Analytic Perspective On Time Series From Jonah Hex
Episode III— Superhero Lessons In Analytics, Season 2
We have drawn inspiration from less than stellar movies and shows before. Was Jonah Hex the train wreck Megan Fox declared or just an unappreciated offering? It really doesn’t matter. The movie was inspirational, regardless of whether it was any good.
This article also has little to do with Jonah Hex the long running comic book hero. That was certainly the inspiration for the movie, but the very superpowers we tend to draw on were not part of the comics. It was only Josh Brolin’s Jonah Hex that communes with the dead.
Talk about interrogating old data…
Okay, no one did that in the movie. But they certainly could have. There were a lot of rules to talking with the dead. Allowing for the macabre overtones, it really had a lot of parallels to data analysis.
In the movie, Jonah Hex has the ability to talk with the dead. A simple touch and the conversation begins. This may break the rules of natural law, but it comes with its own set of rules. It seems that the newer the dead, the shorter their time to share. It also seems that a little dirt can buy you some extra time. Odd perhaps, but there is strong analogy here.
Allow me this leap — time series is dead people. Well, Jonah Hex’s dead people. Given the right skills, you can interrogate time series data. Typically the newest time series provides the least value. That said, if you are willing to get your hands dirty and to a little digging — you can extend the value and the benefit. So maybe the movie premise is weak, but the analogy is strong.
The Jonah Hex movie rule set is going to get a bit stranger. It seems that when you talk with the dead, they have the ability to see anyone they ever knew. Why? It’s a movie… I know… but again the analogy works. Let me connect it.
Time series also creates a real-time connection with historic data. Jonah’s leverages a far more direct connection, one which real science doesn’t allow. Real science does allow time series data to be highly predictive of future behavior. I might not be able to see Malkovich or Fassbender, but I can predict where they are likely to be or what they are likely to do. Pun completely intended — time series allow me to Be John Malkovich. Well, that might be going a bit far…
The movie offers us one final lesson…
Your belief in technology SHOULD only go so far. If you start thinking that time series is the answer to all your analytic needs, you might also buy that strapping Gatling guns to a horse is a feasible idea. It isn’t. Please don’t hurt horses. But, back to our analogy don’t hurt yourself by going too far with time series. It is a great tool, not silver bullet… or glowing golden orb.
You see, with weapons like these, one day we shall be able to level continents. But we’ll have to content ourselves with starting small. — Quentin Turnbull
In the end, Jonah Hex the movie was an interesting tale. It was an interesting and hopefully inspiring analogy. Does that make it a better movie? I don’t think the data can take us that far… Thanks for reading!
Burly Turnbull Guard: Hey, what happened to your face…?
[Hex kills him with a thrown tomahawk]
Jonah Hex: I’m all out of wiseass answers.
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