28 Data Science articles from April 2022

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“Machine learning, deep learning, and all other technologies that fit under the umbrella term ‘AI’ should be considered only after you have well-defined goals and problems”

Space Force has insatiable demand for geospatial intelligence

“The computer paradigm especially when applied to natural language understanding (NLU) and brains, isn’t effective when needed in artificial intelligence applications.” Here’s an alternative model based on patterns

A step-by-step explanation of computational graphs and backpropagation in a recurrent neural network

NGI taking operational control of part of Project Maven—the Pentagon’s signature artificial intelligence program

NGA shifting tech investment to reflect GEOINT revolution:  "The flood of new imagery capabilities is overwhelming. Data driven technologies like artificial intelligence are essential”

How commercial space systems are changing the conflict in Ukraine

Outsourcing model-training to third parties? There are some undetectable backdoors in machine learning model classifiers ripe for misuse

Is interpreting ML models a dead-end? Can the interpretation process be detached from the model architecture?  

Today’s battlefield data is helping smart machines model the wars of the future 

“Applying advanced AI tools to publicly available imagery is producing critical information to help the Ukrainian military thwart Russian attacks.”

How big is the US space economy? Here are the numbers: “The statistics show a space economy in transition”

Is artificial intelligence creating a new colonial world order? An MIT Tech Review explores the topic

Practical tips on creating dashboards using Python, Plotly & Dash

58 Data Visualization and Infographic Options 

The co-creator of R reflects on the language 

How to use SQL anti-joins in your data science career

“Tech companies have been using automated tools to moderate content for a really long time and while it’s touted as this sophisticated machine learning, it’s often just a list of words they think are problematic”

A new machine learning generative model from OpenAI can generate mashup images from text descriptions—here’s a look at its deep learning promise as well as limitations

The Standard Model takes a hit from work at Fermilab on the elementary particle called the W 

“The US Space Force plans to launch to geostationary orbit three small satellites that will attempt to dock with a propellant tanker so they can be refueled in space”

The weakest link in space systems revealed in Viasat Cyber Attack

Are low-code and no-code solutions an immediate threat to job security of the professional software developer? 

NASA is planning for a first: launching a robot to refuel a satellite in space 

Google is launching BigLake—a new data lake storage engine with the goal of merging disparate lakes and warehouses to minimize silos

Geospatial intelligence is having its “internet moment” right now

S. Korea aims to deploy microsatellites via solid-fuel rocket within 3 years

A look at TPOT—Tree-based Pipeline Optimization Tool—the Python “data science assistant” that helps to build machine-learning fully-automated prediction pipelines

The future of space: 3 aerospace experts describe the space economy of tomorrow

The Reverse Bucket List

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Many self-help guides suggest making a bucket list on your birthday, so as to reinforce your worldly aspirations. Making a list of the things you want is temporarily satisfying, because it stimulates dopamine. But it creates attachments, which in turn create dissatisfaction as they grow.

I’ve instead begun to compile a “reverse bucket list,” to make the ideas in this essay workable in my life. Each year on my birthday, I list my wants and attachments—the stuff that fits under Thomas Aquinas’s categories of money, power, pleasure, and honor. I try to be completely honest. I don’t list stuff I would actually hate and never choose, like a sailboat or a vacation house. Rather, I go to my weaknesses, most of which—I’m embarrassed to admit—involve the admiration of others for my work.

Then I imagine myself in five years. I am happy and at peace, living a life of purpose and meaning. I make another list of the forces that would bring me this happiness: my faith, my family, my friendships, the work I am doing that is inherently satisfying and meaningful and that serves others.

Arthur C. Brooks, From Strength to Strength

Our strong intuitions about happiness are wrong

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Our minds lie to us. We have strong intuitions about the things that will make us happy, and we use those intuitions to go after that stuff, whether it’s more money or changing circumstances or buying the new iPhone. But a lot of those intuitions, the science shows are not exactly right — or are deeply misguided. That’s why we get it wrong. I know this stuff, but my instincts are totally wrong. After a busy day, I want to sit and watch crappy Netflix TV shows, even though I know the data suggests that if I worked out or called a friend I’d be happier. But to do that I have to fight my intuition. We need help with that, and you don’t get it naturally, especially in the modern day. 

