Blog
What to do when your model results are ridiculous?
Experienced analysts and modelers know that “Oh shit!” moment all too well. You inspect the first results from your new model and they are obviously wrong. They are an order of magnitude off from what you expected. Or...
More »Lumina at INFORMS 2018 in Phoenix
We'll have a have a few events at this year's annual INFORMS meeting, held in Phoenix, AZ this November. In addition to our Lumina Decision Systems booth #56 in the Exhibition Hall (come by and say hello!), we'll...
More »World Cup Soccer. How much does randomness determine the winner?
Yesterday France beat Croatia in the World Cup final. Congratulations to France for winning the world championship! And also to Croatia for making it to the final after a spectacular sequence of surprise upsets! Also yesterday, I overheard...
More »Join the Analytica Users group!
We are revitalizing the Analytica Users group on LinkedIn. This group links together Analytica users, trainers and consultants across the globe. We encourage users to ask questions, share lessons learned, discuss best practices, and work together...
More »What’s the best retirement account type for me? 401(k), IRA, Roth, other?
It's tax week here in the US, and like many other people, I have less than a week to finalize my tax returns. I also have some last minute decisions. Should I, or my wife, put money into a...
More »How to simplify the IRS tax tables
The federal income tax in the United States uses a series of increasing tax brackets, so that those who earn more pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes. This is an example of a progressive tax. The idea...
More »How is Cambridge Analytica connected to Lumina’s Analytica?
I've been getting this question a lot after the recent notoriety of Cambridge Analytica, Inc. Steven Bannon says he helped found Cambridge Analytica in 2013. He said "I gave it that amazing name," and added...
More »Impact of Trump’s proposed Steel & Aluminum tariffs on US trade deficit
This week, President Trump proposed new import tariffs on steel and aluminum. It seems as if the projected net impacts of these tariffs on the total US trade deficit and US economy depends largely on which news outlets you get...
More »Apples to Oranges to Chinese Gooseberries: Pledges for the Paris climate talks
October 1, 2015 was the UN's deadline to receive national pledges for the UN Climate Change Treaty to be negotiated in Paris this December. At the end of February, the UN received the first submission — Switzerland's proposal to reduce...
More »Faster evaluation in Analytica 4.6
As we celebrate the release of Analytica 4.6 this week, I thought I would share the results of some benchmark timings that I carried out to test how the evaluation speed in 4.6 compares with the previous two Analytica releases. As...
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