Credit Scorecards in the Age of Credit Crisis This incident took place at a friend’s party circa 2009, in the backdrop of the worst financial crisis the planet has seen for a long time. The average Joe on the street was aware of terms such as mortgaged-backed securities (MBS), sub-prime lending and credit crisis –
Classification Problem in Statistics & Data Mining I must say I was shocked when Amishi, a girl little over three years old, announced that going forward she is only friends with my wife and not me. Her reason for the breakup was that I am a boy and girls can only be friends with girls.
Variables Selection in Predictive Analytics The following story goes back to the time when I just started my transition from physics to business. I met this investment banker* in his mid-thirties during a Friday night party. After gulping down a few pints of beer, his mood became a bit somber and he told me how
Modeling in Advanced Analytics The room, full of Analysts, erupts with a loud round of laughter when a young business analyst narrates to us an incident from his recent trip back home. A distant aunt inquired about his new profession. His response – I am into modeling. She got all excited and asked – is
A Primer on Logistic Regression – Are you Happy? A few years ago, my wife and I took a couple of weeks’ vacation to England and Scotland. Just before boarding the British Airway’s plane, an air-hostess informed us that we were upgraded to business class. Jolly good! What a wonderful start to the vacation. Once
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. – Albert Einstein A Commentary on Curiosity I think the best way to appreciate and enjoy the trivial is to travel. When I say trivial, it includes doorknobs, posters,
Columbus – A lesson in Leadership Christopher Columbus – I have adored this man for various reasons at various stages of my life. At seven, I adored him because his mistakes were applauded and became part of history – Columbus mistook Native Americans for Indians because he thought he had landed in Asia rather than
Year-One of Analytics – A Crucial Juncture I am a big fan of the graphic novel – Batman: the Dark Knight Returns – by Frank Miller. I almost lost my faith in Batman after watching the utterly ridiculous television series from the 60s – based on camp aesthetic. Batman was more of a joker in
A Case for Wise Models Lehman Brothers, a financial services company, filed for bankruptcy on 15th September 2008 – exactly five years from today. A company founded in 1850 disappeared overnight. The chain of events to follow brought the overall financial system across the world to its knees – hence started the biggest economic crisis
A Scientist & An Artist A few weeks ago while wandering around in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, I could not escape the thought of Leonardo da Vinci : the greatest polymath of all times. Leonardo’s illustrious resume contains titles such as painter, inventor, physicist, astronomer, engineer, biologist, anatomist, geologist, and architect – no