We’re fighting cultural forces that are telling us, “You’re not happy enough; happiness could just be around the corner.” Part of it’s all the information out there about happiness, which can be hard to sift through, but a lot of it is a deeper thing in our culture that seems to be leading us astray.

Yale cognitive scientist Laurie Santos, quoted in the New York Times

Let their words fall to the ground

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If I start insulting you in another language you feel nothing. The words don't mean anything to you because it’s you who has to put the meaning into it. I know what it means but it doesn’t matter. Take their words, take away the value of their words and drop them to the floor. If you take that away they fall to the ground. They never get to touch you. They are nothing. 

Salma Hayek

The Ultimate Adventure

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Time spent in the neutral zone is an opportunity for inner reorientation. There’s no time limit on your stay and no certainty of what the “goal” is while you remain there. More than a readjustment to the “new you,” it’s where the real business of transitions takes place. Most people don’t recognize it for what it is but will look back later and see there was significant transformation taking place. It is a time of greater sense of self and lesser sense of what’s going on around us, what all the circumstances mean. We become more acutely aware of what’s going on the inside more than on the outside.

Even Jesus needed a retreat into the desert to gain a sense of who he was – and thus, what he was here to do. It is in these “moments of discovery” that we are mostly likely find God because we are "open" in a way we are not when caught up in every day life.

It starts with letting go of what no longer fits or is adequate to the life stage you are in. Some people never fully let go of those ill-fitting parts or else run back to these broken connections. May it never be said of us that we failed to meet this challenge. Here's to transitions that take us into uncharted waters without a map. This is the ultimate adventure.

Stephen Goforth (born April 24)

Experiencing Flow

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Instead of using our physical and mental resources to experience flow, most of us spend many hours each week watching celebrated athletes playing in enormous stadiums. Instead of making music, we listen to platinum records cut by millionaire musicians. Instead of making art, we go to admire paintings that brought in the highest bids at the latest auction. We do not run risks acting on our beliefs, but occupy hours each day watching actors who pretend to have adventures, engaged in mock-meaningful action.

This vicarious participation is able to mask, at least temporarily, the underlying emptiness of wasted time. But it is a very pale substitute for attention invested in real challenges. The flow experience that results from the use of skills leads to growth, passive entertainment leads nowhere.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

8 media-related Zoom events in the next week: burnout, autism, pitches, social media, writing ledes, newsgathering rights, salary negotiations, and more

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Fri., April 22 - The Art of the Pitch

What: Coming up with a great idea is only half the battle. You’ll need to know how to effectively “pitch” it to get the funding and resources that you need to make it a reality. In this unique virtual event, Gina Matthews shares the secrets to crafting an entertaining pitch that will keep audience members on the edge of their seat.

Who: Producer Gina Matthews, Emmy Award-Winning UO alumna and Little Engine Productions Founder

When: 2 pm Central, 12 noon Pacific 

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: University of Oregon, Cinema Studies

More info

Sat., April 23 - Press Rights 101: Understand your newsgathering rights and limitations in California

What:  A leading media lawyer and press advocate will give a comprehensive overview of legal protections and practical considerations for covering protests, filming police in the field and more.

Who: Mickey Osterreicher, general counsel of the National Press Photographers Association. 

When: 12 noon Central, 10 am Pacific

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Los Angeles Press Club, Asian American Journalists Association, Los Angeles, California News Publishers Association, and other professional organizations. 

More info (RSVP required)

Mon., April 25 - Burnout Among Journalists

What: Journalism is a demanding and often emotionally draining job that can lead to burnout. Join the for an online session to discuss the signs of burnout and how to deal with it. LAPC President Lisa Richwine will lead a discussion with Kristin Neubauer who will discuss her own experience with burnout, provide an overview of scientific research on the topic and take questions from the audience. Time

Who: Kristin Neubauer, a Reuters television producer who has supported the mental health and wellbeing of journalists as global coordinator of the company's Peer Support Network.

When: 7 pm Central, 5 pm Pacific 

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Los Angeles Press Club

More info

Tues., Apr 26 - A Panel of Autistic Journalists

Who: Four autistic journalists – Eric Garcia, Sara Luterman, Zack Budryk and Charlie Stern

When: 5 pm Central, 3 pm Pacific 

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: The Columbia Journalism School Alliance of Journalists with Disabilities and the Columbia Student Disability Network

Registration  

Wed., April 27- How to Get Paid What You're Worth: Advocating for yourself and your career

What: Advocating for yourself in the news industry can feel overwhelming. You may be hesitant to ask for a raise, a promotion or even a new job opportunity, such as working on a podcast or a change in beats.  In this virtual panel, the panel will break down the best strategies for advancing at work, navigating salary negotiations and preparing for meetings with a boss.   

