Non-Fiction PIck of the Week: Super Crunchers

Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-by-Numbers is the New Way to be Smart
by Ian Ayres 2007

Which is the more accurate predictor of future trends—human experience and intuition or the statistical analysis of huge datasets? Author Ian Ayres draws on examples from health, education, sports and book-buying to online dating and wine tasting to illustrate the power of those who collect and analyse the enormous amount of information we leave in our electronic wake. Don’t be intimidated by the title—the discussion of regression analysis and data mining is not confusingly technical but rather engagingly common-sense. By increasing your awareness of the implications of this potent technique, you can help determine whether you will benefit in addition to those trying to profit by predicting your future behaviour.