Big Data

By: Viktor Mayer-Schöberger, Kenneth Cukier

Narrated by: Jonathan Hogan

Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

Oxford professor and author Viktor Mayer-Schönberger joins Economist data editor and commentator Kenneth Cukier to deliver insight into the hottest trend in technology. "Big data" makes it possible to instantly analyze and draw conclusions from vast stores of information, enabling revolutionary breakthroughs in business, health, politics, and education. But big data also raises troubling social and privacy concerns sure to be a major talking point in the years ahead.

©2013 Viktor Mayer-Schöberger and Kenneth Cukier (P)2013 Recorded Books

Pretty light stuff on Big Data

If you don’t know anything about big data, this might be a fine introduction to the subject, but for those who have not been living under a rock this was pretty light stuff. Big Data is a survey and brief history of big data, how it is being, and will be, used and finally some warnings about how big data could be abused. There are a few examples of how big data has been used effectively but there is not much in the way of details or deep analysis. The one exception was a lot of words spent worrying about big data and punishing people based upon predictions and the possible loss of personal responsibility and accountability. This was a little hyped for me. I learned more about big data from reading the Wikipedia entry. This was nicely narrated and largely mildly interesting.

67 of 68 people found this review helpful

Not really that much of substance

The book itself illustrates its points with good stories and examples. There's really not that much to the story. Data exist and were getting more of it. Tools for analyzing it exist and they are getting better. We will use the data to our advantage when available. A full book to tell that story wasn't necessary.

We have more data and better tools to analyze them then ever before. That alone doesn't make us special as the theme of the book seems to tell us. That's as true today as well as everyday for the last 400 years or so. A lot our previous ways of thinking about the world were limited by the amount of data we had and the tools we had to analyze that data. Now days, because of the data and tools available, the what (i.e. correlation) can be more important than the how (i.e. causation) and decisions can proceed based on just the correlation and not necessarily understanding the reason for the causation. That doesn't mean we can ignore the how, but we don't always have to understand the reasons behind things when we look at all the data and see the correlations pop out. This is a big theme of the book.

A good narrator like this one makes a mediocre book good.

25 of 25 people found this review helpful

You better watch out, you better not cry....

What did you love best about Big Data?

Every time you use a computer, scan your credit/debit card or loyalty card, or drive your car, Big Data is being collected about you - without your direct and specific permission and with no compensation to you. Big Data refers to the abundance of data that is collected on every person voluntarily and involuntarily, with and without their knowledge, every second of every day. It is available for relatively quick predictive analysis of just about everything we do. The abundance of data, its use and re-use, are transforming our world.
Can Google predict an outbreak of the flu? Can a car detect that a thief is behind the wheel? Can Apple really tell our biometrics through the use of their earbuds? The amazing answer is – yes! By correlating data from one place with the data from another, and maybe even another, companies can form an accurate picture of your needs and wants and present them to you for purchase. One interesting correlation of this data is drawing on the unrelated behaviors of the web sites a person visits and their hobbies, with their insurance premium. Or connecting credit reports and consumer marketing data with a person’s higher risk of having high blood pressure.
While collecting every bit of data about people seems invasive of our privacy, it saves lives and helps doctors treat people sooner. Analytics determined that preemies stabilize right before they encounter a crisis. I believe the recent revelation that our government has been collecting data of our phone calls is the latter element mentioned in the “burgeoning field” in the book as “network analysis,” where it is “possible to map, measure and calculate the nodes and links for everything from one’s friends on Facebook, to which court decisions cite which precedents, to who calls whom on their cellphones. Together these tools help answer non-causal, empirical questions.” Hurricanes can be predicted through the purchase of Pop-Tarts.
Data is painlessly collected by “seeing” how many cell phones are traveling on a highway to show real-time traffic patterns, or how many cell phones are gathered together to determine how many people showed up for a protest. Even our Tweets are sold and used to “garner aggregate customer feedback” or see if a marketing campaign is working. The innocent act of providing pictures and news on Facebook (and other social media) so our family and friends can share our joy is a voluntarily act of giving up our privacy so business (and government) can benefit from our thoughts, our pleasures, and those we “follow.”
Imperfect yet informative, Big Data’s usefulness has only just begun.

