Andrew Weeks
@meloncholy.bsky.social
Product data scientist in fintech. Mostly lurking while I try to find my voice again. I help run PyData London.
Reposted by Andrew Weeks
It's nearly that time again! Join us on Tue 4 Nov for the 101st PyData London meetup.
Using Hugging Face's smolagents framework to create a Fantasy Premier League AI Agent - @geirfreysson.bsky.social
No More Boilerplate: Data-Driven Testing Made Easy - @feregri.no
www.meetup.com/pydata-londo...
Using Hugging Face's smolagents framework to create a Fantasy Premier League AI Agent - @geirfreysson.bsky.social
No More Boilerplate: Data-Driven Testing Made Easy - @feregri.no
www.meetup.com/pydata-londo...
PyData London - 101st Meetup, Tue, Nov 4, 2025, 7:00 PM | Meetup
**Venue**: Riverbank House, 2 Swan Ln, London EC4R 3AD
**Please note**:
1. 🚨🚨🚨A valid photo ID is required by building security. 🚨🚨🚨
2. This event follows the **[Nu
www.meetup.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:36 PM
It's nearly that time again! Join us on Tue 4 Nov for the 101st PyData London meetup.
Using Hugging Face's smolagents framework to create a Fantasy Premier League AI Agent - @geirfreysson.bsky.social
No More Boilerplate: Data-Driven Testing Made Easy - @feregri.no
www.meetup.com/pydata-londo...
Using Hugging Face's smolagents framework to create a Fantasy Premier League AI Agent - @geirfreysson.bsky.social
No More Boilerplate: Data-Driven Testing Made Easy - @feregri.no
www.meetup.com/pydata-londo...
Seeing flowers from my new aster for the first time is a real autumn treat!
October 13, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Seeing flowers from my new aster for the first time is a real autumn treat!
Reposted by Andrew Weeks
I recommend this post from @simonwillison.net: simonwillison.net/2025/Oct/7/v...
He lists the engineering skills required to use AI-generation most effectively to build quality software, based on his experience using AI on his projects. In short, we can't replace software engineers with vibe coding
He lists the engineering skills required to use AI-generation most effectively to build quality software, based on his experience using AI on his projects. In short, we can't replace software engineers with vibe coding
Vibe engineering
I feel like vibe coding is pretty well established now as covering the fast, loose and irresponsible way of building software with AI—entirely prompt-driven, and with no attention paid to …
simonwillison.net
October 9, 2025 at 10:22 PM
I recommend this post from @simonwillison.net: simonwillison.net/2025/Oct/7/v...
He lists the engineering skills required to use AI-generation most effectively to build quality software, based on his experience using AI on his projects. In short, we can't replace software engineers with vibe coding
He lists the engineering skills required to use AI-generation most effectively to build quality software, based on his experience using AI on his projects. In short, we can't replace software engineers with vibe coding
Reposted by Andrew Weeks
It’s nearly time for our 100th Meetup! 🥳
Looking forward to a full roster of lightning talks, reflections from organisers past and present (including many of the OG crew!) and of course well-deserved celebrations--maybe even with cake! 🎂
Looking forward to a full roster of lightning talks, reflections from organisers past and present (including many of the OG crew!) and of course well-deserved celebrations--maybe even with cake! 🎂
Our PyData London Meetup chapter is about to celebrate its 100th meetup tomorrow! 💯
We’re beyond proud to see how far our community has come, and can’t wait to hear all about this milestone event! Congrats to our fabulous PyData London Meetup chapter! 🥳
We’re beyond proud to see how far our community has come, and can’t wait to hear all about this milestone event! Congrats to our fabulous PyData London Meetup chapter! 🥳
PyData London - 100th Meetup, Tue, Oct 7, 2025, 7:00 PM | Meetup
**Venue**: Riverbank House, 2 Swan Ln, London EC4R 3AD **Please note**: 1. 🚨🚨🚨A valid photo ID is required by building security. 🚨🚨🚨 2. This event follows the **[Nu
bit.ly
October 6, 2025 at 2:59 PM
It’s nearly time for our 100th Meetup! 🥳
Looking forward to a full roster of lightning talks, reflections from organisers past and present (including many of the OG crew!) and of course well-deserved celebrations--maybe even with cake! 🎂
Looking forward to a full roster of lightning talks, reflections from organisers past and present (including many of the OG crew!) and of course well-deserved celebrations--maybe even with cake! 🎂
Reposted by Andrew Weeks
*deep breath* the fact that these models produce plausible output and also hallucinate (e.g. produce completely novel but reasonable output) has always been why they're so exciting for computational social scientists
"In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limits."
