the end, trying to determine if the author has said anything that I might be able to use. A blog doesn't have to say anything. Nor does it have to be useful to me specifically. It might simply offer a personal reflection on life. As a person who also writes blogs, I…

Like many students about to finish their undergraduate degree, I decided to artificially inflate my grades by taking some "bird courses." These are not courses about birds. Other students assured me that the courses were designed to bolster my marks and to help me complete my program requirements. Considering the many bird courses available, I decided to take introductory music, which was essentially a history course focused on music. It required a lot of…

Given the nature of the community, presumably many visitors already have a strong understanding of the nature of quantitative data. Perhaps more mysterious is the idea of qualitative data especially since it can sometimes be expressed in quantitative terms. For instance, "stress" as an internal response to an externality differs from person to person; yet it would be possible to canvas a large number of people and express stress levels as an aggregate based on a perceptual gradient: minimal,…

Above is a distribution of price differentials for the Dow Jones Industrial Average from the 1930s. The image was generated by one of my programs called Storm. I posted a few images from the same application in other blogs. If I recall correctly, the more volatile differentials (closer to the action) are at top; the more stable differentials (further from the…