My Digital FootPrint

I have been exploring the research and concepts that bias and trauma are deeply linked.  The linkage and directionality are much debated.   Trauma creates bias, and equally, bias creates trauma. It would appear that either can be a starting point, but they definitely feed each other, creating complex positive (healing) and negative (detrimental) feedback loops which extend beyond the individual and their immediate relationships to wider society.     Using systems-mapping to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma: A qualitative study of stakeholder experiences  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0273361 Why does this matter, as all data has a bias?  Fundamental to a decision-making role based on data is to demand that we recognise bias and try to remove bias; however, I am now thinking that if we remove the bias, we assume there is no trauma, and therefore, everyone will be rational.  Yes, there are some big ugly assumptions in that state

A problem (among many) with data is that many people ask questions that are easy.  How many and who clicked this button? These are easy to ask, occupy time, fill in KPI cards and are often easy to answer. Why do so few kick back to ask if it is the right question?  Why did they click the button? Oh, we don’t have that data! But we can create constraints that mean we get biased data as we don’t understand human behaviour in context.  ---- In 1973 two behavioural scientists, John Darley and Daniel Batson published " From Jerusalem to Jericho: A study of Situational and Dispositional Variables in Helping Behavior ." It was an investigation into the psychology of prosocial behaviour . Darley and Batson picked students who were studying to be priests at the Princeton Theological Seminary to determine how situational factors influenced prosocial behaviour. Hypothesis : When someone is kind to another, is that because he or she has some innate qualities that lead to kindness—or be

Read this excellent Medium article on "The Age of the Negative Review Is Over" by @jenniferrabin   thinking about no response to worse than negative when we consider attention.  Have a different issue with reviews and that is that I no longer "TRUST" them, principally because of the emerging and growing set of rules, revisions, lies and so much material on what to do to get one deleted, reversed or hidden.  I have come to depend on feedback and reviews for choices, the ability to read others thinking has been so beneficial for online booking and purchases. The reason is that a while ago we booked a wonderful 4* hotel in the 3 valleys; to read the week before we left a very long, detailed and negative review. We left for skiing a tad worried. We arrived, the staff were amazing, the location was spot on, the food was excellent and the lodging was exactly as described. The previous empty nester reviewer obviously booked a 4* expecting a 6* and as it was

This is the PEW report BY LEE RAINIE AND JANNA ANDERSON Code-Dependent: Pros and Cons of the Algorithm Age "Algorithms are aimed at optimizing everything. They can save lives, make things easier and conquer chaos. Still, experts worry they can also put too much control in the hands of corporations and governments, perpetuate bias, create filter bubbles, cut choices, creativity and serendipity, and could result in greater unemployment" Download the full report  Theme 3 is focused on "Humanity and human judgment are lost when data and predictive modeling become paramount"   is excellent - indeed the whole report is.   https://www.pewinternet.org/2017/02/08/theme-3-humanity-and-human-judgment-are-lost-when-data-and-predictive-modeling-become-paramount/

Just read "We Are Data" Algorithms and the Making of Our Digital Selves by John Cheney-Lippold On Page 191 John explores the Else Test ---- At a simple level a nested Python If; Else statement can look like the code below. This is beautiful in its simplicity and offers a repeatable and deterministic way to match a grade to the logical number of the mark obtained.   In each case there is one output;   based on the actual input mark. Happy days if grade >= 90 :     print( "A grade" ) elif grade >= 80 :     print( "B grade" ) elif grade >= 70 :     print( "C grade" ) elif grade >= 65 :     print( "D grade" ) else :     print( "Failing grade" ) Let’s change the case slightly to something which says has more difficult to answer.   “Are you are good parent?”    We can approach the problem in two ways.   The simple way that hides the complexity and based on a score which deter

Douglas Rushkoff ’s new book, Team Human Follow Douglas on Twitter  He has a FREE Book launch event at Civic Hall in New York City on Wednesday January 23 2019 Douglas kindly provided me with a pre-launch books and here is my review    SIMPLE - READ IT. Douglas spots a trend and writes a book about it. How do we put people back into the centre (tech). It has been a theme growing for a while but the sense is that it is now that we should refocus. I agree. Team Human is a manifesto, different to the policy ideals explored by say Paul Collier in The Future of Capitalism.  The structure is 100 (one hundred) essays or statements, where he argues that we are essentially social creatures, and that we achieve our greatest aspirations when we work together — not as individuals. Yet today society is threatened by a vast antihuman infrastructure that undermines our ability to connect. Money, once a means of exchange, is now a means of exploitation; educati

Hello World by Hannah Fry .   Follow Hanna on Twitter My take If you are having any issues explaining algorithms, data or the impact to anyone from a student to the CEO. READ this book ! It is brilliant. I highlighted more in this book than most Hannah brings out that algorithms and data bias is part of society, however the scale is now something we cannot hide from.  Past controls were hidden but now are out in the open, but sometimes we don’t have a clue how it happens We have a choice every time we use a service - be lazy or be in control.  Neither is better however, to become dependent on the algorithm is not about the loss of control but about the loss of identity Control of the algorithm is not limited to the code, but the weaknesses of the machine, design and data. Love Hannah’s take on AI, will be writing up another book on AI soon - so will keep thinking on AI for that. When people are unaware that they are being manipulated, they tend to believe that they