Quote: Ford Data Scientist Mike Cavaretta, talks about just how important all that social media output along with machine data could be to drive (ha!) the design and production of better cars. Oh, and sell more of them. As we enter the connected car era, the importance of accurate, actionable data will only get more critical.

Quote: But it is the Web companies that are building data superstructure on the Internet. Do they owe a huge debt of gratitude to yesterday’s open source pioneers? Yes. But does this make it wrong to call them out for the exceptionally exciting work they’re doing enabling a new future built on data at unprecedented scale? No way.

Quote: Companies that are not taking advantage of social tools and technologies are already falling behind, and this trend will only accelerate. Instead of just pushing messages out to people, successful businesses are becoming social businesses. They are creating dynamic connections and personalized experiences that pull people in by means of social networks, which define and deliver the information and value to customers. And they are constantly analyzing and improving the way that they are transforming themselves to become even more successful.

Quote: But the truth is that most of the significant things in life aren’t stand-alone events, but rather the sum of all the moments when we chose to do things 1 percent better or 1 percent worse. Aggregating these marginal gains makes a difference. There is power in small wins and slow gains. This is why average speed yields above average results. This is why the system is greater than the goal. This is why mastering your habits is more important than achieving a certain outcome.