Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. It shows trust and openness, allowing others to connect and support you in meaningful ways.

Asking isn’t begging

When you ask, you invite trust. It’s a two-way street where you allow others to share in your struggles and successes.

Trust builds relationships

Accepting help can be hard, but it’s as important as giving. It creates a bond between people and shows gratitude for their generosity.

Learn to receive

You don’t have to be perfect to deserve support. Being honest and vulnerable helps create deeper, more authentic connections.

Connection over perfection

Art thrives when shared. Asking for support allows artists to focus on creating, while giving others the chance to be part of the process.

Art and giving are linked

Opening up about your needs is brave, not weak. Vulnerability fosters empathy and encourages others to open up too.

Vulnerability is strength

Support often comes from a community that believes in you. Building and nurturing these relationships is key to thriving together.

Community is everything

When people help you, it’s not just about money or material goods—it’s about the value they see in you and your work.

Value exchanges matter

Not everyone will say yes, and that’s okay. Focus on the people who support you instead of dwelling on the ones who don’t.

Don’t fear rejection

Gratitude strengthens relationships. Thank the people who help you—it reminds them that their support matters and makes them feel appreciated.

Practice gratitude

When you ask, be genuine and clear about what you need. Authenticity makes others more likely to respond with kindness.

Ask with honesty

Artists and their audiences share a special relationship built on trust. The artist asks, and the audience supports because they believe in the art.

Art thrives on trust

It’s scary to be vulnerable, but asking builds resilience. It helps you grow and pushes you to face fears of judgment or rejection.

Asking takes courage

Help often comes from unexpected places. Be open to receiving support from people

Support can surprise you

When you’re helped, you can later help others. Asking and giving create a cycle of kindness that uplifts everyone.

Support is a cycle

You don’t have to give endlessly to prove your value. Sometimes, just asking for what you need shows your true worth.

Your worth isn’t tied to giving

Rock star, crowdfunding pioneer, and TED speaker Amanda Palmer knows all about asking. Performing as a living statue in a wedding dress, she wordlessly asked thousands of passersby for their dollars. When she became a singer, songwriter, and musician, she was not afraid to ask her audience to support her as she surfed the crowd (and slept on their couches while touring). And when she left her record label to strike out on her own, she asked her fans to support her in making an album, leading to the world's most successful music Kickstarter. Even while Amanda is both celebrated and attacked for her fearlessness in asking for help, she finds that there are important things she cannot ask for-as a musician, as a friend, and as a wife. She learns that she isn't alone in this, that so many people are afraid to ask for help, and it paralyzes their lives and relationships. In this groundbreaking book, she explores these barriers in her own life and in the lives of those around her, and discovers the emotional, philosophical, and practical aspects of The Art of Asking. Part manifesto, part revelation, this is the story of an artist struggling with the new rules of exchange in the twenty-first century, both on and off the Internet. The Art of Asking will inspire readers to rethink their own ideas about asking, giving, art, and love.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

habits

Habits

books

Books

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

Amanda Palmer

The Art of Asking

Small improvements in prediction accuracy can lead to disproportionately large business gains. Even a seemingly modest increase from 50% to 60% accuracy can transform an unprofitable initiative into a profitable one.

The most powerful predictive models often combine diverse data sources. Success comes not just from having big data, but from creatively connecting different types of information.

Combining multiple predictive models, each looking at the problem differently, typically outperforms any single model. This mirrors the wisdom of crowds phenomenon in human decision-making.

The Ensemble Advantage

Every predictive model must balance between false positives and false negatives. Understanding this trade-off is crucial for practical application of predictive analytics.

False Positive Trade-off

New users or products have no history to base predictions on, requiring creative solutions like demographic analysis or content-based recommendations.

The Cold Start Problem

The most effective predictive systems continuously learn and adapt from new data, rather than remaining static after initial training.

