For a change, I got interviewed at Big Data Summit, sponsored by Aster Data. With a special thanks to Tasso , Steve Wooledge and his team, and the lovely Michelle from http://www.zagcommunications.com
Note this is just the raw unedited footage so it can be pretty repetitive, so if you want the final interview it should take some time. Anyways I managed to not make a complete mess of it. Have a look.
If you have a small beatup laptop and want to rent say heavy hardware and expensive software, a technology demonstration is underway at www.analysis.utk.edu
We basically use a Citrix Server to run R, SAS and JMP ( among others on the Web through the browser)
Note- If you just run this on a normal Web Server with lots of hardware packed behind it- you can start giving cloud computing solutions to your clients for free.
And eliminate the OS ( Windows unless you like them ) and HW ( Read HP etc etc)
thus reducing Total Cost of Ownership for your final customers.
Is Revolution / SAS / SPSS Listening.
See Screenshot-
(Note this can be of terrific use for say software companies wanting to license out new markets in Asia as they can also analyze usage data and share the efficiencies with newer users. By adopting a Software as a Service Model ( by optimizing the revenue stream for cannibalization effects) they can also gain an advantage over more established players ( like R and SPSS /IBM can do with its need for more hardware and broader sales and distribution network)
Note- these are my personal views only and dont represent the University’s views. For more on University of Tennessee ‘s technology initiatives please go to http://oit.utk.edu/index.php where Scott Studham is using his expertise to revolutionalize the way education costs can be lowered using technology.
Here is a link to my video capture of classroom presentation I did for some students today- ( note plays on Windows Media Player only and uses streaming thanks to the University of Tennessee’s high tech initiatives )
The slides are given in the form of SlideShare presentations and also here-
http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dcvss358_955fsvm8mfr&autoStart=true&loop=true
and
http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dcvss358_961djjqdtdd&autoStart=true&loop=true
The topics are
1) Creating an R Package easily ( till first 30 minutes)
and
2) Offshoring 101 (last 25 minutes)
Title: R and Offshorring
Speaker: Ajay Ohri
Desription: Oct 22, 2009
URL: http://vcweb.bus.utk.edu/20091022-124732-cap530/
ps- I am sorry for the accented language and hope audio is audible.
R is easy.
An updated presentation /compilation on creating new algorithms in R easily. I will follow this with a link to my video Tutorial which I gave in University later today.
Please let me know feedback.
This one is a work in progress but it can be used as a generic tutorial for creating and publishing R packages and then running them in an HPC environment. It can also be used for translating existing Algorithms in R or creating new Statistical Algorithms in R.
http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dcvss358_955fsvm8mfr&interval=5&autoStart=true
The best tutorial for fast and easy learning of parallel computation, code optimization and general High Performance Computing is by Dr. Dirk which he gave at User9 . He is a nice guy with a pleasant manner and temper though we disagree on his choice of Debian and my choice of Ubuntu as Linux.
Citation-
http://dirk.eddelbuettel.com/papers/useR2009hpcTutorial.pdf and download it useR2009hpcTutorial
You can also read his blog here
http://dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/
His writing style is well, he writes interesting Linux is all I can say.
Two of my favorite speakers ( though maybe not favorite to each other) speak at PAWS ,
Anne Milley from SAS and David Smith, REvolution Computing.Also a great author and writer, Stephen Baker from Numerati ( that mathematical equivalent of The Godfather). More events at the link below.
Hmmmm- I hope they attend each other’s sessions just to keep up, but is that asking too much?
Citation-http://www.predictiveanalyticsworld.com/dc/2009/agenda.php#day1-22
7:30pm-10:00pm
useR Meeting
Room: Magnolia – Sponsored byPlease join the group at www.meetup.com/R-users-DC/
R is an open source programming language for statistical computing, data analysis, and graphical visualization. R has an estimated one million users worldwide, and its user base is growing. While most commonly used within academia, in fields such as computational biology and applied statistics, it is gaining currency in commercial areas such as quantitative finance and business intelligence.
Among R’s strengths as a language are its powerful built-in tools for inferential statistics, its compact modeling syntax, its data visualization capabilities, and its ease of connectivity with persistent data stores (from databases to flatfiles).
In addition, R is open source nature and extensible via add-on “packages” allowing it to keep up with the leading edge in academic research.
For all its strengths, though, R has an admittedly steep learning curve; the first steps towards learning and using R can be challenging.
This DC R Users Group is dedicated to bringing together area practitioners of R to exchange knowledge, inspire new users, and spur the adoption of R for innovative research and commercial applications.
Wednesday October 21, 2009
8:00am-9:00am
Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:00am-9:50am
Keynote
Room: Magnolia
Opportunities and Pitfalls:
What the World Does and Doesn’t Want from Predictive AnalyticsMathematicians and statisticians are churning through mountains of data in their efforts to model and predict human behavior. The goal is to optimize every function possible, from sales and marketing to the enterprise itself. These Numerati are guided by the two dominant models of the late 20th century, the modeling of financial markets and of industrial systems. How do humans fit into these systems? And what will their response be when the analytic systems appear to misunderstand them or invade their privacy?
Stephen Baker joins PAW to directly address the Numerati. In his keynote presentation, Mr. Baker will guide us toward the untapped goldmines where predictive analytics will be embraced and thrive, and teach us to anticipate and maneuver around two central pitfalls: Consumer misperception of us, and our inadvertent mistreatment of them.
Moderator: Eric Siegel, Program Chair, Predictive Analytics World
Speaker: Stephen Baker, BusinessWeek – author, The Numerati
9:50am-10:10am
Platinum Sponsor Presentation
Room: Magnolia
Strength in Numbers: ACE!As more organizations are beginning their analytical journey or reinvigorating their existing efforts, Analytic Centers of Excellence (ACEs) are helping them along the way. The interest in ACEs is growing across industries as organizations seek better ways to tap into their analytic infrastructure-most importantly, scarce high-end analytic expertise to improve results. We will highlight valuable best practices for achieving greater analytic bandwidth realizing more and better evidence-based decisions.
Moderator: Eric Siegel, Program Chair, Predictive Analytics World
Speaker: Anne Milley, Senior Director of Tech. Product Marketing, SAS
DECISION STATS 