www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
OpenAI admits AI hallucinations are mathematically inevitable, not just engineering flaws
In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limi...
www.computerworld.com
September 21, 2025 at 5:36 PM
*deep breath* the fact that these models produce plausible output and also hallucinate (e.g. produce completely novel but reasonable output) has always been why they're so exciting for computational social scientists
Reposted by Andrew Weeks
Incidentally, my personal favorite interpretation of advancements in computer science is that most of the progress we've made has been in defining the problems themselves. Many successes correlate to clearer definitions of what "good" means or abstracting the task away from weak definitions.
September 21, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Incidentally, my personal favorite interpretation of advancements in computer science is that most of the progress we've made has been in defining the problems themselves. Many successes correlate to clearer definitions of what "good" means or abstracting the task away from weak definitions.
Great to hear Customs House will be redeveloped!
Such a grand building in an amazing location by the Thames, but today you have to follow a rickety walkway and peer at it through railings. Big improvement for the Thames Path there.
customhouse2024.co.uk
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/his...
Such a grand building in an amazing location by the Thames, but today you have to follow a rickety walkway and peer at it through railings. Big improvement for the Thames Path there.
customhouse2024.co.uk
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/his...
Custom House 2024
customhouse2024.co.uk
September 10, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Great to hear Customs House will be redeveloped!
Such a grand building in an amazing location by the Thames, but today you have to follow a rickety walkway and peer at it through railings. Big improvement for the Thames Path there.
customhouse2024.co.uk
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/his...
Such a grand building in an amazing location by the Thames, but today you have to follow a rickety walkway and peer at it through railings. Big improvement for the Thames Path there.
customhouse2024.co.uk
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/his...
Reposted by Andrew Weeks
Python: The Documentary | An origin story
What began as a side project in the 1990s now powers AI, data science and some of the world's biggest companies. But Python almost disappeared at one point.
Featuring Guido van Rossum, Travis Oliphant, Barry Warsaw, and many more!
youtu.be/GfH4QL4VqJ0?...
What began as a side project in the 1990s now powers AI, data science and some of the world's biggest companies. But Python almost disappeared at one point.
Featuring Guido van Rossum, Travis Oliphant, Barry Warsaw, and many more!
youtu.be/GfH4QL4VqJ0?...
Python: The Documentary | An origin story
YouTube video by CultRepo
youtu.be
September 9, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Python: The Documentary | An origin story
What began as a side project in the 1990s now powers AI, data science and some of the world's biggest companies. But Python almost disappeared at one point.
Featuring Guido van Rossum, Travis Oliphant, Barry Warsaw, and many more!
youtu.be/GfH4QL4VqJ0?...
What began as a side project in the 1990s now powers AI, data science and some of the world's biggest companies. But Python almost disappeared at one point.
Featuring Guido van Rossum, Travis Oliphant, Barry Warsaw, and many more!
youtu.be/GfH4QL4VqJ0?...
I was particularly pleased to hear Ruby Waller tell us about apprenticeships in data. I had no idea this was a possible route into DS until she told me at the conference this year. So glad she agreed to share her journey!
Last but definitely not least we have Ruby Waller on Apprenticeships in Data: a practical pathway into the profession.