Who: 

Tre'vell Anderson, editor-at-large for Toronto’s Xtra magazine and co-host of two podcasts: 

Carolina Miranda, arts and urban design columnist for the Los Angeles Times

Joanne Griffith, chief content officer for APM Studios

When: 4:30 pm Central, 6:30 pm Pacific

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists, Los Angeles Chapter 

More info

Fri., April 29 - Using the Tech Toolkit for Social Impact  

What: The diffusion of digitization and artificial intelligence have created both challenges and opportunities for society. This lecture outlines some of the opportunities for providing digital services that are more cost-effective and personalized to recipients in terms of content and convenience. Several research projects that involve creating, implementing, and evaluating digital technology will be discussed.

Who: Susan Athey, Economics of Technology Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, an elected member of the National Academy of Science, and the recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal.

When: 11 am Central, 9 am Pacific 

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: NYU's Business & Economic Reporting Program

More info

Fri., April 29 - Using ledes and nut grafs to attract and keep readers

What: Headlines may hook us, but ledes draw us in, and nut grafs keep us. As journalism changes, this is constant: Readers must know what’s at stake in a story and why it matters to them (or should).  This hour-long, hands-on workshop for reporters and editors will demonstrate how to make those stakes clear. 

Who: This workshop will be lead by Julie Moos, executive director of the National Press Club Journalism Institute. She is the former managing director at McClatchy. Moos also spent 11 years at the Poynter Institute.

When: 10:30 am Central, 8:30 am Pacific 

Where: Zoom

Cost: $25 for the general public, $20 for NPC members

Sponsor: National Press Club

More info

Fri., April 29 - Tools and Tales of Resilience

What: A discussion of the unique stressors faced by journalists with suggestions as to how to stay emotionally well while being witnesses and protagonists of unprecedented times.

Who: Erick Galindo - Five-time Telly Award-winning writer, director and producer  

Cheryl Aguilar - Director and Therapist at Hope Center for Wellness

When: 11:30 Central, 9:30 Pacific

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free for NAHJ members (join for $35) 

Sponsor: National Association of Hispanic Journalists

More info

The value of soft skills

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A soft skill enables you to interact well with others. It’s nontechnical and typically falls into categories such as communication and negotiation, adaptability and learning, teaching and training, and interpersonal abilities, including empathy. For organizations, developing and rewarding soft skills is becoming all the more crucial in our ever-automated world. Machines are getting smarter, and as they take over more basic, repetitive, and even physical tasks, the need for workers with social, emotional, and technological skills will be higher than ever.

McKinsey & Company

Learning about Making Infographics

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18 Impressive Data Visualization Projects

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Taking Pride in Doing Evil

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She was very much ashamed of being in jail—but of being a prostitute, not at all. On the contrary, she seemed rather pleased with herself and proud of her position. Yet, how could it be otherwise?

No man can play an active part in the world unless he believes that his activity is important and good. Therefore, whatever position a man may hold, he is certain to take that view of human life in general which will make his own activity seem important and good.

It is generally supposed that a thief, a murderer, a spy or a prostitute, knowing their occupation to be evil, must be ashamed of it. In point of fact, the case is precisely the reverse. Men who have been placed by fate and their own mistakes (or sins) in a certain position, however false, always adopt a view of life which makes their place in it good an appropriate.

To maintain this idea, men instinctively mix only with those who accept their view of life and of their place in it. This surprises us when thieves boast of their adroitness, prostitutes flaunt their shame, murderers gloat over their cruelty.

We are surprised, however, only because the circle, the sphere, of these men is limited, and principally because we are outside it; but does not the same state of things exist among the rich – who boast of their wealth, i.e., of robbery; the generals—who boast of their victories, i.e., of murder; the rulers—who boast of their power, i.e., of violence?

We do not recognize their ideas of life and of good and evil as perverted, only because the circle of men holding these perverted ideas is wider and because we belong to it ourselves.

