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/

Bright Lights Big Data

BLBD 57: How Train Go?

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.

BLBD 56: Hodgepodge

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.

BLBD 55: Book Lights, Big Words

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!)

BLBD 54: I'm the MAAAAP!

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.

BLBD 53: Flip for it

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

BLBD 52: Board Games

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

BLBD 51: I know jack about cities

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: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

BLBD 50: Shorter countertops now!

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.

BLBD 49: Fear and Loathing in Midgar

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/ 

BLBD 48: Nasty Times

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

BLBD 47: Epidemics and Jingles

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.

BLBD 46: Self Driving Cars 3 of 3 - Turtle Fence

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. 

BLBD 45: Self Driving Cars 2 of 3 - Somebody Farted in This One

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!

BLBD 44: Corn Pigs Nice Caucus (w/Rachel Paine Caufield and Jordan Murphy)

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!

BLBD 43: Self Driving Cars 1 of 3 - Pedestrian Br(e)aking

Urban planner Mike Armstrong and data scientist Tammy Armstrong discuss their industries and interview local change makers in Des Moines, Iowa.