September 3, 2025 at 12:10 AM
I was particularly pleased to hear Ruby Waller tell us about apprenticeships in data. I had no idea this was a possible route into DS until she told me at the conference this year. So glad she agreed to share her journey!
Had a great PyData London tonight! Was a real treat to hear from @gaelvaroquaux.bsky.social on @skrub-data.bsky.social and the real world data pains its solving. (Try it if you haven’t already; super easy to get going!)
Our first talk tonight is from @gaelvaroquaux.bsky.social on @skrub-data.bsky.social.
Real tables are too messy for sklearn - skrub preprocesses them for you.
Real tables are too messy for sklearn - skrub preprocesses them for you.
September 3, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Had a great PyData London tonight! Was a real treat to hear from @gaelvaroquaux.bsky.social on @skrub-data.bsky.social and the real world data pains its solving. (Try it if you haven’t already; super easy to get going!)
Reposted by Andrew Weeks
PyData London 2025 keynote: Tony Mears -- Innovation is Dead
Innovation gets stifled in the public sector by risk aversion and punishment for failure.
But there is hope: Tony shares a way forward, drawing on his experience directing operations in the NHS and UK Space Agency.
youtu.be/XMLbJYM46xo
Innovation gets stifled in the public sector by risk aversion and punishment for failure.
But there is hope: Tony shares a way forward, drawing on his experience directing operations in the NHS and UK Space Agency.
youtu.be/XMLbJYM46xo
Keynote- Tony Mears | PyData London 25
YouTube video by PyData
youtu.be
August 25, 2025 at 1:44 PM
PyData London 2025 keynote: Tony Mears -- Innovation is Dead
Innovation gets stifled in the public sector by risk aversion and punishment for failure.
But there is hope: Tony shares a way forward, drawing on his experience directing operations in the NHS and UK Space Agency.
youtu.be/XMLbJYM46xo
Innovation gets stifled in the public sector by risk aversion and punishment for failure.
But there is hope: Tony shares a way forward, drawing on his experience directing operations in the NHS and UK Space Agency.
youtu.be/XMLbJYM46xo
on.ft.com/4oVBaBe My day trip to medieval England
Jousting is back in vogue after a 500 year absence. Fantastic pictures too!
Jousting is back in vogue after a 500 year absence. Fantastic pictures too!
My day trip to medieval England
At the ‘Wimbledon of jousting’, Simon Usborne finds historical re-enactment is becoming big business — and meets the knights and tourists partying like it’s 1499
on.ft.com
August 24, 2025 at 1:45 PM
on.ft.com/4oVBaBe My day trip to medieval England
Jousting is back in vogue after a 500 year absence. Fantastic pictures too!
Jousting is back in vogue after a 500 year absence. Fantastic pictures too!
Fascinating interview from Odd Lots on what happens when a startup dies. Not often formal bankruptcy.
Finding buyers for some company assets can be challenging—like human skulls!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o...
Finding buyers for some company assets can be challenging—like human skulls!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o...
This Is What Happens When a Startup Dies
Podcast Episode · Odd Lots · 20/08/2025 · 47m
podcasts.apple.com
August 21, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Fascinating interview from Odd Lots on what happens when a startup dies. Not often formal bankruptcy.
Finding buyers for some company assets can be challenging—like human skulls!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o...
Finding buyers for some company assets can be challenging—like human skulls!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o...
Excited about this one!
Join us at the 99th PyData London Meetup — with a talk from a genuine PyData celebrity! 🤩
Tue 2 September 19:00
Skrub: machine-learning with dataframes — @gaelvaroquaux.bsky.social
Model Context Protocol: is refactoring tool calls worth your time? — Victor Zommers
meetu.ps/e/Pt20x/5p7c...
Tue 2 September 19:00
Skrub: machine-learning with dataframes — @gaelvaroquaux.bsky.social
Model Context Protocol: is refactoring tool calls worth your time? — Victor Zommers
meetu.ps/e/Pt20x/5p7c...
