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> I don't know how anyone could call matrix factorization "groundbreaking." I stopped reading at that point. The article probably means the study was groundbre
by privong 10y ago
> I don't know how anyone could call matrix factorization "groundbreaking." I stopped reading at that point.
The article probably means the study was groundbreaking, not the mathematics. This is fairly common in science. The novel nature of the study may come from unique applications of existing technique, or applications of existing techniques to previously unavailable datasets. Focusing on the mathematical techniques used as an assessment of what is "groundbreaking" is a short-sighted way to approach it.
For example, many (probably most) studies in astronomy/astrophysics aren't developing and applying new mathematical techniques as part of the studies. I think folks would agree that detection of exoplanets via radial velocity wobbles is groundbreaking. But that's "just" application of classical mechanics. The groundbreaking nature was the instruments with high enough precision to make those measurements and the teams who thought up the idea and made the observations happen.
That being said, I'm not really qualified to assess the novelty of the study which is the subject of the article. But one should certainly look at more than just the tools used.
- cs702 10y agoPeople in Silicon Valley have been using matrix factorization for the same or similar tasks (like predicting behavior, making recommendations, and categorizing users) for ages.[0] I updated my comment to mention this. [0] For example, the Netflix $1 million competition in 2007 was won by a team that used an ensemble of methods, including a form of matrix factorization, to predict which movies people would like: http://www.netflixprize.com/assets/ProgressPrize2007_KorBell.pdf http://www.netflixprize.com/assets/ProgressPrize2007_KorBell... -- and using matrix factorization wasn't a new idea back then either.
- optimuspaul 10y agoAgain, not the methodology that is groundbreaking, but the findings, right? Even still why dismiss because you disagree with adjective used?
- nostrademons 10y agoThe big Silicon Valley tech companies (Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc.) have been using similar mechanisms for at least a decade to predict which ads people will click on and increase their likelihood of doing so. You can actually see what Facebook has predicted you're most interested in, based on their like/click/commenting/view behavior: https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/edit/ https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/edit/ This is the first reported case of these techniques being used to influence an election, but that doesn't mean it's the first time it was used to influence an election. It's very likely that Obama's campaign used similar techniques, considering it was staffed by Google/Facebook/Twitter data scientists who were certainly familiar with these techniques. It just appears in the press now because the Trump campaign & administration leaks like a sieve.