This book is an introduction to the world of machine learning, a topic that is becoming more and more important, not only for IT professionals and analysts but also for all those scientists and engineers who want to exploit the enormous power of techniques such as predictive analysis, classification, clustering and natural language processing. Of course, it's impossible to cover all the details with the appropriate precision; for this reason, some topics are only briefly described, giving the user the double opportunity to focus only on some fundamental concepts and, through the references, examine in depth all those elements that will generate much interest. I apologize in advance for any imprecision or mistakes, and I'd like to thank all Packt editors for their collaboration and constant attention.
I dedicate this book to my parents, who always believed in me and encouraged me to cultivate my passion for this extraordinary subject.