PyData London - 99th Meetup, Tue, Sep 2, 2025, 7:00 PM | Meetup
**Venue**: Riverbank House, 2 Swan Ln, London EC4R 3AD
**Please note**:
1. 🚨🚨🚨A valid photo ID is required by building security. 🚨🚨🚨
2. This event follows the **[Nu
meetu.ps
August 20, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Excited about this one!
Reposted by Andrew Weeks
Today at #EuroScipy2025, @glemaitre58.bsky.social and I presented a tutorial on pitfalls of machine learning for imbalanced classification problems.
We discussed what (not) to do when fitting a classifier and obtaining degenerate precision or recall values.
probabl-ai.github.io/calibration-...
We discussed what (not) to do when fitting a classifier and obtaining degenerate precision or recall values.
probabl-ai.github.io/calibration-...
Imbalanced classification: pitfalls and solutions — Probabilistic calibration of cost-sensitive learning
probabl-ai.github.io
August 19, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Today at #EuroScipy2025, @glemaitre58.bsky.social and I presented a tutorial on pitfalls of machine learning for imbalanced classification problems.
We discussed what (not) to do when fitting a classifier and obtaining degenerate precision or recall values.
probabl-ai.github.io/calibration-...
We discussed what (not) to do when fitting a classifier and obtaining degenerate precision or recall values.
probabl-ai.github.io/calibration-...
Reposted by Andrew Weeks
I'll admit, I was skeptical when they said Gemini was just like a bunch of PhDs. But I gotta admit they nailed it.
August 17, 2025 at 1:51 PM
I'll admit, I was skeptical when they said Gemini was just like a bunch of PhDs. But I gotta admit they nailed it.
Fusion energy start-up claims to have cracked alchemy
This is really cool: modifying the fusion process could produce gold from mercury almost as a side effect, worth almost as much as the electricity produced each year.
on.ft.com/3IXXlWD
This is really cool: modifying the fusion process could produce gold from mercury almost as a side effect, worth almost as much as the electricity produced each year.
on.ft.com/3IXXlWD
Fusion energy start-up claims to have cracked alchemy
San Francisco start-up says modified fusion process could be used to produce gold from mercury
on.ft.com
July 22, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Fusion energy start-up claims to have cracked alchemy
This is really cool: modifying the fusion process could produce gold from mercury almost as a side effect, worth almost as much as the electricity produced each year.
on.ft.com/3IXXlWD
This is really cool: modifying the fusion process could produce gold from mercury almost as a side effect, worth almost as much as the electricity produced each year.
on.ft.com/3IXXlWD
Whisper bug report: 'Complete silence is always hallucinated as "ترجمة نانسي قنقر" in Arabic which translates as "Translation by Nancy Qunqar"'
social.coop/@brainwane/1...
It's fun, but as the thread points out not a new problem, e.g. fanfare -> "subscribe"—and would be fixed in English already.
social.coop/@brainwane/1...
It's fun, but as the thread points out not a new problem, e.g. fanfare -> "subscribe"—and would be fixed in English already.
Sumana Harihareswara (@[email protected])
A few days ago I came across this amazing bug report against Whisper, the LLM-based transcription tool: 'Complete silence is always hallucinated as "ترجمة نانسي قنقر" in Arabic which translates as "Tr...
social.coop
July 22, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Whisper bug report: 'Complete silence is always hallucinated as "ترجمة نانسي قنقر" in Arabic which translates as "Translation by Nancy Qunqar"'
social.coop/@brainwane/1...
It's fun, but as the thread points out not a new problem, e.g. fanfare -> "subscribe"—and would be fixed in English already.
social.coop/@brainwane/1...
It's fun, but as the thread points out not a new problem, e.g. fanfare -> "subscribe"—and would be fixed in English already.
Visited a few Sculpture in the City exhibits on my afternoon cycle today. Will see if I can find the rest over the next few weeks!
www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk
www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk
July 21, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Visited a few Sculpture in the City exhibits on my afternoon cycle today. Will see if I can find the rest over the next few weeks!
www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk
www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk
Lovely evening for a cycle yesterday.
