Hi, I'm Vince Lam 👋
I'm a data scientist with experience driving business impact by deploying
end-to-end machine learning projects. I'm passionate about data science,
machine learning, and Generative AI. Currently freelancing in Singapore,
originally from London.
This blog is where I share my thoughts and experiences. Follow me on Medium to stay up-to-date with my content. You can see what I'm working on now here. If you'd like to get in touch about work opportunities, just drop me an email .
Featured
50+ Open-Source Options for Running LLMs Locally
Published:There are many open-source tools for hosting open weights LLMs locally for inference, from the command line (CLI) tools to full GUI desktop applications. Here, I’ll outline some popular options and provide my own recommendations. I have split this post into the following sections
Why I Use Open Weights LLMs Locally
Published:As someone who regularly uses Large Language Models (LLMs) for personal use and builds apps with LLMs - the choice between self-hosted open weights LLMs and proprietary LLMs is a recurring theme. Here, I share my personal insights as to why I use locally hosted LLMs.
Decoding Kaggle's 2023 AI Report: Essential Tips for Machine Learning with Tabular Data 🔍📈
Published:For this blog post, I'll focus on tabular and time-series data (in the context of machine learning (ML) competitions) since this is the most common data type that data scientists face and has the highest applicability/utility.
🎉 One Month in Singapore's AI Scene 🤖
Published:Here’s an overview of what I’ve been up to and my main takeaways from 24 hours of meetups and conferences on Generative AI, Machine Learning for finance, and Data Engineering.
Recent Posts
What Are Embeddings and Why They’re Incredibly Useful
Published:If you’ve heard of the term "embeddings” before but don’t quite understand it, this post is for you.
6 Questions To Scope Business Requirements Before Starting a Data Science Project To Improve Success
Published:When there is a data science problem to solve, my instincts are to start coding and build something impactful with the latest technologies. However, I’ve learnt the importance of slowing down and taking the time to ask “Why?” to understand the root business problem from the stakeholders’ perspectives.
Traditional Natural Language Processing (NLP) Tasks: Understanding What Large Language Models (LLMs) Can Do For You
Published:Knowing traditional NLP tasks is useful to understand the capabilities of (Large) Language Models. Although LLMs may outperform in many areas, smaller fine-tuned models will always have a place due to their faster latency and lower costs. Here is an overview of NLP tasks.
5 Tips I’ve Learnt to Build My Professional Network in a New Country with Zero Connections
Published:Moving to Singapore with zero connections, I faced the challenge of building a professional network from scratch. Networking can change your career trajectory, leading to opportunities you might never have encountered otherwise. Here are five tips I've learned to make networking more enjoyable.
How AI Assistants Learn: The Training Process of Large Language Models
Published:Understanding the training process of AI assistants reveals how they evolve from simple language models to sophisticated, useful tools. Here's a breakdown of the stages involved.
Prompting Tips for Better LLM Outputs
Published:Large Language Models (LLMs) are complex probabilistic machines that predict the next word. Prompt engineering is about conditioning them for desired outputs. Each instruction steers the model's generation. Here are tips to prompting LLMs to generate useful outputs to your problems.
Simple Tips to Read More Books This Year
Published:I've read 4x as many books this year compared to previous years by implementing these tips.
How I Switched Careers From Mechanical Engineering to Data Science
Published:In this post, I’ll share how I transitioned from mechanical engineering to data science in 2020 while working full-time.
How Writing Online Landed Me Freelance Work Despite a Tough Job Market
Published:In today’s tough job market, especially in the competitive data science field, writing online and building a personal profile helped me stand out and find freelance work.
Why I Moved to Singapore Jobless, Leaving Behind My Free Data Science Degree
Published:Last year, my partner and I made a life-changing decision to uproot our comfortable lives in London and move to Singapore. We'd never been there before and had no connections. Here's why we moved.