Jason Bell - Machine Learning: Hands-On for Developers and Technical Professionals

Machine Learning: Hands-On for Developers and Technical Professionals

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To Wendy and Clarissa.

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Jason Bell has been working with point-of-sale and customer-loyalty data since 2002, and he has been involved in software development for more than 25 years. He is founder of Datasentiment, a UK business that helps companies worldwide with data acquisition, processing, and insight.

During the autumn of 2013, I was presented with some interesting options: either do a research-based PhD or co-author a book on machine learning. One would take six years and the other would take seven to eight months. Because of the speed the data industry was, and still is, progressing, the idea of the book was more appealing because I would be able to get something out while it was still fresh and relevant, and that was more important to me.

I say co-author because the original plan was to write a machine learning book with Aidan Rogers. Due to circumstances beyond his control he had to pull out. With Aidan's blessing, I continued under my own steam, and for that opportunity I can't thank him enough for his grace, encouragement, and support in that decision.

Many thanks goes to Wiley, especially Executive Editor, Carol Long, for letting me tweak things here and there with the original concept and bring it to a more practical level than a theoretical one; Project Editor, Charlotte Kughen, who kept me on the straight and narrow when there were times I didn't make sense; and Mitchell Wyle for reviewing the technical side of things. Also big thanks to the Wiley family as a whole for looking after me with this project.

Over the years I've met and worked with some incredible people, so in no particular order here goes: Garrett Murphy, Clare Conway, Colin Mitchell, David Crozier, Edd Dumbill, Matt Biddulph, Jim Weber, Tara Simpson, Marty Neill, John Girvin, Greg O'Hanlon, Clare Rowland, Tim Spear, Ronan Cunningham, Tom Grey, Stevie Morrow, Steve Orr, Kevin Parker, John Reid, James Blundell, Mary McKenna, Mark Nagurski, Alan Hook, Jon Brookes, Conal Loughrey, Paul Graham, Frankie Colclough, and countless others (whom I will be kicking myself that I've forgotten) for all the meetings, the chats, the ideas, and the collaborations.

Thanks to Tim Brundle, Matt Johnson, and Alan Thorburn for their support and for introducing me to the people who would inspire thoughts that would spur me on to bigger challenges with data. An enormous thank you to Thomas Spinks for having faith in me, without him there wouldn't have been a career in computing.

In relation to the challenge of writing a book I have to thank Ben Hammersley, Alistair Croll, Alasdair Allan, and John Foreman for their advice and support throughout the whole process.

I also must thank my dear friend, Colin McHale, who, on one late evening while waiting for the soccer data to refresh, taught me Perl on the back of a KitKat wrapper, thus kick-starting a journey of software development.

Finally, to my wife, Wendy, and my daughter, Clarissa, for absolutely everything and encouraging me to do this book to the best of my nerdy ability. I couldn't have done it without you both. And to the Bell familyGeorge, Maggie and my sister Fernwho have encouraged my computing journey from a very early age.