July 4, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Lovely evening for a cycle yesterday.
Great panel on driving meaningful change to developer experience.
"We need better measures than satisfaction that connect directly to things *under our responsibility*, like are people able to access their best problem solving selves, is wellbeing being protected, and quality of problem solving"
"We need better measures than satisfaction that connect directly to things *under our responsibility*, like are people able to access their best problem solving selves, is wellbeing being protected, and quality of problem solving"
Revealed myself as a "Satisfaction" skeptic in this panel 😂 it's just a very messy and noisy human measure and we have other ones!
Great panel session at #PlatformCON25 lead by @jkriggins.bsky.social - recommended!
She was joined by @grimalkina.bsky.social @lizthegrey.com Lizzie Matusov
"We need better measures than happiness and satisfaction, which are richer and connect better to our responsibility" [email protected]
She was joined by @grimalkina.bsky.social @lizthegrey.com Lizzie Matusov
"We need better measures than happiness and satisfaction, which are richer and connect better to our responsibility" [email protected]
June 25, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Great panel on driving meaningful change to developer experience.
"We need better measures than satisfaction that connect directly to things *under our responsibility*, like are people able to access their best problem solving selves, is wellbeing being protected, and quality of problem solving"
"We need better measures than satisfaction that connect directly to things *under our responsibility*, like are people able to access their best problem solving selves, is wellbeing being protected, and quality of problem solving"
Excited the videos are coming out so I can catch up on the talks I wanted to see at the time (like this one) but missed!
The first PyData London 2025 videos are out!
To start on a high, here's @fonnesbeck.bsky.social conference tutorial on Bayesian Time Series Analysis
Gain confidence in tackling real-world forecasting problems.
Subscribe on YouTube to learn when the next batch drops!
youtu.be/2cfZsTLcDV0
To start on a high, here's @fonnesbeck.bsky.social conference tutorial on Bayesian Time Series Analysis
Gain confidence in tackling real-world forecasting problems.
Subscribe on YouTube to learn when the next batch drops!
youtu.be/2cfZsTLcDV0
Chris Fonnesbeck - Bayesian Time Series | PyData London 25
YouTube video by PyData
youtu.be
June 24, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Excited the videos are coming out so I can catch up on the talks I wanted to see at the time (like this one) but missed!
Reposted by Andrew Weeks
![5-panel comic. (1) [teacher with long hair next to whiteboard] TEACHER: I’m supposed to give you the tools to do good science. (2) [teacher addressing students] But what *are* those tools? Methodology is hard and there are so many ways to get incorrect results. What is the magic ingredient that makes for good science? (3) TEACHER: To figure it out, I ran a regression with all the factors people say are important: [embedded list in sub-panel, cut off at end] Outcome variable: correct scientific results. Predictors: collaboration; skepticism of others’ claims; questioning your own beliefs; trying to falsify hypotheses; checking citations; statistical rigor; blinded analysis; financial disclosure; open data (4) TEACHER: The regression says two ingredients are the most crucial: 1) genuine curiosity about the answer to a question, and 2) ammonium hydroxide. (5) STUDENT: Wait, why did *ammonia* score so high? How did it even get on the list? LONG HAIR: ...And now you’re doing good science!](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreigzaphhj4mfgfrxddlvdmw47335gnwzqbfqvrnff5x4oovgpf36nq@jpeg)
June 12, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Poundland sold for less than a pound
on.ft.com/4kWnJOy
The article doesn’t say if they went into a shop to complete the transaction, but I choose to believe they did.
on.ft.com/4kWnJOy
The article doesn’t say if they went into a shop to complete the transaction, but I choose to believe they did.
June 12, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Poundland sold for less than a pound
on.ft.com/4kWnJOy
The article doesn’t say if they went into a shop to complete the transaction, but I choose to believe they did.
on.ft.com/4kWnJOy
The article doesn’t say if they went into a shop to complete the transaction, but I choose to believe they did.