Going to give an invited talk on social media mining at Modelfest 2015 on 26th at Harvard. Have not been inside the beautiful campuses of Harvard MIT before, so this time will sure take some pictures, to have: been there seen that (including the famous Media Lab of MIT, recommended by Michael). Modelfest 2015 eventbrite.com Novel analytical tools to interpret large and complex data sets are reshaping the foundations of several fields of science, and, simultaneously, many commercial enterprises. Shared statistical and computational concepts... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Before flying to Boston for Modelfest 2015, I will also give an invited talk the day after tomorrow (24th) at Salt Lake City, CAST-UT 2015 Annual Conference (Big Data Session). In the evening, we have an opportunity to listen to the keynote speech by Dr. Mario Capecchi, Nobel Prize laureate. http://www.castut.org/?p=865 Big data mining is changing our life. This presentation focuses on using Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology to parse and mine a special type of big data, i.e. ever-growing social media (twitter, Facebook, Chinese Weibo and WeChat, etc), for public opinions of almost any topics. It is domain independent and widely applicable. Real life results will be illustrated in many use scenarios to show the power of big data, for example, business cases of tracking customer insights on brands, competitions, crisis management or PR campaigns; tracking public opinions for political policies and campaigns to help presidential election; tracking stock market media trends; helping consumers in making educated purchase decisions. Domain specialization to refine a domain-independent mining engine for optimal performance and customized use cases can also be discussed if time permits and there is interest. 【置顶：立委科学网博客NLP博文一览（定期更新版）】
(For new reader and those who request 好友请求, please read my 公告栏 first) The World Series Baseball Championship Came To Boston.Sport is a metaphor for life from the ecstasy of wining to the agony of defeat. Duke Wellington of England famously said that “The battle of Waterloo was won on the playfield of Eton” emphasizing the importance of determination, persistence, team work, and sportsmanship that one learns in sports for carrying on in life.Sports are emphasized since very young in the US. In China, doing well on exams rather than sports are emphasized in schools. Thus the nature of a sports fan are different between the US and China. Baseball is the national sport in the US. Unless you live in this country it is difficult for others to imagine the hold of this sport on the population. So many metaphors, legends, use of language, movies, and Americana are built around this sport. No boy or youngster in America can forget his first introduction to major league baseball park as he walks into the bright sunshine of a perfectly manicured green baseball field through a darkening tunnel under the stadium seat (For those of you familiar with the baseball movie “The Rookie”, there is a scene towards the end of the movie that approximate but cannot equal the feeling). Mine came in the spring of 1951. I became a Red Sox (the Boston Baseball team) fan since then. All my children are ardent Red sox fans even though no longer residing in Boston and as far away as California and Africa. My youngest daughter while stationed in Africa gets to watch or listen to every Red sox game through the US Arm force satellite network. But being a Red Sox fan, one must be somewhat masochistic. Since 1918, when the Red Sox won the World Series championship, there was a break of 86 years before they did it again in the miracle year of 2004. If the team had been bad or mediocre since 1918, that is one thing. But the Sox since 1918 has always been a near great team with all kinds of talent but always find the last effort at championship wanting in 1946, 1967, 1975, and 1987 and many other last minute collapses that induce heartbreaks in the fans of the “Red Sox Nation” (as the special diehard fan group is known). In fact, my two secret wishes had been “live to see a Chinese American elected to the US Congress and the Red Sox won the World Series championship”Although the dry spell was broken in 2004 and 2007, both championships were won away from Boston and not in front of the home crowd. Also, in 2012 due to a lousy manager, the Sox ended the season in last place nationally. No one gave the Sox a chance even with a new manager this year. Thus to come from so far behind and to win the world series in front of a home crowd after 95 years is an epic event. In particular this series of games was nail biting. And because of time zone difference, the last three away from home games play well past midnight. Being retired, I did not have to worry about getting up early to go to work the next morning. But I am sure the work efficiency all over New England area suffered during this week. Even my wife who is not a sports fan worked up enough enthusiasm to watch these games with me till the end. Life is good for Red Sox fan these days! Note added at 11:30 pm: Actually I posted this blog more than one hour before the Red Sox officially won. But I was so excited and so sure that the team will win the championship that I posted the blog before the real event. While I don't expect my Chinese reader to catch this little white lie, my north American reader are probably watching the game and have no time to check my blog. Thus I got away with it. Please forgive me.
Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School September 15, 2012 – September 16, 2012 http://www.medicine20congress.com/ocs/index.php/med/med2012 http://www.medicine20congress.com/ocs/index.php/med/med2011/schedConf/program
Boston is often acclaimed as the most exciting city in America in which to drive. Who would argue? Herewith, for newcomers and visitors, are a few basic rules: 1. To obtain a general idea of how to drive in Boston, go to a Celtics game and carefully watch the fast break. Then get behind the wheel of your car and practice it. 2. It’s traditional in Boston to honk your horns at cars that don’t move the second the light changes 3. There is no such thing as a shortcut during rush-hour traffic in Boston. 4. Never put your faith in signs that purport to provide directions. They are put there to confuse people. 5. Taxicabs should always have the right of way, unless you are bent on suicide. 6. Double-park in the North End or Chinatown of Boston, unless triple-parking is available. 7. Learn to swerve abruptly. Boston is the home of slalom driving, thanks to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, which puts potholes in key locations to test drivers’ reflexes and keep them on their toes. 8. Never take a green light at face value. Always look right and left before proceeding. 9. Also, always look both ways when running a red light. 10. When in doubt, accelerate. 11. Teenage drivers believe they are immortal. Don’t yield to the temptation to teach them otherwise. 12. The first parking space you see will be the last parking space you see. So grab it. 13. While it is possible to fit a 15-foot car into a 15-foot parking space, it is seldom possible to fit a 16-foot car into a 15-foot parking space. Sad but true. 14. Drivers whose cars have “I Brake for Animals” bumper stickers may brake for animals, but they may not brake for you. 15. Steer clear of people with anti-nuclear, anti-war, “Save our earth” etc. bumper stickers. They are interested in preserving mankind, which is admirable. But they are not necessarily interested in preserving you, or themselves, for that matter. They have more important things to think about. 16. Never drive behind a person whose head doesn’t reach the top of the steering wheel. 17. Never get in the way of a car that needs extensive body work. 备注：照片来源于网络。
标签: Boston
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