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Robert Mercer: the big data billionaire waging war on mainstream media

Robert Mercer: the big data billionaire waging war on mainstream media
Just over a week ago, Donald Trump gathered members of the world’s press before him and told them they were liars. “The press, honestly, is out of control,” he said. “The public doesn’t believe you any more.” That night I did two things. Trump had spoken, and his audience had heard him. I click Google’s first suggested link. Another couple of clicks and I discover that it receives a large bulk of its funding – more than $10m in the past decade – from a single source, the hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer. It’s money he’s made as a result of his career as a brilliant but reclusive computer scientist. One of its funds, Medallion, which manages only its employees’ money, is the most successful in the world – generating $55bn so far. It was $10m of Mercer’s money that enabled Bannon to fund Breitbart – a rightwing news site, set up with the express intention of being a Huffington Post for the right. Cambridge Analytica worked for the Trump campaign and, so I’d read, the Leave campaign. Related:  Big DataCorruption

The Graveyard of Empires and Big Data | Foreign Policy The only tiki bar in eastern Afghanistan had an unusual payment program. A sign inside read simply, “If you supply data, you will get beer.” The idea was that anyone — or any foreigner, because Afghans were not allowed — could upload data on a one-terabyte hard drive kept at the bar, located in the Taj Mahal Guest House in Jalalabad. Patrons could contribute any sort of data — maps, PowerPoint slides, videos, or photographs. The Synergy Strike Force’s Beer for Data exchange was a pure embodiment of the techno-utopian dream of free information and citizen empowerment that had emerged in recent years from the hacker community. Founded in 1958 to help the United States win the space race, DARPA is best known for its role in futuristic technology, be it driverless cars or implantable brain chips. However, DARPA’s interest in the potential of open-source information came at a critical juncture in Afghanistan. The speeding incident, however, provided Lee with inspiration for the new office.

South Dakota Senate Repeals Voter-Backed Anti-Corruption Law | The Huffington Post Give AI a Chance: Big Data Has Potential to End War (If Only Politicians Let It) Tech Get short URL Last week, Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google's parent company, Alphabet, predicted that future wars will be fought over claims to large datasets. "Big data is so powerful that nation states will fight over how much data matters," he told the Google Cloud Next conference. Dr. "The problem of predicting wars is not so much a problem of big data. "But even when we can do that, for example what we learned during the genocide in Rwanda, is that it is not only about being able to predict the conflict but also the political willingness, the investment in political freedoms and development that can prevent war." "Only once actual conflicts happen are we really willing to intervene and that is usually too late," Zwitter said. One of the key tools for the development of data is machine learning, in which computers learn to manipulate large datasets. Have you heard the news?

Comcast-Funded Civil Rights Groups Claim Low-Income People Prefer Ads Over Privacy The House of Representatives joined the Senate Tuesday in voting to repeal new Federal Communications Commission rules that would have stopped internet service providers (ISPs) from using and selling consumers’ web browsing data without their consent. Supporters of the repeal have argued that regulators failed to, in the words of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, address the “strenuous objections from throughout the internet community” raised during the rule-making process. But a look at the comments submitted to the FCC reveal that many of the opponents of the privacy regulation came not from any “community” but from groups with extensive financial ties to phone and cable companies — with some of their claims hinging on the absurd. Both LULAC and OCA receive funding from Comcast and other ISPs. The letter, which echoed the concerns of the ISP lobby, came as AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon stepped up a lobbying effort through their respective trade associations to stop the privacy rules. Sen.

www.digitaltrends Why it matters to you Scientists have used big data to develop an algorithm for diagnosing autism based on a blood test. Scientists at New York’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed an algorithm that can accurately predict whether a child has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), based on a blood sample. The study, published in the open journal PLOS One, represents the world’s first physiological test for autism, and potentially takes researchers one step closer to earlier autism diagnosis and new therapy developments. More: Algorithm predicts autism diagnosis in young children with 81 percent accuracy For the work, investigators measured 24 different metabolites in a blood sample, and then used big data techniques to find patterns tied to two connected pathways that have been theorized as being linked to ASD. When testing the algorithm, it was found to have an accuracy of more than 96 percent in correctly identifying neurotypical and ASD participants.

George Orwell’s Letter On Why He Wrote ‘1984’ To Noel Willmett 18 May 1944 10a Mortimer Crescent NW 6 Many thanks for your letter. I must say I believe, or fear, that taking the world as a whole these things are on the increase. As to the comparative immunity of Britain and the USA. You also ask, if I think the world tendency is towards Fascism, why do I support the war. Yours sincerely, Geo. [XVI, 2471, pp. 190—2; typewritten] 1. and 2. 3. Reprinted from George Orwell: A Life in Letters, selected and annotated by Peter Davison. Characteristics of Big Data Analysis - dummies By Judith Hurwitz, Alan Nugent, Fern Halper, Marcia Kaufman Big data analysis has gotten a lot of hype recently, and for good reason. You will need to know the characteristics of big data analysis if you want to be a part of this movement. Companies know that something is out there, but until recently, have not been able to mine it. This pushing the envelope on analysis is an exciting aspect of the big data analysis movement. Companies are excited to be able to access and analyze data that they’ve been collecting or want to gain insight from, but have not been able to manage or analyze effectively. So, what’s different when your company is pushing the envelope with big data analysis? Big data analysis should be viewed from two perspectives: Decision-orientedAction-oriented Decision-oriented analysis is more akin to traditional business intelligence. Action-oriented analysis is used for rapid response, when a pattern emerges or specific kinds of data are detected and action is required.

Ex-House Speaker Dennis Hastert Sues His Sex Abuse Victim Over Hush Money | The Huffington Post

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