On Big Data, Numbskulls, and False Knowledge

"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance."

–George Bernard Shaw

Anyone writing a non-fiction book on a topic ought to be able to explain the subject to a 10-year-old. I've said many times that you may only get 30 seconds in an elevator with someone. You might have a short window, and words matter. Make them count.

Over the last six months, I've honed what I think is a pretty simple and effective description of Too Big to Ignore. Just the title evokes the question from most people, "What is Big Data?"

I've got my response down to about 20 seconds, using consumer-friendly terms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Tumblr. While Big Data is rife with buzz these days, there are still plenty of people who have never heard of it. Among those that have, there's anything but a consensus on what it means.

Hadoop and Martinis