I joined a Meetup group on Cognitive Computing, led by a Cornell-trained professional. I learned tonight that MAPR (www.mapr.com) has made available $10 million-worth of big data training online at no charge. Their goal is to train 10,000 people this year. I also got a “Hadoop Buyer’s Guide.”
I am intersted, have any additional details? Thx
I only know that if you go to www.mapr.com, you will be presented with a banner that offers you free Hadoop training.
when and where are the meetups? how are they?
I’ve been to only one of the Cognitive Computing Experts Meetups; they’ve had nine. I’ve also attended the only Meetup held by Divergence Data Science.
Cognitive Computing Experts and Divergence Data Science are intimidating to me, because I get the sense that I’m walking into something much bigger than it appears on its face. My first alarm bell is that we are getting free pizza, without being asked to pay anything. I don’t know about you, but I am uncomfortable around high-powered executives and wealth. These are the kinds of places we are meeting; someone is giving us access to professional office buildings for our meetings. These aren’t the typical surroundings for meetup groups.
The Divergence Data Science meetup was modest enough, even though it met in a business park. We got free pizza and a senior researcher from IBM presented data mining from some sample Verizon data. The Cognitive Computing meetup was in an office high-rise, at the end of a row of rooms being used for other computer seminars. Each room had free pizza, and an iPad mounted on the wall by each door indicated what topic was being discussed in each room.
In the session, held last night, we listened to a presentation from Gary Deines (via phone) and Lee Birnbaum, discussing how to start an AI-based business, using their own startup that is making AI applications for the real estate industry. It was a general overview of the kinds of things startups–any startup–should keep in mind. I heard a few interesting bits of specific information, but nothing that would be immediately actionable. The social networking is the most important part in these kind of meetings, as, for example, it led me to this offer of free, online Hadoop training.
One of the leaders of Divergence Data Science observed that Dallas does not have any big data computing schools, so he is starting a school (and a Meetup) here to promote that segment. I was told that the Cognitive Computing meetup likewise is an effort to promote high-powered computing. I don’t know that I’m going to gain any skills directly from attending these meetups, but I am meeting a lot of interesting people, entrepreneurs and companies.