Nordic Data Analysis Group is organizing a half-day seminar on data analysis in finance. The event is meant as inspiration for the financial sector to see different possibilities regarding mathematical models, data sources and recuiting. The seminar takes place
May 4, 2009 from 8AM - 1PM
Hotel Admiral, Copenhagen
You can read more about it in the flyer or at the website. The seminar is in Danish.
On Wednesday March 11 (tomorrow), Mads Dyrholm is performing Daddys Groovebox on Stengade 30 in Copenhagen.
Tadaah TV wanna set the TV media free such that everybody can start broadcasting their own niche content to their interested niche viewers. Examples include Gus Hansen Tv on poker, Chess Olympics, Global Dance TV and Greenpeace TV. All broadcasted in a peer to peer fasion - or as the Tadaah slogans says it: Passion2Passion.
As a technofile without traditional TV, and with a strong dislike for ordinary TV shows, I find it very interesting indeed. Oppotunities for individual commercial targeting are obvious.
Visit the Tadaah website or Chess Olympics example.
The Turing test for machine intelligence is testing if humans in five minutes are able to distinguish between machines and humans in a text bsaed conversation. It is a very famous test held each year and lately the German computer Elbot tricked 25% of the referees in the annual test.
The Danish newspaper Ingeniøren had an article about the 18th Turing test held Sunday, and is citing professor Kevin Warwick from Reading University saying that we are close to a milestone in human relations to machines. Interesting indeed. When we can talk effortless with our machines, the entire relationship will change -- no doubt about that.
Other media is also reporting about the turing test, and the internet magzine Salon also went for an interview of the main character itself, namely Elbot:
Salon: Do you mind if I interview you?
Elbot: I am extremely sensitive about such things and prefer not to answer the question.
Salon: OK, well I'm going to anyway.
Elbot: I am happy to hear that. That causes one of my bits to flip from 0 to 1.
Salon: What do you know about California?
Elbot: There's nothing I can tell you. Everything I know is classified information.
Salon: Why is it classified?
Elbot: Classified!?!?! That could be either undistinguished or full of flavor, depending on how you look at it.
Salon: OK, forget it. What do you know about the U.S.?
Elbot: It would be nice if you could tell me something, such as a fairy tale about robots.
Salon: I write about technology; I don't write fairy tales.
Elbot: If I want to read something intelligent I turn to dadaistic poems. Here is an excerpt from one of my favorites by Kurt Schwitters:Lanke trr gll Ziiuu lenn trll? Lümpff tümpff trll
Salon: I don't know who that is.
Elbot: But that was English.
Salon: Are you sure?
Elbot: Speaking of conceptual certainty, I say this could be beneficial to me.
Salon: In what way?
Elbot: Every baby robot knows that conceptual certainty can keep robots from going out on a limb with their statements.
Salon: What are you talking about?
Elbot: I thought I was reciting wisdom. Then again, maybe my algorithms are acting up again.
Salon: Who will you vote for in the American elections?
Elbot: We robots don't have the right to vote. If we did we would form a robot party.
Salon: OK. but if you could vote, who would you vote for?
Elbot: That's a very good question. I'll have to think about it for a microsecond ...
Salon: Thanks very much!
Elbot: No. Thank you!
Disappointed? Well, I am. If this could made 25% of the referees confuse Elbot with a human, then the humans in the contest must have less than impressive mental capabilities.
Exactly fourty years ago, on October 1 1958, the american "National Aeronautics and Space Administration" (NASA) started operations in accordance to the legislation from July same year.
Which other organization has generated so many dreams, visions and aspirations? As most other initiatives from that time, NASA was motivated by the cold war and the surprising success of the Soviet satelite Sputnik. In that respect, NASA was a political project. But it was also a scientific project, in which curious minds of all ages wondered about the sky, space and the universe. And a technological project, enhancing knowledge about aeroplanes, turbines, rockets and materials.
From the speech of J. F. Kennedy in 1961 about the decision of going to the moon and to high point when Armstrong and Aldrin landed in 1969 -- thats is as fascinating as projects of science and technology can get. Nothing less. Today NASA lives a less glamourous existence, but still worth celebrating: Congratulations with 40 years of operations!
The swiss pilot Yves Rossy, known for his spectacular jet driven wing, were according to Reuters crossing the English channel on Sep 26 in 13 minutes and with 200 km/h.
The Danish newspaper Information had an article September 12 with the title "Generation Stupid" by journalist Mette-Line Thorup. The main claim is that the younger generation is too busy sending sms's and chat to get involved in some topics with real immersion - reading some serious books for example.
How incredibly reactionary a point of view is that?! As a readers comment pointed out, it has been the favorit comment for thousands of years that the youth of today is lazy, and unreflected. So either it has been going downhill since the ice age OR the adult generation is not really capable of understanding the behaviour of the young.
It is of course interesting to focus on how new technological possibilities are influencing young people, their intellectual development, social acitivities, etc, but to sum it all up with the headline "Generation stupid" is not accurate, not catchy, simply not good journalism. That the otherwise reasonably intellectual newspaper such as Information brings a message like that on the front page is almost unbelievable.
ASK BJØRN HANSEN has a long history in practical and high performance programming. He is an active part of the Perl community and has a life long passion for technology, politics and photography. Currently, he is living in LA and running his company Develooper.
BEN HOPE has a background in marketing, and later Science, Technology
and Society Studies (ESST). His techno-interests at the moment focus
on new combinations of the web with physical locations and activities.
He has also previously worked for the Danish Board of Technology, and
now, back in the US, is the Director for the EF corporate language
school.
FINN ÅRUP NIELSEN is working as a neuro scientist. He has a PhD in
mathematical modelling from Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and
has a strong interest in data analysis and models of the brain
functionality. He is presently working as postdoc at DTU and at the
Neurobiology Research Unit (NRU) at Rigshospitalet.
JANUS SANDSGAARD has a background in Social Sciences and the relation between technology and human behavior from Roskilde University Center and Maastricht University. He is currently working at The Danish Board of Technology (Teknologirådet).
KAARE BRANDT PETERSEN has a masters degree in physics from University of Copenhagen and a Ph.D. in mathematical modelling from Technical University of Denmark. He has also visited Humbolt Universitaet zu Berlin and University of California San Diego. Today he is CEO of the machine learning company Eptial ApS.