Time zones can be baffling, and the discussion reveals their quirks, including oddities like Troll station and Lord Howe Island. Delving into predictive modeling, the speakers share the challenges of machine learning with temporal data, including humorous takes on daylight saving time. The transformative role of the Transcontinental Railroad is highlighted, showing how it revolutionized travel and commerce in America. The conversation also draws parallels between historic projects and current software industry challenges, particularly in adapting to new technologies.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Google Flu Trends Failure
Google Flu Trends aimed to predict flu outbreaks by analyzing search queries.
The project failed due to correlation not equaling causation and noise in the data.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Dynamic Pricing Mishap
A bus rental platform expanded from Germany to other countries using the same pricing model.
They failed to account for different national holidays and events, leading to underpricing.
question_answer ANECDOTE
E-Scooter Problem
A self-driving car company's model didn't recognize e-scooters after they became legal.
Roland had to collect and annotate new data to adapt the model to this new object class.
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This book by Stephen E. Ambrose chronicles the monumental task of building the transcontinental railroad between 1863 and 1869. It highlights the roles of investors, politicians, engineers, and laborers, including Irish and Chinese immigrants and defeated Confederate soldiers, who risked their lives to complete this unprecedented feat of engineering. The narrative delves into the challenges faced, such as treacherous terrain, extreme weather, and conflicts with Native Americans, and it also explores the lasting impact of the railroad on American history, commerce, and society.
In this special episode, Roland and Anthony meet at QCon San Francisco to discuss Time and Travel. Roland presents three case studies where temporal misunderstandings in data science led to poor predictive performance. Anthony tells the story of how the first Transcontinental Railroad shortened travel times between the East and West Coasts of the United States, and how some practices in the construction of that railroad were similar to practices in today’s software industry.
Read a transcript of this interview: https://bit.ly/49DH9TN
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