http://blog.arc90.com/2009/03/13/the-next-jonas-salk/ Web Application Design & Development Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:55:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://blog.arc90.com/2009/03/13/the-next-jonas-salk/#comment-991 Chris Dary Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:30:39 +0000 http://blog.daniell.acr90-dev-02/2009/03/13/the-next-jonas-salk/#comment-991 @ChrisL - yeah, I've seen it, but I think it's a much more specific answer than I'm going to be looking for. I'd want large amounts of data through which I can sift and find trends, not a single sentence answer. @ChrisL – yeah, I’ve seen it, but I think it’s a much more specific answer than I’m going to be looking for.
I’d want large amounts of data through which I can sift and find trends, not a single sentence answer.

]]> http://blog.arc90.com/2009/03/13/the-next-jonas-salk/#comment-990 Chris LoSacco Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:58:38 +0000 http://blog.daniell.acr90-dev-02/2009/03/13/the-next-jonas-salk/#comment-990 @Chris - have you seen the buzz around <a href="http://www.wolframalpha.com" rel="nofollow">Wolfram Alpha</a>? Speaks to your point about questions v. data. @Chris – have you seen the buzz around Wolfram Alpha? Speaks to your point about questions v. data.

]]> http://blog.arc90.com/2009/03/13/the-next-jonas-salk/#comment-989 Richard Ziade Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:04:58 +0000 http://blog.daniell.acr90-dev-02/2009/03/13/the-next-jonas-salk/#comment-989 What's most exciting about this, in my mind, is that it's a reboot of sorts. Whether they like it or not, researchers who've labored over multiple sclerosis for 30 years have inevitably hit the same walls for years. It's a whole new fertile ground. They say innovation is key these days. I agree. Now all we have to do is tend to the soil. What’s most exciting about this, in my mind, is that it’s a reboot of sorts. Whether they like it or not, researchers who’ve labored over multiple sclerosis for 30 years have inevitably hit the same walls for years.
It’s a whole new fertile ground. They say innovation is key these days. I agree. Now all we have to do is tend to the soil.

]]> http://blog.arc90.com/2009/03/13/the-next-jonas-salk/#comment-988 Chris Dary Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:43:08 +0000 http://blog.daniell.acr90-dev-02/2009/03/13/the-next-jonas-salk/#comment-988 Great thoughts, Tim. I think we as a species haven't even really grasped the potential power that we have waiting for us in all the data we're creating every day. It's going to be a long road, but when we get there I think our everyday lives will be very different. Being a software guy, I'm cursed with thinking computationally; as a result my head goes right to the web when questions like this come up. I think web services play a huge role in the amateurization of data mining right now. In the future, if we as a collective can nail something like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_Web" rel="nofollow">semantic web</a>, we'll be in a much better place. But for now, <em>specific data</em> mining is too hard. We're certainly leaps and bounds better off than our progenitors, but I think we'd see even more world changing effects if the barrier to getting at the data <em>we want to</em> was lower. Thankfully, for now we do have great resources like <a href="http://www.programmableweb.com/apis/directory" rel="nofollow">Programmable Web's API Directory</a>, and a lot of companies opening up their data. But I still feel like we're seeing the data we have and tailoring our questions to it, not seeing what questions we have and retrieving the data to answer them. Soon enough, hopefully. It'll be an even more exciting time when we get there. Great thoughts, Tim.
I think we as a species haven’t even really grasped the potential power that we have waiting for us in all the data we’re creating every day. It’s going to be a long road, but when we get there I think our everyday lives will be very different.
Being a software guy, I’m cursed with thinking computationally; as a result my head goes right to the web when questions like this come up. I think web services play a huge role in the amateurization of data mining right now. In the future, if we as a collective can nail something like the semantic web, we’ll be in a much better place.
But for now, specific data mining is too hard. We’re certainly leaps and bounds better off than our progenitors, but I think we’d see even more world changing effects if the barrier to getting at the data we want to was lower.
Thankfully, for now we do have great resources like Programmable Web’s API Directory, and a lot of companies opening up their data. But I still feel like we’re seeing the data we have and tailoring our questions to it, not seeing what questions we have and retrieving the data to answer them.
Soon enough, hopefully. It’ll be an even more exciting time when we get there.

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