Martyn Richard Jones, Galicia, 14th May 2025.
Remember that old story about Lassie, the Yorkshire collie dog?
And, how Lassie would run across the Scottish highlands, lowlands and Yorkshire moors.
Aww, wasn’t she so cute?
Lassie was all long-haired, fluffy and sweet. And she was smelling of dog breath!
Do you remember when Lassie was aware of dangers, risks and follies?
Do you recall when Lassie instinctively knew when some grave mishap had befallen someone in or close to the family?
The people would be worried, clueless, and nervous, and they would gather around and ask Lassie questions. Wouldn’t they?
Like “What’s up, Lassie?”
And she’d look at them as if to say “Sorry, dolls, I don’t have a clue as to what you are saying!”
And they would plead again, “Oh, Lassie, Lassie, Lassie my love, you’ve got to tell us, girl!”
And Lassie would answer in some secret interactive dog-human way.
Like “Woof, woof, woof!”
And the family would wonder and finally say something profound.
Like “What do you say, Lassie?”
“Billy’s fallen down a disused data mine shaft?”
“Is that what it is, Lassie, gal?”
Or, “Oh, Billy’s overdosed on pancakes, honey and cider.” You say? “And has collapsed in the middle of a cornfield in the midday sun!”
Or, “Billy’s been kidnapped by a cult of depraved Agile-at-scale bozos?”
And Lassie would answer.
“Woof, woof, woof!”
And instinctively, all of the family would know.
And they would boldly react in time to save the day.
“Take us there, Lassie; we have to save poor Billy.”
And they would go and rescue “poor” Billy.
And the day would be complete.
And everyone would rejoice.
And live happily ever after.
Just as it should be.
These are marvellous and fantastic stories for young children.
Which, in a sense, is just like data and data science.
Lassie is the data.
The family are the data scientists.
Their environment is the business landscape.
The family ask Lassie questions.
Like data scientists. Mining data.
And data Lassie would give them insight, and they would know the way.
Wouldn’t she? Wouldn’t they?
Accept that Lassie is fiction.
And data and data science…
It is quite often fiction, too.
So the next time you hear about data and data science, think about Lassie, Billy and the rest of the family.
GOOD STRATEGY 