The Numerati

by Stephen Baker
The Numerati
book data
39 ratings, 3.64 average rating, 22 reviews (more data...)
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published
August 13th 2008 by Houghton Mifflin

binding
Hardcover, 256 pages

isbn
0618784608   (isbn13: 9780618784608)

description
An urgent look at how a global math elite is predicting and altering our behavior -- at work, at the mall, and in bed. Every day we produce loads of d...more






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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 181)



Tim
Tim rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
10/24/08

bookshelves: 2008-reads
Read in October, 2008
Data is everywhere, from the discount cards at the supermarket to the surveillance cameras on city streets. In charge of collecting and parsing all of this data are those Baker calls The Numerati, the keepers of the data. Baker looks at the amazing amount of information that is being collected in a number of different settings from shopping to national security, dating sites, and medical information. He follows the Numerati as they use this data to profile people, and explains both the pros and ...more
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Jeffrey
Jeffrey rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/27/08

Read in September, 2008
recommends it for: anyone who is interested in behavioral analytics
I'll post a more complete review as a blog article. But I can say that I loved the authors approach and deep dive into the people and organizations that are crunching very large databases to find behavioral patterns... of you and I!
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Ben Babcock
Ben rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
10/19/08

bookshelves: mathematics, non-fiction, own
Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in October, 2008
I agree with those reviewers who found this book somewhat less awesome than they initially anticipated. Coming from a math background, and as surrounded by technology as I am, I think that the book would have had more of an impact with me if I knew less about these issues already. And that's why I'm giving it such a high rating: it does a good job educating, and I like that in a book.

Stephen Baker's tone is conversational and analytical as he takes you through successive chapters that intr...more
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Dan
Dan rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
10/14/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in October, 2008
A short, fun, and scary look at how statisticians are analyzing the data we create every day--web clicks, cell phone calls, supermarket receipts, magazine subscriptions, and on and on--to make us work harder, buy more, and vote for their candidates.

The scariest chapter is about work. IBM mathematicians are looking which IBM employees send emails to who, and using the data to map informal social networks. Imagine how employers could use this to snuff out the ringleaders of an underground uni...more
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Darrenglass
Darrenglass rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
09/17/08

This book centers on a few key ideas:

1. Companies and the government collect lots of data on how we shop, web surf, vote, and just about every other aspect of our life.
2. As computers and mathematical techniques get more sophisticated, the data miners (or "numerati" as the author calls them) are getting better at sifting through this data to learn all manners of things about us.
3. This data has all kinds of applications, which in turn has both positive and negative ramification...more
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Johnsergeant
Johnsergeant rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/17/08

bookshelves: audiblecom, audiobook
Read in November, 2008
By Stephen Baker
Narrated by Paul Michael Garcia
LENGTH 7 hrs and 53 mins
PUBLISHER Blackstone Audiobooks

Publisher's Summary
Every day, we produce loads of data about ourselves simply by living in the modern world: we click web pages, flip channels, drive through automatic toll booths, shop with credit cards, and make cell-phone calls. Now, in one of the greatest undertakings of the 21st century, a savvy group of mathematicians and computer scientists is beginning to sift through ...more
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Cat
Cat rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
10/02/08

bookshelves: non-fiction
Read in October, 2008
In this informative book we are introduced to a new breed of mathematicians, "the numerati", who are responsible for gathering loads of private information individuals provide when they use a credit card, donate to a cause, surf the Internet, or even make a phone call.