Perpetual Learning

Predictions can change behavior, which then changes the patterns the predictions were based on. Understanding and accounting for this cycle is crucial.

Building privacy considerations into predictive systems from the start is more effective than trying to add them later.

Simpler models that can be explained to stakeholders often prove more valuable than complex "black box" models, even if slightly less accurate.

The Interpretability Challenge

Predictive analytics can help businesses capitalize on niche markets by accurately forecasting demand for less popular items.

The Long Tail Opportunity

The further into the future you try to predict, the less accurate predictions become. Short-term predictions generally provide more actionable insights.

Successful implementation of predictive analytics requires careful consideration of how humans will interact with and act on the predictions.

The Human Element

The accuracy of predictions is fundamentally limited by the quality of input data. Investing in data quality often yields better returns than more sophisticated algorithms.

Data Quality Foundation

Breaking down predictions by customer segments often reveals patterns that are invisible in aggregate analysis.

The Segmentation Insight

Developing clear ethical guidelines for predictive analytics use is essential for maintaining trust and preventing misuse.

Ethical Framework Necessity

While predictive analytics can find powerful correlations, understanding causation requires additional analysis and human expertise.

The Correlation Caveat

The most successful predictive projects combine statistical expertise with deep domain knowledge about the specific business or field.

Domain Knowledge Integration

Start with simple, high-impact predictions and gradually build complexity as organizational capabilities mature.

Implementation Hierarchy

Predictive analytics works best when augmenting human decision-making rather than completely replacing it.

Regular testing of predictive models against new data is essential, as patterns and relationships in data often change over time.

Continuous Validation

"Mesmerizing & fascinating..." —The Seattle Post-Intelligencer "The Freakonomics of big data." —Stein Kretsinger, founding executive of Advertising.com Award-winning | Used by over 30 universities | Translated into 9 languages An introduction for everyone. In this rich, fascinating — surprisingly accessible — introduction, leading expert Eric Siegel reveals how predictive analytics (aka machine learning) works, and how it affects everyone every day. Rather than a “how to” for hands-on techies, the book serves lay readers and experts alike by covering new case studies and the latest state-of-the-art techniques. Prediction is booming. It reinvents industries and runs the world. Companies, governments, law enforcement, hospitals, and universities are seizing upon the power. These institutions predict whether you're going to click, buy, lie, or die. Why? For good reason: predicting human behavior combats risk, boosts sales, fortifies healthcare, streamlines manufacturing, conquers spam, optimizes social networks, toughens crime fighting, and wins elections. How? Prediction is powered by the world's most potent, flourishing unnatural resource: data. Accumulated in large part as the by-product of routine tasks, data is the unsalted, flavorless residue deposited en masse as organizations churn away. Surprise! This heap of refuse is a gold mine. Big data embodies an extraordinary wealth of experience from which to learn. Predictive analytics (aka machine learning) unleashes the power of data. With this technology, the computer literally learns from data how to predict the future behavior of individuals. Perfect prediction is not possible, but putting odds on the future drives millions of decisions more effectively, determining whom to call, mail, investigate, incarcerate, set up on a date, or medicate. In this lucid, captivating introduction — now in its Revised and Updated edition — former Columbia University professor and Predictive Analytics World founder Eric Siegel reveals the power and perils of prediction: <ul> <li>What type of mortgage risk Chase Bank predicted before the recession.</li> <li>Predicting which people will drop out of school, cancel a subscription, or get divorced before they even know it themselves.</li> <li>Why early retirement predicts a shorter life expectancy and vegetarians miss fewer flights.</li> <li>Five reasons why organizations predict death — including one health insurance company.</li> <li>How U.S. Bank and Obama for America calculated the way to most strongly persuade each individual.</li> <li>Why the NSA wants all your data: machine learning supercomputers to fight terrorism.</li> <li>How IBM's Watson computer used predictive modeling to answer questions and beat the human champs on TV's Jeopardy!</li> <li>How companies ascertain untold, private truths — how Target figures out you're pregnant and Hewlett-Packard deduces you're about to quit your job.</li> <li>How judges and parole boards rely on crime-predicting computers to decide how long convicts remain in prison.</li> <li>182 examples from Airbnb, the BBC, Citibank, ConEd, Facebook, Ford, Google, the IRS, LinkedIn, Match.com, MTV, Netflix, PayPal, Pfizer, Spotify, Uber, UPS, Wikipedia, and more. </li> </ul> How does predictive analytics work? This jam-packed book satisfies by demystifying the intriguing science under the hood. For future hands-on practitioners pursuing a career in the field, it sets a strong foundation, delivers the prerequisite knowledge, and whets your appetite for more. A truly omnipresent science, predictive analytics constantly affects our daily lives. Whether you are a consumer of it — or consumed by it — get a handle on the power of Predictive Analytics.

