The moon seemed to elevate him and his colleagues to the status of oracles, and people pressed them for their thoughts on everything from the future of the human species to the chances for world peace.

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Yet, when considering the legendary successes of venture capital investments in IT Google, Apple, Cisco, Oracle, Atari, Amazon one inevitably wonders: where are the Googles, Oracles, and Amazons of clean energy?

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Of course, the Irish predict the end of the world every time it rains and their roots in mysticism, shape shifting, and consulting oracles make the Mayans seem like babes in the woods.

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Despite enormous pressure, whether it is financial or political, it is a damaging culture to present data scientists as oracles on the mountaintop.

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And, sometimes, they require the chief priests of some famous oracles and African gods to analyse and interpret.

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The conference has a huge exhibition floor with about 150 exhibitors, if I remember correctly, including major banks from around the world and a range of technology companies, from IBM and Oracles to small specialists.

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