[homework] Reading & experience report

[rgurbat]

Asking

• Ask ChatGPT for help completing this homework

Feeling, Writing, Thinking

• Post an experience report (a paragraph or several) as a comment on this issue. This experience report should convey what motivates you to understand and practice data thinking. An experience report may describe a collection of experiences (which may or may not relate to data), and some questions to consider may be helpful: What were you or those involved feeling? Doing? Thinking? Asking? Where were they? What systems were involved, if any? Who would you want to better understand the incentives at play?
  • if you are stuck, ask for help on Zulip, come to office hours, make a plan of tasks to do and ask for feedback on the plan
  • try using dictation on iPhone, Android, computer, and ask ChatGPT to summarize it
  • ask Lex for ideas or ChatGPT for ideas
  • edit using https://hemingwayapp.com/, Grammarly, or any other tool to help
  • read the below articles for ideas

Doing

• Review the first class: https://panopto.ut.ee/Panopto/Pages/Sessions/List.aspx?folderID=43bb180c-79a6-4324-b055-afa400ecd1a0 - ask on Zulip if you can't access this
• Review the Figma whiteboard from the first class: https://www.figma.com/file/SsoNLhaZwnSGkADd4eS0D8/230220-introduction?node-id=0%3A1&t=jR2hISrDchAPapYR-1
• Create a LinkedIn profile. (If you are not comfortable using your real name, feel free to use a fake name + email)
• Post your LinkedIn profile on Zulip -- Zulip is open source and enables us to analyze our chat messages with natural language processing tools such as ChatGPT, which we will do later in the course!
• Read https://matt.might.net/articles/how-to-email/ to understand principles of communication over email or Zulip
• Read parts of the Mailchimp Style Guide (https://styleguide.mailchimp.com/voice-and-tone/ or https://styleguide.mailchimp.com/writing-principles/) to understand how written communication can be guided by principles
• Read https://georgesaunders.substack.com/p/on-worry to understand a professional writer's perspective on writing.
• Read https://every.to/chain-of-thought/writing-essays-with-ai-a-guide to understand how to use voice recording, dictation on your smartphone or computer, and ChatGPT, and Lex to help you write
• Read https://simonwillison.net/2022/Dec/5/rust-chatgpt-copilot/ to understand how ChatGPT and CoPilot can help you learn data thinking, programming, and statistics skills
• Read http://web.archive.org/web/20170208134519/http://storyshots.tumblr.com/post/25032057278/22-storybasics-ive-picked-up-in-my-time-at-pixar -- especially the "Once upon a time" story telling framework Pixar used for its movies.
• Read https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/02/13/the-dubious-rise-of-impostor-syndrome to help understand concepts that can increase our psychological safety and trust in class and how asking ChatGPT can help reduce our fear of asking for help when stuck.
• Read https://jaan.io/my-friend-radicalized-this-made-me-rethink-how-i-build-AI/ to learn about my journey in understanding the incentives that can affect our thoughts, feelings, and actions in society and the incentives that affect how AI such as ChatGPT is built.

Programming & Infrastructure

• Create a GitHub Codespace using the data thinking template here (from https://github.com/onefact/datathinking.org-codespace)
• Send a screenshot to Zulip of a plot you made in the GitHub codespace (of any dataset or data you generated as in the live coding demo from the first lecture; ask for help if this is unclear)
• Sign up for Lex - message Jaan on Zulip for an invite code
• Sign up for Figma as a student (https://www.figma.com/education/students/)
• Install copyq on Windows Powershell or Linux using Chocolatey, or install Maccy on Mac using Homebrew. This will save you a lot of time throughout the class as you copy and paste things from ChatGPT!

[rgurbat]

My motivation for understanding and practicing data thinking as a neuroscience student is rooted in the optimization of data analysis in the scientific realm. Faced with the overwhelming amount of data to be analyzed, I recognized the need for a systematic and strategic approach to derive meaningful insights. By mastering data thinking, I can uncover hidden patterns, correlations, and trends that might otherwise go unnoticed, contributing to advancements in my field.

Engaging in data thinking ignites my curiosity, leading me on a captivating journey of exploration and experimentation. Constantly asking probing questions, I refine my analytical skills and enhance the quality of my scientific findings. The ability to work on projects and collaborate with researchers worldwide breaks down geographical barriers and enriches my understanding through diverse perspectives.

Understanding the incentives within the systems that generate and utilize data is crucial for effective data thinking. By recognizing the motivations and biases influencing data collection, analysis, and interpretation, I can critically evaluate information and make informed decisions. This awareness empowers me to navigate the complex landscape of scientific research, contributing meaningfully to the advancement of knowledge.