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Predictive Analytics
A Brief History of Cloud Computing
September 9, 2013
Believe it or not, “cloud computing” concepts date back to the 1950s when large-scale mainframes were made available to schools and corporations. The mainframe’s colossal hardware infrastructure was installed in what could literally be called a “server room” (since the room would generally only be able to hold a single mainframe), and multiple users were able to access the mainframe via “dumb terminals” – stations whose sole function was to facilitate access to the mainframes. Due to the cost...
September 9, 2013
Believe it or not, “cloud computing” concepts date back to the 1950s when large-scale mainframes were made available to schools and corporations. The mainframe’s colossal hardware infrastructure was installed in what could literally be called a “server room” (since the room would generally only be able to hold a single mainframe), and multiple users were able to access the mainframe via “dumb terminals” – stations whose sole function was to facilitate access to the mainframes. Due to the cost...
Extraneous Factors in Judicial Decisions: What Did the Judge Have for Breakfast?
September 9, 2013
Are judicial rulings based solely on laws and facts? Legal formalism holds that judges apply legal reasons to the facts of a case in a rational, mechanical, and deliberative manner. In contrast, legal realists argue that the rational application of legal reasons does not sufficiently explain the decisions of judges and that psychological, political, and social factors influence judicial rulings. We test the common caricature of realism that justice is “what the judge ate for breakfast” in sequential...
September 9, 2013
Are judicial rulings based solely on laws and facts? Legal formalism holds that judges apply legal reasons to the facts of a case in a rational, mechanical, and deliberative manner. In contrast, legal realists argue that the rational application of legal reasons does not sufficiently explain the decisions of judges and that psychological, political, and social factors influence judicial rulings. We test the common caricature of realism that justice is “what the judge ate for breakfast” in sequential...
Comparing Firm Billing Rates by Practice, City, Size
September 8, 2013
For in-house counsel who want to do some comparison shopping on law firm billing rates, a new analysis from TyMetrix Legal...
September 8, 2013
For in-house counsel who want to do some comparison shopping on law firm billing rates, a new analysis from TyMetrix Legal...
Predictive Policing May Help Bag Burglars—But It May Also Be A Constitutional Problem
September 4, 2013
Imagine a police officer at roll call. He gets a printout stating that at a certain time, on a particular city block, there’s a certain percentage chance that a burglary will take place. Motivated by the odds, the officer heads over to that neighborhood around that very time. While there, he spots a man carrying a black bag. Does the printout, combined with the officer’s observations, amount to reasonable suspicion such that the man could be appropriately stopped and searched? That’s just...
September 4, 2013
Imagine a police officer at roll call. He gets a printout stating that at a certain time, on a particular city block, there’s a certain percentage chance that a burglary will take place. Motivated by the odds, the officer heads over to that neighborhood around that very time. While there, he spots a man carrying a black bag. Does the printout, combined with the officer’s observations, amount to reasonable suspicion such that the man could be appropriately stopped and searched? That’s just...
Negotiation Strategies for Corporations and Law Firms
September 3, 2013
Negotiation Strategies for Corporations and Law FirmsSeptember 23-24, Terranea Resort, Los Angeles’ Oceanfront Resort Monday,...
September 3, 2013
Negotiation Strategies for Corporations and Law FirmsSeptember 23-24, Terranea Resort, Los Angeles’ Oceanfront Resort Monday,...
GAO Adds Voice on Patent Litigation Problem
August 31, 2013
The Government Accountability Office issued a report on patent litigation Thursday, but lawyers said there wasn't much new in it. The...
August 31, 2013
The Government Accountability Office issued a report on patent litigation Thursday, but lawyers said there wasn't much new in it. The...
Fretboard Logic: Learning From the Guitar How to Value Your Case
August 29, 2013
The Problem: You think that your client’s pain is so severe and different than the typical client that you value the case substantially higher than the other side will pay. The Solution: Understand what “category” your adversary has put your case in and either accept it or try to create a new category of value. Consider the guitar fretboard for a moment. It is a complex maze of horizontal, vertical and perpendicular dimensions to achieve sound that stretch across a think plank of wood up to 25 inches....
August 29, 2013
The Problem: You think that your client’s pain is so severe and different than the typical client that you value the case substantially higher than the other side will pay. The Solution: Understand what “category” your adversary has put your case in and either accept it or try to create a new category of value. Consider the guitar fretboard for a moment. It is a complex maze of horizontal, vertical and perpendicular dimensions to achieve sound that stretch across a think plank of wood up to 25 inches....
IBM Scientists Show Blueprints for Brainlike Computing
August 25, 2013
IBM researchers unveil TrueNorth, a new computer architecture that imitates how a brain works. To create a computer as powerful as the human brain, perhaps we first need to build one that works more like a brain. Today, at the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks in Dallas, IBM researchers will unveil a radically new computer architecture designed to bring that goal within reach. Using simulations of enormous complexity, they show that the architecture, named TrueNorth, could lead...
August 25, 2013
IBM researchers unveil TrueNorth, a new computer architecture that imitates how a brain works. To create a computer as powerful as the human brain, perhaps we first need to build one that works more like a brain. Today, at the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks in Dallas, IBM researchers will unveil a radically new computer architecture designed to bring that goal within reach. Using simulations of enormous complexity, they show that the architecture, named TrueNorth, could lead...
How Nate Silver Won the Internet (and You Can Too)
August 18, 2013
This fall, Nate Silver–political predictor and baseball sabermetric man–will bring his statistical knowledge and predictive analysis chops to ESPN. Not surprisingly, this news caused quite a stir in the media community, particularly given that 20 percent of online traffic to The New York Times website during last year’s election was attributed to his blog, FiveThirtyEight. The biggest free agent signing in the world of sports occurred off the playing field, and experts worldwide commented...
August 18, 2013
This fall, Nate Silver–political predictor and baseball sabermetric man–will bring his statistical knowledge and predictive analysis chops to ESPN. Not surprisingly, this news caused quite a stir in the media community, particularly given that 20 percent of online traffic to The New York Times website during last year’s election was attributed to his blog, FiveThirtyEight. The biggest free agent signing in the world of sports occurred off the playing field, and experts worldwide commented...
Computer Simulation Says 49ers Most Likely To Win Super Bowl, Eagles 0.5% Chance
August 17, 2013
A computer program called The Predictalatorcreated by Prediction Machine simulated the NFL season 50,000 times, says that the 49ers are the most likely team to win the Super Bowl this season, winning in 20.1% of the simulations. The Eagles won the Super Bowl in 0.5% of the simulations. Here’s how the simulations work: Just as the Predictalator plays each individual NFL game 50,000 times before it’s actually played, it can also play the entire NFL season 50,000 times before it’s actually...
August 17, 2013
A computer program called The Predictalatorcreated by Prediction Machine simulated the NFL season 50,000 times, says that the 49ers are the most likely team to win the Super Bowl this season, winning in 20.1% of the simulations. The Eagles won the Super Bowl in 0.5% of the simulations. Here’s how the simulations work: Just as the Predictalator plays each individual NFL game 50,000 times before it’s actually played, it can also play the entire NFL season 50,000 times before it’s actually...
