false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180827677m/1081413.jpg 1081413 7 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? <br> <br>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.<br> <br>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 <b>Super Crunchers.</b> 2022993 28 8 2007 Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-by-Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart total:473|5:72|4:196|3:154|2:40|1:11| 473 1697 847 135 2 3 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 30 07:56:46 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 30 08:30:28 -0700 2009 Freakonomics, and makes his professional association with Steven Levitt...more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 02 16:23:34 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 16:35:07 -0800 2009 The World is Flat by Thomas Freidman. Immediately, I made a mental note to find and read this book about the impact of computing power on everyday lives. Algorithms, formulas, yikes! (I have a bit of a math phobia.) Thank ...more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed May 28 09:30:30 -0700 2008 Thu May 29 09:25:52 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 1 false false Mon Jan 12 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 09:22:17 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 09:30:14 -0800 2009
The four interesting things I found in it:

1. The author went over a study done on Greyhound racing, experts vs. a computer model for predicting the winner. All the experts lost and the computer mo...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Aug 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 13:51:57 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 14:10:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jul 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 19:13:22 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 19:13:22 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Apr 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 21:00:19 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 13:22:03 -0700 2009 geek already, and this book stated a lot of the obvious for me; using
data and performing statistical analysis of that data enables
corporations, and people to make better informed decisions. Throughout
the book he gives various examples ...more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Feb 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 21:10:13 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 18 16:57:14 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Dec 26 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Mar 19 18:24:40 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 18:25:21 -0700 2009 Super Crunchers is a fascinating look at how statistical methods can be applied to problems in business, medicine, education, and more. The author, Ian Ayres, is to be commended on his presentation of technical concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. For teachers, the book is a virtual treasure t...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Oct 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 12:10:03 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 29 23:55:52 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Aug 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 28 11:39:45 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 24 05:36:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Feb 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 13:09:05 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 13:14:01 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Apr 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 20:52:56 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 21 20:28:47 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Oct 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 10:40:44 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 13:49:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Thu Jun 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 21:54:55 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 13:58:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 21:08:57 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 21:12:18 -0700 2009
Definitely a good read for anyone who likes numbers, anyone who is in politics, and anyone trying to figure out what numbers mean.

If you read this book and pay atten...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 20:00:42 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 16:45:46 -0700 2009
Even as a math major I found myself thinking, "Yeah, he's right. I probably wouldn't have noticed th...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Apr 07 11:11:57 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 07 11:15:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Oct 05 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 15 12:17:10 -0700 2008 Mon Oct 06 18:14:59 -0700 2008 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 08 03:20:25 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 08 03:26:03 -0800 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1081413