Bright Lights Big Data

Mike and Tammy talk about commuter rail in the US and the possibility of high speed rail. Also, check out the Green City podcast episodes where Mike was interviewed: https://anchor.fm/lynnae-hentzen/episodes/MIKE-ARMSTRONG-e13r0rkhttps://anchor.fm/lynnae-hentzen/episodes/MIKE-ARMSTRONG-2-0-e146fcoAnd register for the Des Moines Data & Analytics NLP Roundtable on August 13th: https://www.meetup.com/Des-Moines-Data-Analytics/events/279938252/

In which Tammy forgets the name of Mod Podge. Mike and Tammy respond to listener questions about how they chose their careers, and what podcasts they listen to. Also, a new edition of Call Me Algorithm.

Mike and Tammy talk about topics inspired by their latest reads: "The Information: a History, a Theory, a Flood" by James Gleick (for Tammy) and "The City We Became" by N.K. Jemisin (for Mike). Topics covered include communication technologies, natural language processing techniques, and places and identity.

Mike and Tammy discuss maps, both real and (deep)fake, and some of the concepts behind image compression.(Apologies for the audio tragedy that is this episode - think we managed to salvage it but will do better next time!)

Mike and Tammy each come up with reality competition shows for their industries. Netflix, hit us up.Merch is back! Check out bit.ly/blbdmerch to place your order.

Not our strongest episode for naming things. Mike and Tammy discuss urban planning-related board games, and some of the probability concepts in games in general. Mike also invents several board games.Games discussed:Machi KoroWelcome ToCan’t StopTokaidoGalaxy TruckerShows:My First ErrandGrand Designs

Mike and Tammy discuss billionaire musician Akon's plans for a brand-new cryptocurrency-powered smart city in Senegal. See also: BLBD 49, BLBD 2.For merch, visit bit.ly/blbdmerch

50th episode? What?!Mike and Tammy discuss long-held assumptions in their fields, such as the safety of protected bike lanes and valid sample sizes. Want to check out some merch? Visit bit.ly/blbdmerchAlso, a visual aid: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

Mike and Tammy discuss the urban planning and data science sides of two video games that have been helping them through the pandemic: Animal Crossing New Horizons and the Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

Mike and Tammy chat about the effects of COVID-19 quarantines on the toilet paper market, air quality, and future transportation planning, as well as diving into Iowa's decisioning tool for if/when to trigger a shelter at home order. Also, a Call Me Algorithm about the movie Serenity. No, not that one. References: Iowa Department of Health Coronavirus Dashboard: https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus NY Times Github for daily state-by-state coronavirus cases: https://github.com/nytimes/covid-19-data/blob/master/us-states.csv NY Times article tracking states' stay-at-home orders: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-stay-at-home-order.html covidtracking.com data for hospitalization rates: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vRwAqp96T9sYYq2-i7Tj0pvTf6XVHjDSMIKBdZHXiCGGdNC0ypEU9NbngS8mxea55JuCFuua1MUeOj5/pubhtml# Iowa's 12-point decisioning tool criteria: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2020/04/02/shelter-in-place-iowa-covid-19-benchmark-guidance-tool-waits-for-hospitalization-outbreaks/5111747002/

We're back at it after a break from recording with an extra-long episode about the data science and urban planning of epidemics, including responding to listener questions. Make sure to listen all the way to the end to hear a brand-new segment. Vaccination game

Sorry this one is a few days late - don't get the flu! In this episode we conclude our three-part series on autonomous vehicles with discussions on liability and ethics, and listener questions.

Mike and Tammy discuss present-day concerns for self driving cars, the path to a future of autonomous vehicles, and start to ideate on societal impacts.

Mike and Tammy interview Drake University political science professor Rachel Paine Caufield and temporary caucus chair Jordan Murphy about the caucus. What is it? How does it work? Why should people care? Tune in to find out!

Part 1 of our three-part series on self-driving cars! We discuss the history of "classic vehicles", the 5 levels of vehicle autonomy, the complexity of training a car to be autonomous. Our next episode will focus on the Iowa caucuses, so send us your questions!

Mike interviews Aubrey Alvarez of Eat Greater Des Moines for the final installment in 2019's Give Local series, discussing myths surrounding food waste, and her organization's work with food recovery. To support Eat Greater Des Moines, visit their website at https://www.eatgreaterdesmoines.org

Mike flies solo for an interview with Dawn Martinez Oropeza as part of our second-annual Give Local nonprofit series. Learn more about the great work Al Exito does for latinx youth in Iowa. To support Al Exito, visit https://www.alexitoiowa.orgTo support Drem Sed, the Al Exito youth-led business, visit http://www.dremsed.org

Mike and Tammy kick off the second annual Give Local series with Tess Cody, Director of ACCESS (Assault Care Center Extending Shelter & Support). NOTE: this means talking about some experiences of abuse survivors and services/ways to support them.To donate to ACCESS and learn more about their services, please visit their website https://www.assaultcarecenter.org

Mike and Tammy make some career choices based on fictional worlds -- directly after forgetting every fictional world they've ever encountered.What would you have picked? Let us know on Twitter (@blbdpod), Facebook, or email [email protected]!

Mike interview Tammy about her experience volunteering with a campaign for a local election.City and school board elections are Tuesday, November 5 - go vote!!