Category: Entertainment

young girl playing computer games in internet cafe

The next big video game Easter Egg is … O.R.?

Historically, baseball has been described as America’s national past time. However, there might be another activity better suited to this title … and that is playing video games. That’s right, video games. Over 227 million people in the U.S. play video games for at least one to a few hours per week, which equals out to about 70% of all Americans are video game fans. But what I’d bet most gamers don’t know, is the role that operations research (O.R.) plays in nearly every aspect of video game development, from design to production to selling. Joining me today to dive…

Tags: gaming, Online Gaming, operations research, Video Games

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Looking ahead to the exciting future of analytics with #2023Analytics keynote Hilary Mason

We’re in the countdown to the 2023 INFORMS Business Analytics Conference, in Aurora, CO, April 16-18, and this year’s conference is particularly special for the INFORMS community as this was the site of our 2020 meeting … or it was supposed to be, but unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic had other ideas. Now, here we are three years later and we’ve come full circle and I think I speak for many in the INFORMS community when I say that I have never been more excited to attend an Analytics Conference. With that in mind, I’m thrilled to be joined by Hilary…

Tags: AI, Business Analytics Conference, Hilary Mason, machine learning

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Netflix, Hulu, … or piracy? Oh my!

If you’re anything like me, in the past year video streaming services have taken on a far greater significance than prior to the pandemic. Consumers are devouring everything Netflix, Hulu, Discovery+, Disney+, and more have to offer to help cope with spending so much time at home. But what happens if access to these services is restricted, whether by cost or other reasons? Especially as more options become available, each with its own subscription fee? At what point does piracy become the better option? To help me explore this topic, I am pleased to introduce Shijie Lu with the University…

Tags: movies, Netflix, piracy, video streaming

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How video game companies can “level up” their profits

The video game industry is growing at a phenomenal rate, generating a record $43.4 billion in revenue in 2018, an increase of nearly 20 percent from the year before. The largest area of growth within this industry has been in the online gaming community. But with players functioning at different skill levels and an even wider range of interest areas, how can companies ensure players remain engaged and their products continue to grow in popularity? Joining us for this episode to provide new insight into online gamer behavior is Yan Huang from Carnegie Mellon University, whose research which was recently…

Tags: Online Gaming, operations research, Resoundingly Human, Video Games

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Is your favorite restaurant at risk of failing its health inspection?

Has this ever happened to you? Walking up to your favorite local restaurant, looking forward to a delicious meal only to discover … it has failed its restaurant inspection! Yuck. I think there are few events that will convince you to eat at home more. But what if there was a way to anticipate if a restaurant was at risk of failing an inspection well before this actually happened? In this episode, we will hear from James Howard, a scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, whose research has helped identify if a restaurant will fail an inspection before…

Tags: James Hoawrd, Johns Hopkins, operations research, restaurant inspections

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December 2018

In this episode, we are joined by a very special guest, Santa Claus, who called into the podcast all the way from the North Pole to share the role that O.R. and analytics plan in his annual journey to deliver toys around the world. In addition, you will hear from the INFORMS volunteers and the nonprofit leadership of the INFORMS Pro Bono Analytics projects for who share how O.R. and analytics helped these organizations better serve their communities. These include the Baltimore Teacher Supply Swap, featuring Melissa Badeker, executive director of the Baltimore Teacher Supply Swap and Gisella Bardossy, a…

Tags: Ann Betterton, Baltimore Teacher Supply Swap, David Krahl, Emilia Silebi, Gisella Bardossy, Kromite, Melissa Badeker, Pro Bono Analytics, Santa Claus, The North Pole, The University of Maryland, Young Audiences

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