The Numerati

This is a book about the existence and contemporary use of data in todays world. The amount of data being gathered each moment is staggering. What is purchased, what people are searching for on google, where people are going, what they are reading etc. This has spawned the practice of using such data to make predictions of what is to happen - what we will be interested in, what we will but, where we will go etc. The people who do this analysis are called the numerati.

It is a very interesting read but there are two other books, Supercrunchers and the Drunkard's Walk that address this same phenomena in different and better ways. All three books demonstrate how this data is used and how one could take advantage of it.

Great book with comfortable narrator. The story that Baker provides is one of growing science of data analysis in various sections of our lives. The description of the complexity of drawing meaningful linkages in premptive terrorist identification leaves a curious mix of encouragement and frightening anxiety over predicting a repeat of September 11th. Later chapter on medical research in variety of illnesses that inflict our own aging process is also encouraging, while incorporating a brief discussion of efforts to identify "dark cutter" steers before investing the continuing costs to raise a low profit calf, all with the use of similar electronic data gathering as those which will help warn of oncoming development of Parkinsons in a family member.

A good collection about the pace of development and variety of future applications of the "numerati" professionals who are sifting and gleaning among our everyday activities which we hardly notice. Maybe all of HAL's brethren were not disconnected in 2001 ?

The topic has great potential and is one I'm driven to learn more about. However, this audible book does not deliver. It is written & read with a gee whiz attitude of someone's grandpa who has not been fully cognizant of the role of technology in culture for decades. It treats the listener as though they are only capable of understanding concepts at the 6th grade level. I stopped listening about halfway through and learned just next to nil.

Highly recommended. Baker's The Numerati reports on how the growth of large-scale databases and sophisticated analytical techniques are remaking politics, business, health care and government. An excellent companion piece to Ian Ayres book " Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-By-Numbers is the New Way To Be Smart. Ayers is a member of the Numerati (and come to think of it - sort of surprising that he is not profiled in Baker's book) where Baker is a journalist. The books taken together help round out the picture on rapid growth of data and evidence based decision making.

This well read book is timely. Data mining and the ramifications of such activity are presented clearly. The book is informative and worth the listener's time. If you want to be generally informed about the topic this book is a good choice. It is not so technical as to be hard to follow and will reward anyone who devotes time to it.

Lots of interesting information. I'm a non-fiction addict so this kind of thing is right up my alley. I’m in marketing (on and offline) so I was already familiar with some of what he covered. But the depth into the topic was good. It kept my interest throughout. I enjoyed it.

I was really excited to delve into a book on this topic and unfortunately this book did not meet any of my expectations. The book treats technology, data mining, etc. with a certain mysticism. It never goes in depth about the technology of the "Numerati". Much of the book cites interviews and examples. These interviews are interesting to a certain extent, but they are filled with the author's speculation; much of which is in a tone that questions the "Numerati"'s usefulness and overall good to society. Throughout the book the author's comments gave me the impression that he is against technology. This book is a political/ideological discussion. The author's background is history, not technology or math, and it is very evident in this book.

"The Numerati" is an exploration of the ways math and data are influencing the world, and what that might mean for business and for our privacy.

I thought one of the most interesting takeaways is that number-crunchers are working toward a world in which each real human can be modeled electronically, representing a multitude of characteristics. This model will be used to predict how the person will behave in various contexts -- economic, social, political, medical."

Understanding how we live on the internet opens doors to infinate possibilities for marketing. The studies outlined in this books will continue to revolutionize how and why we purchase products, vote, love and basically live. The author does a great job in explaining complex ideals and formulas, helping the reader (listener) visualize these concepts and understand how thier daily activities inpact the global society.

While I wasn't riveted to the content, I certainly wasn't board and learned a thing or two along the way. If you want to get into this genre, its a good place to start.