In less than 18 minutes, the world’s leading thinkers and doers share their knowledge of some of the most interesting, controversial, and important subjects, in just about any language. In this TEDTalks video, Kenneth Cukier discusses our favorite…Big Data.
No wonder the people at TED are engaging in big data… they are some of the smartest in the world. They are thinkers and doers, that have realized the value in big data and how it can move you forward. The thinkers and doers of the big data world are trying to push everyone to start doing the same. But really, when it comes to big data, we are all doers. We are participants of big data just by watching this video, or sharing this blog.
We first discovered this presentation from a site, Big Data Videos. You can watch the video Here, as well as browse through some other trending videos in the realm of big data.
Fascinating Bits of the Presentation:
The introduction to this topic is absolutely brilliant. Mr. Cukier asks the audience “What is America’s Favorite Pie?” You can hear that the vast majority respond with, “Apple.” According to statistics, Americans do purchase the most apple pie. But it is not America’s favorite pie.
To reiterate, Americans purchase more apple than any other pie. However, this no longer holds true if we are considering small, individual sized pies. When we consider data regarding smaller pies, apple is no longer America’s favorite.
By using big data, not only were we able to discover this information, but we can also answer the question that many of you are probably asking: “Why?”
The answer, Kenneth tells the audience is that apple pie is America’s second favorite pie. If we are buying a large pie, we are buying it for the whole family to share, or to put on the dessert table of a potluck. Everyone seems to like apple pie. You rarely hear someone say,” I hate apple pie.” Therefore, it is probably likely that everyone will enjoy it.
But if you get the chance to buy yourself a pie, you don’t have to worry about who else will or will not like it. You can get your favorite.
(But my real question is…what then IS America’s favorite pie?)
This is a perfect example that displays how more data allows us to see new things, and new information. Of course more data allows us to see more, but it also enables us to see new bits of information. Using big data, we can also answer “why” questions. In the past, we used evidence to come up with a guess, or a theory to explain why something happened. Today, with utilizing data science we can turn the question of “why” into an answer. And the answers provided by the data are much more accurate than the guesses provided by the humans.
It is also opening the doors for new innovations. For example, by putting a bunch of sensors on chairs, they can gather and transmit data, giving each person that sits on them a unique identity, similar to a fingerprint. They are starting to use this technology to detect drivers in car seats to prevent car theft. It would enable only certain drivers to get in and use/drive the car. They could also use this technology to prevent accidents from drivers that fall asleep at the wheel. The sensor can tell the difference between an alert and a tired driver. It could then vibrate the steering wheel to wake the driver up, preventing an accident and perhaps, saving a life.
This is just one of the countless examples of how data can help make the world a better place.
Yet still, as Kenneth brings up, many fear the big data era. They are concerned about issues of privacy, and concerned it may safeguard our free will. More terrifyingly, it could take our jobs (just as machines began taking our jobs during the industrial revolution). But he brings up another brilliant point: data is to modern man, what fire was to primitive man. Fire was a tremendous tool that enabled humans to accomplish so much, but it can also kill you. Likewise, data is a tool, but it is a tool that can kill us. But if we use it correctly, I can only imagine where it can take us.
Watch the video below. You can also access more TEDTalks about big data on their site.
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