startup

Startups

computerscience

Computer Science

artificialintelligence

Artificial Intelligence

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

Eric Siegel

Predictive Analytics

Life can be hard, but even in pain, you can find purpose. Suffering becomes bearable when you understand it as part of your journey and growth.

Find Meaning In Suffering

You may not control your situation, but you can choose how to react. Your attitude can bring freedom, even in the worst circumstances.

Freedom in attitude

People with a reason to live can endure almost anything. A goal or dream gives you strength to face challenges.

Purpose drives survival

Love for someone or something can make life worthwhile. Even when apart, love can be a source of strength and hope.

Love gives life meaning

Life may seem chaotic, but focus on your actions, thoughts, and choices. These are always within your power.

Focus on what you can control

No matter how painful life gets, it won’t last forever. Remembering this can give you the strength to keep going.

Suffering is temporary

Each day brings opportunities to make choices and live meaningfully. Treat every moment as a chance to grow or help others.

Every moment matters

Even when everything is taken from you, your inner thoughts and willpower are still yours. No one can control your mind.

Inner freedom can’t be taken

What gives your life purpose is unique to you. You must find your own reason to live, not someone else’s.

Meaning is personal

Chasing happiness often leads to disappointment. Focus on meaning and purpose, and happiness will come naturally.

Happiness isn’t the goal

Even in terrible times, small acts of kindness and humanity can make a big difference. They remind us of our shared humanity.

Kindness shines in darkness

Even in suffering or boredom, life is meaningful. The challenge is to see and embrace that meaning.

Life has meaning in every moment

Hope can carry you through the hardest times. It helps you see beyond the pain to a better future.

Hope is powerful

Taking responsibility for your life and actions helps you grow. It gives you strength to face challenges with dignity.

Responsibility gives purpose

How you handle tough times shows who you really are. Use suffering as a chance to become stronger and wiser.

Suffering reveals character

Instead of asking what you want from life, ask what life wants from you. Answering this can guide you to purpose and fulfillment.

Life asks you questions

A prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the war, Viktor Frankl was uniquely able to observe the way that he and other inmates coped with the experience of being in Auschwitz. He noticed that it was the men who comforted others and who gave away their last piece of bread who survived the longest - and who offered proof that everything can be taken away from us except the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. The sort of person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not of camp influences alone. Only those who allowed their inner hold on their moral and spiritual selves to subside eventually fell victim to the camp's degenerating influence - while those who made a victory of those experiences turned them into an inner triumph. Frankl came to believe that man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. This outstanding work offers us all a way to transcend suffering and find significance in the art of living.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

philosophy

Philosophy

Viktor Emil Frankl M.D., Ph.D., was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor. Frankl was the founder of logotherapy, which is a form of Existential Analysis, the "Third Viennese School" of psychotherapy.His book Man's Search for Meaning (first published under a different title in 1959: From Death-Camp to Existentialism. Originally published in 1946 as Ein Psycholog erlebt das Konzentrationslager) chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and describes his psychotherapeutic method of finding meaning in all forms of existence, even the most sordid ones, and thus a reason to continue living. He was one of the key figures in existential therapy.

