Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Embedding Humans In The Loop – Bridging The Gap Between Machine Learning And Perfection



To not be afraid in our world is the message that doesn't derive from reason, but maybe from this mysterious capacity given to humans which we call — not without a little embarrassment —faith.
— Friedrich Dürrenmatt, born in 1921

“The World Inequality Report 2018 relies on a cutting-edge methodology to measure income and wealth inequality in a systematic and transparent manner. 



MEdia Dragon Corporate plan 2018-2118: This century trendy appeal of the ‘flat’ organisation — why some firms are getting rid of middle managers.
Hierarchies at work can stifle new ideas and increase costs. The flat organisation is increasingly in vogue in the private sector.

Dolphin Mirror Self-Recognition: the Science and the Ethics Whale Sanctuary Project

Everyone Is Getting Hilariously Rich and You’re Not NYT. “The goal may be decentralization, but the money is extremely concentrated. Coinbase has more than 13 million accounts that own cryptocurrencies. Data suggests that about 94 percent of the Bitcoin wealth is held by men, and some estimate that 95 percent of the wealth is held by 4 percent of the owners.” We might, then, consider reframing “scam” to “primitive accumulation” in the context of the neoliberal legitimacy crisis we are all enmeshed in.
 
Real servants don't try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for His purposes.— William James, born in 1842

 Churchill’s genius was understanding how to keep working-class radicalism in check Paul Mason, Guardian 

EVERY year, like clockwork, swathes of humanity go through the same routine. On December 26th and January 1st, as the fog of cheese, chocolate oranges and champagne lifts, remorse creeps in.
EVERY year, like clockwork, swathes of humanity go through the same routine. On December 26th and January 1st, as the fog of cheese, chocolate oranges and champagne lifts, remorse creeps in...

Good Art From Bad People And The Dangers Of The #MeToo Moment…


Charles McNulty: "Directors who have taken advantage of the casting couch, actors who have grotesquely exploited their stardom, conductors who have preyed on their young charges deserve to have the rug pulled out from under them. If the work they've done lives on, it will do so apart from the memory of their shameful deeds. This will take time. ... But like many who feel a pang of obligation to due process, I can't help wondering if in the collective rush to right historical wrongs we aren't in danger of losing sight of other values. Justice, as symbolized by the scales, is an art of delicate calibration. But watershed movements aren't subtle. They can't afford to be." … [Read More]

Kanawha County Delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, wants the House Judiciary committee to investigate whether impeachment proceedings are appropriate against state Supreme Court Chief Justice Allen Loughry, the Gazette-Mail’s Jake Zuckerman reported last week. House Judiciary should investigate Supreme Court": The Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette-Mail has published this editorial


Three political heavy weights loom threateningly over 2018: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. All three lead dangerous nuclear-armed states. All three have elephantine egos squashing their intellects. As ultimate narcissists, each believes that his nation is embodied in himself (“L’état c’est moi!”). In this respect they are political dinosaurs because the problems that imperil their countries today – and the entire globe – require of today’s leaders a truly global vision. Their political extinction is much to be desired, but is depressingly unlikely. Whom among this ugly triumvirate can Australia trust as the New Year unfolds?  Continue reading →
 This is the season for personal nostalgia. In my case, personal perspectives inevitably shade into the political. On 1 January Queensland Cabinet papers from 1987 were released; and as a further reminder of that era, on 4 January a state funeral was held for Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen who had died shortly before Christmas. Continue reading →
 2017 Eclipse Photos
We tend to think of a “left” seeking bigger government and the “right” seeking smaller government. But such a framework can see governments simultaneously neglecting important areas while interfering where they shouldn’t. Continue reading →






Heather O'Neill was the speaker at the 2017 CLC Kreisel Lecture. Wisdom in Nonsense, the book based on the series is one of the funniest books I have read this year. It is the life lessons her father gave her growing up and is some of the most unusual advice going!


Via LLRX – Embedding Humans In The Loop – Bridging The Gap Between Machine Learning And Perfection – “AI” has become an ever-present marketing buzzword in many sectors, not least of which in the legal arena. Machine learning applications are promising to deliver remarkably accurate software and data solutions while downplaying the critical intersection with the human component. Itai Gurari discusses and illustrates his approach for applying AI to the delivery of accurate legal research by having a human in the loop who is continuously iterating on the technology. In this scenario, the users can rely on a person whenever the problem gets too hard and the technology starts to fail, rather than on an overarching one-size-fits-all machine learning solution



Let’s wrench power back from the billionaires Bernie Sanders, Guardian

Nothing Would Be More Tragic Than to Turn Back Now William Barber, The Nation

America is spiritually bankrupt. We must fight back together Cornel West, Guardian



Accounts and other tax professionals might face some awkward conflicts of interest thanks to the federal government’s proposed whistleblower laws. They encourage accountants, tax agents, legal advisers and financial service providers to report breaches of the taxation law.
Whistleblower laws leave tax professionals in an awkward position: dob or keep quiet?
 
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