Super Crunchers - BookWyrm

electronic resource

English language

Published April 30, 2007 by Random House Publishing Group.

ISBN:: 978-0-553-90413-0
OCLC Number:: 232360442

(1 review)

Why would a casino try and stop you from losing? How can a mathematical formula find your future spouse? Would you know if a statistical analysis blackballed you from a job you wanted? Today, number crunching affects your life in ways you might never imagine. In this lively and groundbreaking new book, economist Ian Ayres shows how today's best and brightest organizations are analyzing massive databases at lightening speed to provide greater insights into human behavior. They are the Super Crunchers. From internet sites like Google and Amazon that know your tastes better than you do, to a physician's diagnosis and your child's education, to boardrooms and government agencies, this new breed of decision makers are calling the shots. And they are delivering staggeringly accurate results. How can a football coach evaluate a player without ever seeing him play? Want to know whether the price of an airline ticket will …

Why would a casino try and stop you from losing? How can a mathematical formula find your future spouse? Would you know if a statistical analysis blackballed you from a job you wanted? Today, number crunching affects your life in ways you might never imagine. In this lively and groundbreaking new book, economist Ian Ayres shows how today's best and brightest organizations are analyzing massive databases at lightening speed to provide greater insights into human behavior. They are the Super Crunchers. From internet sites like Google and Amazon that know your tastes better than you do, to a physician's diagnosis and your child's education, to boardrooms and government agencies, this new breed of decision makers are calling the shots. And they are delivering staggeringly accurate results. How can a football coach evaluate a player without ever seeing him play? Want to know whether the price of an airline ticket will go up or down before you buy? How can a formula outpredict wine experts in determining the best vintages? Super crunchers have the answers. In this brave new world of equation versus expertise, Ayres shows us the benefits and risks, who loses and who wins, and how super crunching can be used to help, not manipulate us.Gone are the days of solely relying on intuition to make decisions. No businessperson, consumer, or student who wants to stay ahead of the curve should make another keystroke without reading Super Crunchers.From the Hardcover edition.

2 editions

chadkoh reviewed Super Crunchers by Ian Ayres

Review of 'Super Crunchers' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Imagine [b:The Deciding Factor|6348143|The Deciding Factor The Power of Analytics to Make Every Decision a Winner|Larry E. Rosenberger|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256145407s/6348143.jpg|6534651] rewritten by someone with a sense of humour rather than a copywriter for a huge data-mining company, mix in a little of [b:The Long Tail|2574|The Long Tail Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More|Chris Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161107539s/2574.jpg|989032], some [a:Malcolm Gladwell|1439|Malcolm Gladwell|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1224601838p2/1439.jpg], and you get this book. Mostly the book presents how regression analysis and randomized testing are used in a series of anecdotal stories. It does not go into how these numbers are crunched, just how the results can be used. The only thing I learned here was the concept of "making your own data" using randomized testing. That was an interesting way to look at it. The final chapters were the best — focusing on standard deviations and Bayesian statistics — but only scratched the surface. No substance.

This book …

Imagine [b:The Deciding Factor|6348143|The Deciding Factor The Power of Analytics to Make Every Decision a Winner|Larry E. Rosenberger|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256145407s/6348143.jpg|6534651] rewritten by someone with a sense of humour rather than a copywriter for a huge data-mining company, mix in a little of [b:The Long Tail|2574|The Long Tail Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More|Chris Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161107539s/2574.jpg|989032], some [a:Malcolm Gladwell|1439|Malcolm Gladwell|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1224601838p2/1439.jpg], and you get this book. Mostly the book presents how regression analysis and randomized testing are used in a series of anecdotal stories. It does not go into how these numbers are crunched, just how the results can be used. The only thing I learned here was the concept of "making your own data" using randomized testing. That was an interesting way to look at it. The final chapters were the best — focusing on standard deviations and Bayesian statistics — but only scratched the surface. No substance.

This book seems directed at an older audience, unfamiliar with even the most basic conception of our data-filled world (I mean, he uses floppy disks in one of his data size metaphors!).