Google’s New Algorithm decrease PageRank input
Last year, Google announced that they released a new version of their search algorithm, “Hummingbird.” The new version lessens the impact of PageRank values through keywords and focuses more understanding what the user is looking for in their query and how they can best answer that. This new algorithm, which was running for about a […]
Ebola & Bayes Theorem
The most recent and popular news has all been centered about the fatal disease: Ebola. Ebola, a disease that many people said have been imported from Africa, is a disease that cannot be cured and spreads through only by direct contact with blood and body fluids of a person infected by and already showing symptoms […]
Arresting Irrational Information Cascades
http://www.overcomingbias.com/2012/10/arresting-irrational-information-cascades.html This article begins by discussing Aumann’s Agreement Theorem, which essentially claims that people are acting rationally and logically, they will never agree to disagree. The theorem claims that two people will eventually agree, if they have knowledge of each other’s beliefs. Application of the theory in real life, will lead to the development of […]
Cascades applied to Stock Prices and Revolutions.
In this article, entitled Information Cascades (http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/10/mass-movements) the impact of cascades are applied to several different real world events. These events include topics such as stock prices and revolutions. Cascades can explain certain trends of Netflix’s stock price. In April 2011, Netflix reached, what was then, an all time high. The explanation for this record […]
The Curse of the Network Effect
Ethan Stock was the founding CEO of Zvents, which was an online guide for local events. He said that Zvents had figured out the network effect and was able “to grow a business that increased in value with each new user.” The more event organizers posted on the site, the more useful the site became […]
Role of Network Effect in Uber’s Business Model
Uber is a transportation service that was founded in 2009. It uses a smartphone application to connect passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire. The service recruits drivers, who own or lease their cars and it markets the rides to the customers. At the end of a ride, the customer’s complete fare is directly billed to their […]
Exit polls and information-based voting
Two weeks ago, Americans cast their ballots for their representatives, and in some states, their senators and governors. Ballots are cast secretly, usually in a private booth. This prevents voters from observing the ballots of others, which has the potential to affect decision making due to information-based effects. Of course, campaign ads, debates, and unofficial […]
Bayes’ Rule and Missing Planes
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/3/12/mathematical-equationcouldhelpfindmissingmalaysianplane.html Roughly 8 months ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight 350 mysteriously disappeared while flying from Malaysia to Beijing, China. To make matters worse, authorities did not have the slightest idea as to which direction the plane was traveling upon its disappearance. Unfortunately, Flight 350 was never found. A similar situation involving Air France Flight 447 occurred […]
Information Cascading in Elections
Many people would like to prevent uneducated voters from partaking in elections. Uneducated voters make up a large percentage of voters in the annual elections. Many people vote for candidates based on hearsay. More specifically, many college students are busy with school work and maintaining their social lives. As a result, many of them just […]
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