Big Data: O(log n) Again to Calculating Bad Presentations and Lousy Management
May 26, 2013
I participated in a quite interesting Big Data “event” recently. (Sorry, no link. I want to leave my post adrift in the sea of saucisson which makes up the Internet today.)
Big Data as a concept has been with us as long as there are people and storage. If a stack of clay tablets would not fit in a cabinet in ancient Babylon, the hapless analyst had a Big Data problem. When I had a Wang mini in my closet, Big Data was anything larger than 80 megabytes.
In my view, Big Data is a bit of a marketing confection. When companies cannot sell their core product like enterprise search, these outfits just tell the sales and marketing consultants to whip something up. Big Data is in my view one popular junk food when processed by some folks.
Let me set the stage.
A self appointed “expert” tried to organize a two-day lecture series to explain the basics of Big Data to those seeking information about this hot concept. The line up of teachers included marketers who took an interesting intellectual approach and me, the addled goose.
Now shift gears and think in terms of airline food. You are hungry on a flight from New York to Paris and the airline serves up a stale cracker and a substance which, from a distance, looks like cheese. Once up close, the combination did not deliver haute cuisine. Heck, the Big Data event was not the equivalent of meals ready to eat or MREs left in the equatorial sun for a couple of weeks in an undisclosed location.
The aftermath of Chernobyl event captured my impression of how misinformation about Big Data can set the stage for flawed decisions and catastrophic financial issues. Those emergency systems sure worked well in the engineering models, didn’t they? A happy quack to http://goo.gl/5u2E3.
Three impressions struck me as I reflected on the two-day event I attended with two of my colleagues. (More about my two colleagues in a good news moment.)
First, the self-aggrandizing poobah who was the “maestro of Big Data” left about mid way through Day Two. I am familiar with “experts” and azure chip consultants who have more pressing business than sticking with something to it completion. I was reminded of the behavior of the Costa Concordia captain. Was this disappearing act an indication of disorganization or craw fishing from failure? The steady attrition of paying attendees was evident by the third talk on the first day of the seminar. In fact, on Day One, Hour One, I counted 58 people in a room which was set to handle about 120. When the “maestro of Big Data” flew the coop, there were 15 people in the room. My talk, the end note for the event, pulled 30 people, up from the low of 15 at 2 pm on Day Two. Who introduced me? No one. Who stepped in to handle the last two hours of the event? My team, thank you.
Second, in my opinion, the majority of the speakers’ presentations were like most of the content on Slideshare, a business marketing service owned by LinkedIn, a job hunting service. (I think some of the speakers are denizens of LinkedIn, which I find quite amusing.) In my opinion, the Slideshare approach business information for many “members” is to take familiar, well-worn buzzwords. Then add a couple of trendy Hacker News references. Transfer recycled information to PowerPoint slides. And then serve up cold. I learned a great deal about SAP and how wonderful the company is for just about anything Big Data. I tuned out after the sixth or seventh worshipful reference. Although addled, I pick up on stuff once I hear the same old refrain three or four times. If you are interested in what was not covered in the seminar lectures, navigate to “What does O(log n) mean exactly?” I included one diagram with information about Big O, but marketers in my lecture lapsed into a coma when I mentioned the concept.
Third, I learned from several of the attendees that the Big Data sessions did not meet their expectations. I did deliver a lecture, and I had 30 people in the audience, not counting my two colleagues. I am not sure where these folks came from. We let them in the lecture hall because the organizer’s staff had wandered off to do more important tasks I assume. And, then — surprise, surprise — after my talk, five individuals clustered around me. Two of my colleagues witnessed the clump of groupies. I was hoping for major press coverage and maybe a Project Runway designer as fans. Instead, I got five — I am still in shock — mathematicians. The key comment witnessed by two experienced special librarians was, “You were the only speaker who told me how to think about Big Data problems. Very good.” I am not much of a thinker. I was not sure whether the adoring PhD from Rutgers was pulling my leg or speaking about the dismal quality of the other folks who were doing the Slideshare marketing thing. I was pleased with the feedback.
And, most importantly, I want to thank my two colleagues, Constance Ard, an honest to goodness, straight shooting law librarian, and Delores Meglio, once a New York Times’ executive who also worked with me at Ziff and who was was part of the senior management team at Elsevier Knovel, for:
- Stepping in when the “maestro” of the event disappeared because he had more pressing business than witnessing the sinking of his Titanic event. The event organizer’s staff apparently had to beat the commute rush home
- Facilitating the question and answer period which lasted a full 20 minutes after my lecture ended at 5 pm Eastern
- Chasing down an audio visual person to turn on the microphone and turn on the projection device. Apparently the show organizer’s team had better things to do that watch one speaker after another drive people from the room. I do not know if any paying customers were crying, but I would not rule anything out.
Will I reveal who organized this event? Nope.
Will I write a memo to the organizer, offering helpful suggestions to the organizer? Nope.
Will I point out which speakers scored a perfect 10 on the Slideshare airline food quality scale? Nope.
Why not?
I was thrilled to experience once again how people on my team deliver even when it is not their job.
Believe me when I say I was proud of Constance Ard’s and Delores Meglio’s spontaneous action. They made the last two hours of the Big Data event a success for the remaining attendees.
Did I tell Constance and Delores to step in? Nope.
Like others on my team of 30 people, Ms. Ard and Ms. Meglio are old-school professionals. Both believed that those in the Big Data lecture hall deserved 100 percent attention and effort. I was able to focus on making my talk the best it could be.
Could I have done a better job? Sure. Did I try my to do my best? Yes. I delivered despite the unprofessional setting in which I was placed.
Perhaps conference organizers and Big Data maestros could learn something about commitment and initiative by talking with people like Constance Ard and Delores Meglio, and ignoring the marketers who promise and, in my opinion, frequently fail to deliver?
Shift to another event commitment I had that same day, right after the Big Data lecture.l
In sharp contrast was the Startupalooza sponsored by iBreakfast event at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I was asked to evaluate 15 start up ideas over a period of three hours. I want to point out that the Startupalooza event was organized, dynamic, professional, and exciting.
The reason?
The iBreakfast team and the 43 participants and five evaluators, were engaged. The innovators pitching start up ideas responded to the professionalism of the event and stepped up their game.
For me, the difference between the two events was as clear as choking down an MRE and chowing down at Le Bernadin.
Oh, what about my presentation and work at Startupalooze?
Those groupie mathematicians thought my talk was pretty good. What do math people know anyway? But I had three entrepreneurs clump around me after Startupalooza. Constance Ard extracted me because I continued to deliver at the 100 percent even though I was burning will power to keep going at 9 pm after my Big Data lecture.
My hope is that those younger than me try hard, do a professional job, and stick with commitments. My team performs in this manner. Will others follow Startupalooza’s, Ms. Ard’s, and Ms. Meglio’s example?
I sure hope so. Events succeed for many reasons. Professionalism is just one element and may, in some situations, be the catalyst for rising above mediocrity.
Stephen E Arnold, May 26, 2013
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