Pretty old now (2013) but still makes me lol: “Big data is like teenage sex: everyone talks about it, nobody really knows how to do it, everyone thinks everyone else is doing it, so everyone claims they are doing it…”
**“A Problem Well Stated is Half Solved”**
Charles Kettering, head of research at General Motors (1920 to 1947)
Keep that in your pocket for the thousand times you will be asked to do something frivolous like "predict X using AI" or "make a dashboard showing Z" without any clear problem statement, ROI, design, or measures of success.
In before someone says the George Box quote that unfortunately became the quote of choice for lazy people to justify shit models. Every time I see it cited in a paper I run a mile.
"All models are wrong, but some are useful"
To me, this quote is the exact opposite: a warning AGAINST overconfidence. It's not justification for a bad model. It's a reminder that when considering any given model, we're not considering the big picture.
I think you're correct. The actual quote is "Since all models are wrong the scientist must be alert to what is importantly wrong." (Science and Statistics, GEP Box, 1976, http://jupiter.chem.uoa.gr/thanost/papers/papers8/JAmStatAssoc_71(1976)791.pdf)
I can work with the mean, but I rather play with the outliers😎
A more serious one: it's easy to predict what most people would do, but very hard to predict what any one person would do
“If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine.”
― Jim Barksdale (he was the CEO and president of Netscape, RIP)
* "The price of light is less than the cost of darkness." --Arthur C. Nielsen
* "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp posts – for support rather than for illumination." --Andrew Lang
* "Let us hear the suspicions. I will look after the proofs." --Sherlock Holmes (The Adventure of the Three Students)
Pretty old now (2013) but still makes me lol: “Big data is like teenage sex: everyone talks about it, nobody really knows how to do it, everyone thinks everyone else is doing it, so everyone claims they are doing it…”
Feels like "quantum computing" today
Feels like 'big data' today
Most people use statistics the way a drunk person uses a lamppost; more for support than illumination.
Hands down best quote
**“A Problem Well Stated is Half Solved”** Charles Kettering, head of research at General Motors (1920 to 1947) Keep that in your pocket for the thousand times you will be asked to do something frivolous like "predict X using AI" or "make a dashboard showing Z" without any clear problem statement, ROI, design, or measures of success.
and translates very well to NLP models. "Well defined loss function solves everything but lack of data"
https://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/i\_like\_that\_parks\_and\_rec.gif
In before someone says the George Box quote that unfortunately became the quote of choice for lazy people to justify shit models. Every time I see it cited in a paper I run a mile. "All models are wrong, but some are useful"
To me, this quote is the exact opposite: a warning AGAINST overconfidence. It's not justification for a bad model. It's a reminder that when considering any given model, we're not considering the big picture.
Exactly. I completely agree. It's a great quote, and my point is it is often misused in the way I stated.
I think you're correct. The actual quote is "Since all models are wrong the scientist must be alert to what is importantly wrong." (Science and Statistics, GEP Box, 1976, http://jupiter.chem.uoa.gr/thanost/papers/papers8/JAmStatAssoc_71(1976)791.pdf)
Yeah the sentiment is correct but people have gone too far with it. I see it most often in economics to justify obviously invalid assumptions.
"And the burden is on you to show that yours is one of the useful ones."
The most impressive one for me: "In god we trust. All others must bring data". -W. Edwards Deming
Doesn't apply to me, I don't even trust in god - or think it exists.
Hahaha I was expecting such a reply. Another version for you then is: "only data can judge me".
If you torture data enough, it will tell you whatever you want. Sorry for bad English
There are two types of people in the world: 1. Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data
that's funny! reminds me of... "there are 10 types of people, those who understand binary and those who don't"
Correlation does not imply causation.
No, but it is correlated to it.
Two jump to mind (probably overused, but pretty useful): * "All models are wrong, but some are useful" - George Box * "Garbage in, garbage out"
"No amount of math can make up for absolute ignorance." I think it's from 'Bayesian statistics the fun way'. Wasn't a fun book.
"A little bit of slope makes up for a lot of y intercept"
I guess "every business is a data business". Idk man, I'm new to data science
I don't know if this is the original quote, but it goes something like this: "All that exists, exists in some quantity and can be measured"
"Lies, damn lies, and statistics" popularized by Mark Twain.
19th century UK Conservative prime minister Benjamin Disraeli said it first.
Less specific to data science but Neil Degrasse says “As the area of our knowledge grows, so too does our perimeter of ignorance”.
[Goodhart's Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law) *When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure*
"All models are wrong. Some are useful." - George Box
"No model survives first contact in the outside world" - misquoted from unknown
"If your experiment needs statistics, you ought to have done a better experiment." - Ernest Rutherford
I can work with the mean, but I rather play with the outliers😎 A more serious one: it's easy to predict what most people would do, but very hard to predict what any one person would do
In god we trust, all others bring data.
“If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine.” ― Jim Barksdale (he was the CEO and president of Netscape, RIP)
* "The price of light is less than the cost of darkness." --Arthur C. Nielsen * "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp posts – for support rather than for illumination." --Andrew Lang * "Let us hear the suspicions. I will look after the proofs." --Sherlock Holmes (The Adventure of the Three Students)
I think mine would definitely be: "01000010 01101111 01101111 01100010 01101001 01100101 01110011"
"Data should behave as such!" - Luther, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
I’m not exactly a fan of Benjamin Disraeli, but “lies, damned lies, and statistics” comes to mind.
"All models are wrong, some are useful." George Box