Categories
-Cross Currents 7.3 Database Trends 7.4 No Secrets: Computers and Privacy

Why Big Data Is a Big Deal

More and more, we’re living in a data-driven world. In this excellent little piece that aired recently on NPR’s Fresh Air, Geoff Nunberg gives one of the clearest explanations we’ve seen of what Big Data is and why it’s important to all of us.
http://www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167702665/geoff-nunbergs-word-of-the-year-big-data

Categories
-Context 11.1 Where Computers Work 15.5 Question-Answering Machines 7.3 Database Trends

Watson Isn’t Just Playing Games Anymore

IBM’s Watson, the famous artificial-intelligence system that became a quiz show champ, is now poised to transform the fields of medicine, finance, education, and more. In some ways Watson is an industrial-strength version of Siri, the personal assistant built into iPhones. Is Watson leading us into a whole new era of cognitive computing? This fascinating Fast Company article puts Watson in the context of today’s data-driven world and speculates on a future that’s much bigger than talking smart phones.
fastcompany.com/3001739/ibms-watson-learning-its-way-saving-lives