Counting Stuff

Counting Stuff explores the multidimensional aspects of data science, touching on its impact on career, health, technology, real estate, user experience (UX), and societal metrics. It offers personal and professional insights into data analytics, the dynamics of work in tech, and the challenges of adapting to technological advancements.

Data Science Career Development Health and Well-being Technology Trends Real Estate User Experience Analytical Thinking Failure and Learning Product Design Air Quality Measurement Achievement Communication Artificial Intelligence

The hottest Substack posts of Counting Stuff

And their main takeaways

Remember to check your stress levels

86 implied HN points • 25 May 23

🏥 Health & Wellness Stress management

Check your stress levels regularly to prevent burnout.
Recognize the signs of stress like insomnia and impulsivity.
Take breaks and disconnect to manage stress levels effectively.

The reasonable(?) effectiveness of data analysis

86 implied HN points • 25 Apr 23

🔬 Science Data Analysis Mathematics Philosophy Research Technology

Data analysis works more often than we might expect, despite criticisms.
Counting is a powerful tool in data work as it simplifies complex information.
Recognizing similarities in data situations can lead to efficient problem-solving and modeling.

It's still worth running a small server in 2023

54 implied HN points • 11 Jul 23

🕹 Technology Data Engineering Containerization Web Hosting

It is beneficial to have familiarity with running a small server to learn skills and appreciate the work of Ops and SRE professionals.
Consider the value of running a small server for hosting personal projects like a homepage or resume.
Exploring web-based RSS apps can help manage information overload and stay updated with blogs and newsletters.

Most can learn analysis, but won't become analysts

54 implied HN points • 04 Jul 23

🕹 Technology Data Analysis Data science Career development Education

Everyone can learn to analyze, but not everyone will make good analysts.
Analysis is fundamental and necessary in daily life and professional settings.
Being a data analyst requires juggling different domains and approaches.

Calls to actions, "like and subscribe", are (sadly) necessary

54 implied HN points • 27 Jun 23

🕹 Technology User engagement Data science Tech Trends Content creation Digital marketing

Calls to actions like 'like and subscribe' are necessary for engagement.
It's challenging to get all users to take a desired action, even with technology.
Human behavior cannot be completely solved with technology alone.

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Square footage is so broken and weird

65 implied HN points • 21 Mar 23

💼 Business Real Estate Data Standardization Measurement Market Analysis

NYC housing market values vibes over square footage
Measuring square footage in real estate is inconsistent and prone to errors
Efforts to standardize real estate measurements are limited in scope and face challenges

Failure comes for us all

43 implied HN points • 18 Jul 23

💼 Business Professional development Data Analysis Consulting Learning Strategies

Failure is inevitable and part of professional growth.
Learn from failures to improve systems, not just blame individuals.
Develop processes to avoid repeated mistakes and seek feedback early.

You are not a method

54 implied HN points • 02 May 23

🕹 Technology Data science Research Organizational dynamics Career development Networking

Teams are often created to fill niche use cases, leading to specialized roles and organizational politics.
Being type-cast into a specific role can limit opportunities for growth and variety in work tasks.
To break out of being type-cast, showcase your ability to do different kinds of work and actively seek out diverse opportunities.

🙄 The AI is coming for my UX job

54 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23

🕹 Technology AI UX ML Translation Market Impact

A startup is using AI to create fake personas for product testing, but it misses the point of user testing.
Usability studies run by project managers may be biased without proper training, focusing on understanding user motivations rather than specific actions.
Like machine translation disrupted the translation market, AI in UX may provide some value for simple tasks but human experts are still needed for complex nuances.

How does the Air Quality Index work anyways?

43 implied HN points • 13 Jun 23

🔬 Science Data science Air Quality

The Air Quality Index is a single score that combines 6 pollutants into a usable number for people to understand.
Time frames are important in the AQI, as it is based on daily air quality summaries and forecasts are encouraged for planning purposes.
The AQI simplifies complex air quality data by using a linear scaling system, with the max value among pollutants determining the overall index.

We should watch people dissect and build products

43 implied HN points • 18 Apr 23

🕹 Technology Product Design User Experience Research Measurement Data Analysis

Watching people dissect and build products helps us learn a lot about product design.
Product researchers/analysts should appreciate the design process to improve products.
Research work is crucial throughout the design process, even after the initial phase.

A day(?) in my life as a Quant UX Researcher

32 implied HN points • 20 Jun 23

🕹 Technology Data science Research Cloud Computing Meetings

In a fast-paced environment like tech, work dictates the tools used.
Meetings take up a significant portion of the work month for coordination and communication.
Balancing documentation work with actual data work is a key part of the job.

I am terrible at talking about my achievements

32 implied HN points • 06 Jun 23

🕹 Technology Data science Research Writing UX Analysis

Talking about your achievements is important for recognition and career advancement.
It's common to downplay your own work and focus on flaws, but it's crucial to highlight the positive impact.
Emphasize concrete facts and context when discussing your achievements, and seek feedback to improve your communication.

When the AI comes for my coding job...

32 implied HN points • 30 May 23

🕹 Technology AI Data science Big Data UX Research

AI can potentially assist in coding tasks by clustering text themes
Human-coded and ChatGPT-coded themes showed moderate agreement
Utilizing AI for coding tasks requires caution due to non-deterministic behavior

"Single panes of glass" are horrible

21 implied HN points • 30 Mar 23

🕹 Technology Data Analysis User Interface Project management

Single panes of glass in technology often promise magic but fail to deliver in a meaningful way
The concept of 'single panes of glass' in tech is fundamentally flawed because it doesn't mirror the efficiency and specialization seen in physical interfaces like those in transportation
Project requests for 'single panes of glass' tend to lead to complex, unsustainable solutions that are difficult to manage and maintain over time