Leo Tolstoy, Resurrection

Tuesday Tech Tools: 58 Data Visualization and Infographic Options

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Looking for some ways to tell your story through data? Here are 58 data visualization (or infographic) tools.

D3.js
A Javascript library to create data visualizations. Requires some developer skills to utilize since it requires coding. Very versatile. Examples. Free.

Adoptive Insights
Designed for business. Powerful but has a high learning curve. Cost on a case by case basis. Free trial available.

Animaker
Tool for making infographic videos with animated characters. Limited free version or accounts starting at $144 a year.

Bubbl
Create flow-charts for brainstorming and visualization. Limited options. Video explanation here.

Carto*
Perhaps the best interactive mapmaker but a high learning curve though more of a time investment than a technical-background requirement. No coding needed to look impressive. Used for location intelligence and and journalism alike. Free with paid plans. Video examples here.

Canva*
Create social media graphics, headers, slides, flyers, photo collages, posters, and infographics using drag-and-drop. 60k templates to pick from. Clip-art library available or upload your own images. Share to social media from the app or download a jpg, PDF, etc. for posting. Free or $12 a month for more options.

Chart Maker
Quickly make charts, graphs, etc.

Chartist.js
Simple responsive charts. Will change the way the data is displayed based on the size screen it's being viewed on.

Common Knowledge
A Google tool that quickly makes interactive charts from data which are embeddable. Free.

Comparea
See a visual comparison of two states, cities, countries or continents. Move them around.  It will also tell how many times bigger a geographic area is to another.

Daily Infographic
A new data visualization sample each day. Great way to get ideas.

Data Journalism
Examples, steps and video of how to create data visualizations.

Data Remixed
Blog about data visualizations by Ben Jones, an engineer in LA.

Data to Viz
A site that helps you find the right chart for your data.

Data Visual
Charts and graphs.  Templates or start from scratch.  A short video introduction here.

Data Wrangler
A tool created by Stanford University's Visualization Group for cleaning and rearranging data for other tools to use (such as a spreadsheet).  Does not actually visualizes your data, but preps it for use. This includes extracting, filling, dropping, merging and wrapping data points among other things. There's a learning curve, but it's free.

Data Wrapper*
Tool for journalists looking to create fast, easily-to-understand visualizations but useful for anyone. Easy to embed. Free version allows creation of 10k charts.

Domo
Business tool for creating visualizations. Fully mobile. Good collaboration capabilities. High learning curve. Not for beginners. Starting at $83 a month. Free trial available.

Dundas
Interactive visualizations. Lots of options. No 3-D charts or predictive analysis. Free trial but cost is on a case by case basis.

Easely.ly*
Create infographics. Video sample here.

Everviz (formerly Highcharts Cloud)
One of the easiest to use data visualizations tools. Not much customization. Free.

Florish*
A data visualization tool that makes it easy to create both standard charts and a mobile-friendly animated charts. Some customization available. Examples.

Flowing Data
Blog about how statisticians, designers, data scientists, and others use analysis, visualization, and exploration to understand data and ourselves.

FusionCharts
Chart making Javascript library that requires developer skills. Lots of customization. Starts at $199 a year.

Gephi
Social networking analysis tool to create interactive visualization. Impressive looking but has a steep learning curve. For anything complex you might need some specialist help. Free.

Google Public Data Explorer
Makes large datasets easy to explore, visualize and communicate. As the charts and maps animate over time, the changes in the world become easier to understand.

Graphiq
Data visualization tools. Formally FindTheBest. Not only are there design tools, there are many data sets available to work with.

High Charts
interactive JavaScript charts. Free.

iCharts
Data Visualization aimed at businesses--especially those looking to brand themselves. There's a free option (which allows for data interactivity, public sharing, and unlimited standard data sets) and a business plan that starts at $25 (offering features like private charts, custom templates, upload images and logos, download high-res images, large data sets, chartbooks, etc.

Infogram*
Infographic tool especially useful when working with complex data. No coding skills needed. Works with Google Sheets or Dropbox. Create interactive illustrations. 35 types of charts and 200 types of maps. Includes a built-in spreadsheet tool for data editing. Basic version is free but requires the Infogram logo. Upgrades run from $19 to $67 a month.

Meograph*
3D animation of people from 2D video of people. Video explanation.