The book's chapters include:

1. Intro
2. The Worker
3. The Shopper
4. The Voter
5. The Blogger
6. The Terrorist
7. The Patient
8. The Lover
9. Conclusion

This book is so so int...more
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Racquel
Read in November, 2008
I have a sense that, at least for the past hundred years or so, each successive generation has embraced an increasingly narrow definition of personal privacy. So, while I might be horrified by most of the "innovations" described in this book, I can’t help but think that, by the time many of them are implemented, American society will be largely comprised of people who no longer have any expectation of keeping one’s business to oneself. Disturbing…...
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Ed
Ed added it
09/07/08

bookshelves: technology
Read in September, 2008
recommends it for: illuminated literati and the like
Interesting, eye-opening, though not quite as engaging as I'd hoped (do I expect too much?). The section on the supermarket shopper's club card was particularly insidious. Likewise, Amazon. I always wondered why they kept showing me things I'd previously searched and recommending similar items, and now I know...there is a "Me" in the Amazon universe which is an artificial construct of my searches and clicks on that site. I like Amazon as much as a consumer can like an online store, but...more
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William
William rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
10/18/08

bookshelves: marketing
Read in October, 2008
A very important book to read. We're all generating piles of data -- data that finds its way to various hands and can, with the right parsing, tell these entities (some more benign than others) certain things about us.

But it feels more like a starting a place than an end. I also would have liked to have learned just a little bit more about the math and science involved. And more discussion of privacy.

However, the figures and phenomenon Baker highlights are interesting and he provides go...more
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Susan
Susan rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
11/09/08

Read in November, 2008
recommended to Susan by: NPR
recommends it for: the intellectually curious
When I heard about this book from an NPR program, I put it on reserve at our local library and have just finished reading it. Workers, shoppers, voters, bloggers, terrorists, patients, and lovers are the chapters covered. Each chapter gives both a sort of case history and a futurist look at where the number crunchers might be headed in this field. It also delves into the privacy issues for these topics. It may appeal to those who have read The Tipping Point. Following our recent electi...more
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John Michl
John rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/23/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
recommended to John by: read about it in BusinessWeek
Still in progess. Several very good examples of the importance of numerical analysis in our world. Instead of taking the high level review approach, the author digs deep into a handful of subjects such as Lover, Terrorist, Patient, Voter and Blogger. A mind map of those concepts is available <a href = "http://thinkinganalytically.co.... Feel free to contribute.
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Ellen
Ellen rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
10/28/08

bookshelves: business-and-econ, computer-geekery, social-issues
Read in October, 2008
Everytime you use a computer, you leave little tidbits of information behind. Everytime you take a minute out of your work day to send an email to your friends, someone knows. Everytime you use your Giant Eagle card, they can tell what when and where you buy. Everytime you post on a blog, someone can figure out who you are and what you think. And what's more, they are developing new ways to track us. The Numerati Will soon know everything about us.

This book was absolutely fascinating ...more
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Tamra
Tamra rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
10/20/08

Read in October, 2008
If there was a 'meh' rating, this book would get it. While The Numerati does a good job of putting together all of the ways our personal data can be used (voting, shopping, romance, medicine, etc.), there isn't any information here that can't be found - with a lot more depth - in other books, or even magazine articles. It's a quick read, with a good style of writing, but it only begins to skim the surface and fails entirely to examine some of the more troubling aspects of data mining.
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John
John rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/30/08

recommends it for: Jan Gorski
the geeks shall inherit the earth.
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Brian
Brian rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
10/31/08

Read in October, 2008
well. i thought this would be the next malcolm gladwell, steven levitt masterpiece, but instead it's a book that has a catchy title/cover and even a great premise, but the author (Stephen Baker) fails to deliver much new information about how 'the world is watching our every move.' could've condensed the entire book to a magazine article.
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Peter
Peter rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
09/21/08

bookshelves: mathematics, science, society
A nice read. Shows the opportunities for the numerically gifted in the Information Age, while at the same time acknowledging the difficulties when modeling human beings. Written for a very general audience, no math background required. However, personally I would have preferred a bit more technical book.
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Weavre
Weavre rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/09/08

bookshelves: politics-issues-history
Read in November, 2008
A quick, interesting read--almost like a series of insightful articles in a themed issue of a magazine, but with a consistent writing style.
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Lisa
Lisa rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
10/29/08

Read in October, 2008
We are now in the golden age of applied math. Discusses data mining.
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Max
Max marked it as to-read
11/02/08

bookshelves: tech, to-read
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