He can look it up on Wikipedia if he wants to know. From: Friam [mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com] On Behalf Of Frank Wimberly Sent: Friday, September 09, 2016 1:16 PM To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@redfish.com> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] speaking of analytics
Have computers made inferences? I know the obvious answer but Nick uses language in a special way. Frank Frank Wimberly Phone (505) 670-9918 On Sep 9, 2016 1:02 PM, "Nick Thompson" <nickthomp...@earthlink.net<mailto:nickthomp...@earthlink.net>> wrote: M- No statistic has ever made an inference. N Nicholas S. Thompson Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology Clark University http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ From: Friam [mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com<mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com>] On Behalf Of Marcus Daniels Sent: Friday, September 09, 2016 2:42 PM To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@redfish.com<mailto:friam@redfish.com>> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] speaking of analytics Fine, “statistical inference” then. From: Friam [mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com] On Behalf Of Nick Thompson Sent: Friday, September 09, 2016 12:38 PM To: 'The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group' <friam@redfish.com<mailto:friam@redfish.com>> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] speaking of analytics And data “mining” is a metaphor. Now people claim to use metaphors “metaphorically”, by which they mean that they mean nothing by them. But it is my “teery”* (and it is all mine) that nobody uses a metaphor but that hizr thinking is influenced by it. The influence can be inexplicit, in which case the user is blind to its effects on himmr, or explicit, in which case the user’s imagination is enhanced by its use and less likely to be misled by its misuse. I would like to explore this “teery” using “Data Mining” as an example. How does thinking of data as encased in a non-dynamic subterranean matrix shape our (your) thinking for good or ill? *cf, Monte Python’s Flying Circus Nick Nicholas S. Thompson Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology Clark University http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ From: Friam [mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com] On Behalf Of Eric Charles Sent: Friday, September 09, 2016 11:31 AM To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@redfish.com<mailto:friam@redfish.com>> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] speaking of analytics Marcus, That's an interesting distinction. Is it the case that by "theory" Nick was referring to something verbal and explicitly metaphorical, or would the results of data mining, which one sought to validate on a different sample, count as a "theory". So, for example, if my data mining of Marine data found that tying shoes left-to-right predicted success at Officer Candidate School, and I then went to test for that "prediction" in a later sample of incoming officer candidates, to what extent is my prediction based on "a theory". Of course, "data mining will be a useful way to uncover patterns" is itself a theory, applicable in some domains but not others (i.e., not all domains of inquiry will contain the sought after patterns in a long-term stable form). Eric ----------- Eric P. Charles, Ph.D. Supervisory Survey Statistician U.S. Marine Corps On Fri, Sep 9, 2016 at 10:51 AM, Marcus Daniels <mar...@snoutfarm.com<mailto:mar...@snoutfarm.com>> wrote: “I know that theories are really useful for making predictions, but can one actually make a prediction without one?” Yes, that’s what data mining is: Take a large corpus of data, find some statistically rare relationships, and then test for their predictive value on another large corpus of data. In this way one can predict things without really having any kind of theory or even domain knowledge. Marcus ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
