Utopia, Dystopia, or Both? The Master Algorithm is Coming.

April 8, 2017

“The Master Algorithm” gives readers an overview of the current state of machine learning, The book’s hypothesis is that there can be one general purpose algorithm that’s able to learn anything. The book reviews the philosophies, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the “five tribes” of machine learning, and in the process, readers learn the history of artificial intelligence (AI). The Master Algorithm concludes with some thoughts about a future when computers surpass the capabilities of the human brain for tasks that previously required conscious beings. Will learners solve all of our problems and bring about technological singularity, or will our future learning machines become our overlords in a Skynet-like dystopia? … More Utopia, Dystopia, or Both? The Master Algorithm is Coming.

Turn Off Cable News. Listen to StoryCorps Instead.

April 5, 2017

Media companies need to get and keep our attention. The more people they can attract, and the longer they can hold them, the more money they can make from ads. Cable news channels, on air 24×7, know that a cheap way to maintain our attention is to make us angry and scared. A tried and true tool in their arsenal is to show people shouting at each other. Turn off the TV and use the time you save to do something useful. Or better yet, just listen to NPR’s StoryCorps. It will put you in a far better state of mind, enhancing your ability to do things that will have a positive impact on your life, not to mention the lives of people you care about. I’ve embedded a clip in this post of a father and daughter, who are on opposite ends of a political divide, having a badly-needed conversation. … More Turn Off Cable News. Listen to StoryCorps Instead.

My Online Learning Experience: Back to School & Into the Future

March 25, 2017

I took the MIT Fintech Certificate Course: Future Commerce. Take this class if you want good feedback on writing a fintech business plan, would like to add “MIT” to your LinkedIn profile, and if you, or your employer, have $2,600 to spare. Because it’s completely online, you can take this 12-week class from anywhere while working a full-time job. You should expect a workload that’s a little more than a typical college course. I learned something completely separate from the course’s subject matter: Online learning can and will play an indispensable role in education. … More My Online Learning Experience: Back to School & Into the Future

“The Internet of Money” Will Take You On a Tour of Important Bitcoin Topics

January 19, 2017

Andreas Antonopoulos is a heck of a smart cookie, a great speaker, and one of the world’s leading bitcoin experts. The eleven chapters that make up his book, The Internet of Money, are the transcripts of selected presentations Andreas gave over the past few years. The publisher edited the transcripts to improve readability and to correct inadvertent errors. … More “The Internet of Money” Will Take You On a Tour of Important Bitcoin Topics

I didn’t “reach out.” I sent a fricken email!

December 11, 2016

Sprechen sie coporatisch?

As a business associate recently told me, “We reached out to him because we’ve been reaching out to everyone over there… blah blah blah… OK, I’ll wait until you try reaching out again. If he doesn’t get back to you, I’ll reach out to him.” It not only bugs me that “reach out” is a trendy term, but it also never goes away. In other words, it’s a stale trendy term. It also reminds me of “reach around,” which of course makes me think of that scene from Full Metal Jacket. … More I didn’t “reach out.” I sent a fricken email!