Viktor E. Frankl

Man's Search for Meaning

Mathematics helps us describe, understand, and predict patterns in nature, art, and even human behavior.

Math is a language for patterns

Infinity comes in many sizes and types, such as countable and uncountable infinities, challenging our intuition about what "bigger" means.

Infinity is more than a number

Beyond physical space, dimensions can describe anything with variables, like color or taste, opening up new ways of thinking.

Dimensions can be abstract

Topology focuses on properties of shapes that remain constant through stretching or bending, teaching us to look beyond rigid definitions.

Topology redefines shape

Math is not just about solving problems but creating new ideas and frameworks, much like art or music.

Math models creativity

Math focuses on patterns, relationships, and structures beyond numbers, exploring concepts like shapes, symmetry, and logic, making it a universal language of understanding.

Numbers are not the essence of math

Mathematical symmetry, seen in nature and art, connects balance and aesthetics, highlighting the underlying harmony between the abstract and tangible worlds.

Symmetry explains beauty

Abstraction simplifies problems, revealing universal patterns and solutions. It fosters creativity and cross-disciplinary applications, turning math into a versatile tool for innovation.

The power of abstraction

Math fields like geometry and algebra interweave, demonstrating unity and revealing new insights by applying concepts across disciplines, mirroring the interconnectedness of our world.

Everything is interconnected

Imaginary numbers, rooted in abstraction, enable solutions in engineering and physics, expanding math's scope to tackle previously impossible challenges.

Imaginary numbers solve real problems

Proofs provide timeless certainty, transcending cultures and eras, offering logical clarity and unshakable truths in an ever-changing world.

Mathematical proof is universal truth

Probability challenges instincts, revealing surprising patterns and empowering informed decisions in uncertain situations like forecasting, finance, or medicine.

Probability defies intuition

Game theory analyzes strategic interactions in economics, politics, and biology, offering frameworks for optimizing outcomes in complex, competitive systems.

Game theory models decision-making

Graphs model relationships in social media, transportation, and communication networks, uncovering structures that drive interconnected systems.

Graphs explain networks

Chaos theory finds order in randomness, explaining phenomena like weather and market fluctuations, revealing patterns in complex systems.

Chaos is structured

Math transcends technical skills, inviting curiosity and discovery, showing its relevance to everyday life and universal accessibility.

Math is for everyone

While many associate math exclusively with numbers, the subject is far broader and more profound. Numbers are just one of the tools mathematicians use to explore relationships, patterns, and abstract structures. Mathematics focuses on the "why" behind the numbers—examining connections, logical systems, and symmetries.

'The whizz-kid making maths supercool. . . A brilliant book that takes everything we know (and fear) about maths out of the equation - starting with numbers' The Times 'A cheerful, chatty, and charming trip through the world of mathematics. . . Everyone should read this delightful book' Ian Stewart, author of Do Dice Play God? The only numbers in this book are the page numbers. The three main branches of abstract math - topology, analysis, and algebra - turn out to be surprisingly easy to grasp. Or at least, they are when our guide is a math prodigy. With forthright wit and warm charm, Milo Beckman upends the conventional approach to mathematics, inviting us to think creatively about shape and dimension, the infinite and the infinitesimal, symmetries, proofs, and all how all these concepts fit together. Why is there a million dollar prize for counting shapes? Is anything bigger than infinity? And how is the 'truth' of mathematics actually decided? A vivid and wholly original guide to the math that makes the world tick and the planets revolve, Math Without Numbers makes human and understandable the elevated and hypothetical, allowing us to clearly see abstract math for what it is: bizarre, beautiful, and head-scratchingly wonderful.

The Art of Asking

Predictive Analytics

Man's Search for Meaning

Math Without Numbers

Daemon Groznny