NumberPicture
Create simple charts from your data using templates. Introductory video here.

PiktoChart*
Flat but beautiful interactive graphics. Easy-to-use. Video explanation.

Plotly
A good general-use data visualization tool offering many customizations and interactivity. Charts can be exported as images or embedded. A bit of a learning curve. Free with some paid plans.

Powtoon
Animated infographics web tool for creating videos. User-friendly basic cartoon software with plenty of templates and social integrations. The free version has company branding on it while the expensive pro plans start at $19 a month.

Projector
A Canva alternative design resource for non-designers. Video explanation here.

QGIS
Powerful mapmaking software with a high learning curve. The ‘GIS’ stands for geographical information system. Free.

R
This statistical computing language is geared toward data work and thus is the choice of many data scientists for data visualizations. High learning curve so you’ll need to work with a developer. Lots of tutorials and plugins. Very versatile. Free.

Raw Graphs
Built on D3.js but doesn’t require knowing code. Most of the charts are for obscure purposes. You’ll need a developer. An option when you want a unique visualizations for a big project and can spend a decent amount of time on it.

SavvyRoo
Place to create and share visual data. Watch a video explanation here.

Sisense’s  
Graphically represent your large data sets clearly and efficiently. Nice interface, limited type of visualizations. Free trial. Cost based on case by case basis.

Strip Creator
Create your own comic strip.

Story Maps 
A cutsom mapping visualization tool based on ArcGIS with more mapping options than StroyMap JS in the paid version. With simple to use templates, you can  “walk” your viewers through a map-based story.  Example.

StoryMap JS 
A simple mapping visualization tool produced by the Knight Lab at Northwestern for creating interactive maps and timelines. Based on Google's map software from OpenStreetMap. Does not require technical experience. Create slides and connect them on a map that can be embedded or upload your own basemap. Example. 

Tableau Public
Data visualization tools that are interactive. Maps, graphics, etc. Free. Samples.

Tableau Software
Easy to use, great capabilities. Popular but expensive. $70 each month.

Thinglink*
Create hot-spot graphics. Make images interactive by adding music, a voice over, and text.  Free . Sample.

TimeMapper
Timeslines and maps. Sample video here.

Vidi
Drupal-based embeddable modules.

Visage
Create infographics and interactive charts for websites and social media graphics. The free account allows for three images a month.

Visme
Create graphics just for a particular platform for social-specific content. Free.

Visual Editors
A visual editor promotes visual journalism literacy in graphics, photo, video and design.

Visual.ly
Create infographics and data visualizations.

Visualize Free
Upload a data set from a spreadsheet (or cut and paste) for charts, maps, diagrams, etc with a drag and drop designer. Registration needed for an account, but it is free). Lots of public-available data to work with (like data.gov). Uploads are private, so that other users cannot gain access to your data.

Vizualize.me
Create your infographic resume for free. Video introduction here.

Wolfram Alpha
Computational knowledge engine. Enter a search string and have immediate display of various pieces of information regarding that string. The Pro subscription allows users to input their own data and quickly converted into dynamic and interactive charts. The price tag is $4.99 a month and limited to twenty uploads each month.on. 

WTFViz
Visualizations that make no sense.

Zoho Reports
Analytics tool to design intuitive dashboards and data visualizations. Easy to learn. Beautiful graphics but limited customization. from $22 to $444 a month. Free trial.

More Tech Tools

The Upside of Impostor Syndrome

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In workplace settings, at least, those harboring impostor-type concerns tend to compensate for their perceived shortcomings by being good team players with strong social skills, and are often recognized as productive workers by their employers.  “People who have workplace impostor thoughts become more other-oriented as a result of having these thoughts,” says Basima Tewfik, an assistant professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and author of a new paper detailing her findings. “As they become more other-oriented, they’re going to be evaluated as being more interpersonally effective.”

She adds, “What I don’t want people to take away is the idea that because people with impostor thoughts are more interpersonally effective, it’s not a problem.”

Peter Dizikes, MIT News

Forgiveness is...

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Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.” Forgiveness is the remedy. It doesn’t mean you’re erasing the past, or forgetting what happened. It means you’re letting go of the resentment and pain, and instead choosing to learn from the incident and move on with your life.

Remember, the less time you spend hating the people who hurt you, the more time you’ll have to love the people who love you.

Marc and Angel Chernoff