Predictive Analytics

By: Eric Siegel

Narrated by: Steven Menasche

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Mesmerizing & fascinating..." —The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Award-winning | Used by over 30 universities | Translated into 12 languages

An introduction for everyone. In this rich, fascinating—surprisingly accessible—introduction, leading expert Eric Siegel reveals how predictive analytics (aka machine learning) works, and how it affects everyone every day. Rather than a "how to" for hands-on techies, the book serves lay listeners and experts alike by covering new case studies and the latest state-of-the-art techniques.

Prediction is booming. It reinvents industries and runs the world. Companies, governments, law enforcement, hospitals, and universities are seizing upon the power. These institutions predict whether you're going to click, buy, lie, or die.

Why? For good reason: predicting human behavior combats risk, boosts sales, fortifies healthcare, streamlines manufacturing, conquers spam, optimizes social networks, toughens crime fighting, and wins elections.

How? Prediction is powered by the world's most potent, flourishing unnatural resource: data. Accumulated in large part as the by-product of routine tasks, data is the unsalted, flavorless residue deposited en masse as organizations churn away. Surprise! This heap of refuse is a gold mine. Big data embodies an extraordinary wealth of experience from which to learn.

Predictive analytics (aka machine learning) unleashes the power of data. With this technology, the computer literally learns from data how to predict the future behavior of individuals. Perfect prediction is not possible, but putting odds on the future drives millions of decisions more effectively, determining whom to call, mail, investigate, incarcerate, set up on a date, or medicate.

In this lucid, captivating introduction, Predictive Analytics World founder Eric Siegel reveals the power and perils of prediction:

• What type of mortgage risk Chase Bank predicted before the recession.
• Why vegetarians miss fewer flights.
• How US Bank and Obama for America calculated the way to most strongly persuade each individual.
• Why the NSA wants all your data: machine learning supercomputers to fight terrorism.
• How companies ascertain untold, private truths - how Target figures out you're pregnant and Hewlett-Packard deduces you're about to quit your job.
• 182 examples from Airbnb, the BBC, Citibank, ConEd, Facebook, Ford, Google, the IRS, LinkedIn, Match.com, MTV, Netflix, PayPal, Pfizer, Spotify, Uber, UPS, Wikipedia, and more.

A truly omnipresent science, predictive analytics constantly affects our daily lives. Whether you are a consumer of it—or consumed by it—get a handle on the power of Predictive Analytics.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 Eric Siegel (P)2017 Gildan Media LLC

Critic Reviews

"The Freakonomics of big data." (Stein Kretsinger, founding executive of Advertising.com)

2 hrs of content in 10hrs

Repeats a lot of the case studies. Great concept. If you are looking for substance don’t listen to this one. Hoping to pdf and the websites are more fruitful.

Excellent narration

This book was assigned reading for an Analytics class. It’s not a book I would randomly pick out for leisure reading, however, I found it to be both fun and educational. I also had the text and was able to easily refer to tables and bookmark nuggets worth returning to. I enjoyed the narration compared to the other narrator for the same book that I sampled before buying.

Worthless

I wasted 11 hrs of my time... don’t buy if you are wanting to learn predictive analytics. The scenarios were not even complete...

Marketing vehicle for the author

I had to force my way through this book - from the very beginning it is self-aggrandising promotion of the author and his various services.

If you stick with it there are some interesting case studies but in hindsight I feel my time would have been more productively spent with other material.

Became a sleep aid tbh

Not that the content is terrible, it just didn't grab me. Felt a bit dated in an era where analytics is booming. Like the validity of analytics was being sold to me. I'm already on board, hence I bought the book. Maybe better suited to a physical book. I didn't see the tables. Don't think tech books are well suited to Audible. You have to dig out visual content manually.

Probably better in writing

I think this is a great book on a very complex topic. And in that complexity lies a problem. For me I would have benefited from a piece of paper a pencil and a means of marking a copy up. For example when talking around decision trees and logic My retention and understanding would have been much higher if I could see the diagram. There is a PDF download but for me the beauty of audio books is listening whilst driving/walking so a companion guide doesn't enhance the experience for me.

If the rating was just on content it would be 5*