Metamarkets’ M. E. Driscoll gives a shout out to those mucking about with the bits:
A stark but recurring reality in the business world is this: when it comes to working with data, statistics and mathematics are rarely the rate-limiting elements in moving the needle of value. Most firms’ unwashed masses of data sit far lower on Maslow’s hierarchy at the level of basic nurture and shelter. What is needed for this data isn’t philosophy, religion, or science — what’s needed is basic, scalable infrastructure.
The more data analysis I do, the more plain ’ole wrestling with the data becomes critical. And figuring out the plumbing and tools to make that happen becomes more interesting.