You only occasionally get insights into the thinking of the captains of industry.

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Visitors went to consumers' homes--and even peered into refrigerators and closets--to get insights into their interests in music, technology and fitness, says Dean Stoneley, Fusion's former product marketing manager.

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Now this information is being used to get better insights into customers.

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And they certainly help Yee who can quickly specify which ones he wants to send the photos of his son to and which ones will get his latest insights into the most effective approach to product development.

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When I came to the WGC-Cadillac Championship here this week, my hope was to get some simple, straightforward insights into how golf coach Sean Foley works with his star pupils.

WSJ: Sean Foley, Eclectic Golf Whisperer

Do you come to lists to see if they conform to all other lists, to see if they conform to your own preferences, or to maybe get some new insights and suggestions into movies to consider besides the same ones repeated over and over on every movie list online that you find?

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Most of the time, we are presented with scenarios in which data is poured into Hadoop or sifted with Splunk and somehow you get insights.

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