It was read to perfection, at a pace that made this sometimes incredible information, easier to grasp. I even set the reading rate faster than "1" many times, as it was written to be easily understood.

Once I started this book, it was really hard to stop. A good read about how the world is changing.

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

BIG VALUE

This was an interesting book about potential uses of new forms of data. It also includes many interesting stories and examples of data use in the past, present, and future. The book explains how data can be used in new ways to that will improve business and society. Massive amounts of data was once only captured by the Navy, Astronomers, and Scientists. Today, it is becoming a natural resource and is captured by nearly every business and by millions of devices around the world. With the emergence of social networking, reams of data have been stored about people and places. New data sources are starting to take shape. Data is now being captured by everything from home appliances to industrial machines. The harvesting, analyzing, reporting, and decision making that comes with these new forms of data is very exciting. This book is not for everyone, but as a software developer, I found this book to be very enjoyable.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Big data = big brother??

This books provides an excellent overview of big data and examples where it's affecting our lives. It explains the difference between between "digitalization" (e.g., electronically booking your travel) and "datafication" (e.g., analysis of past flight data to predict the potential and duration of delays). The analysis of all data in all its form (good and messy) provides unexpected results. For example, a flight is more likely to be delayed longer due to fog than snow. Computing power and new processing techniques are allowing businesses to apply big data in all kinds of areas. For example, Google was able to track the spread of 2009 flu in real time, whereas prior to that the CDC took weeks. Google compared the most common search terms with CDC data. And through testing hundreds of mathematical models, found a combination of search terms that strongly correlated with official data. Our own behavior contributes to the use of big data. When we purchase items from Amazon, all of that metadata is stored and crunched. You're given recommendations based on what you purchased and what others making that same purchase had purchased in addition to that.

The potential of big data is both incredible and scary. Imagine traffic on every road is available in real time based people's cell phone signal as they are driving. There will be some accurate data (e.g., people in cars on the road) and some messy data (e.g., someone walking or standing on the sidewalk). New processing techniques know how to pick out the right set of data. To what extent will data be collected and used for purposes that we never anticipated?

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

Too many repetitions

Too many repetitions of explanations and example of the same concepts. The book could have been cut down to a quarter of its current size, and still be clear enough on what it is trying to convey.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good introduction to Big Data

What made the experience of listening to Big Data the most enjoyable?

The real examples of Big Data application are very interesting. More and more data is being collected on all levels of our daily lives, and the computational power to process it increases consistently. The possibilities in the future are beyond our imagination today.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Big Data?

The example of Google managing to foretell epidemics in almost real time based on search terms is awesome!

Any additional comments?

As computers get more and more powerful, we will be able to use Big Data techniques to do amazing things, even at personal level. Imagine a personal assistant (like a smartphone) that "knows" what you're doing and anticipates your next moves based on data about your life it collects, privately, in real time. For example, you're talking about a possible trip to your wife and it tells you the best dates based on price, possibility of being away from work or school, weather forecast, availability of someone to take care of your dog, estimated availability of money at the time of the trip, etc. All in real time and without explicitly asking. You just need to say "book it!" at the end.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent book on understanding BigData

Would you listen to Big Data again? Why?

Yes. The book conveys the concept of BigData using some really interesting anecdotes.

What did you like best about this story?

Easy to understand structure and devoid of any fancy/confusing jargons.

What does Jonathan Hogan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Easy to understand voice however not monotonic at the same time.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Some of the BigData stories were truly surprising including the Google's H1N1 Flu story.

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed listening to this book. I am planning to re-listen really soon and read the paper copy as well.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Interest material and worth listening

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you are interested in the discussion of Big Data and how it impacts on society and the impacts to your Internet life, then i recommend this book.

What did you like best about this story?

The thought provoking discussion on the ability of Google to predict the spread of the flu

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Informative, engaging and relevant . .

Would you consider the audio edition of Big Data to be better than the print version?

I borrowed the book from library was enjoyable but quite dry and I did not finish reading it.

I really wanted to understand the what, why and how about Big Data, I turned to the audio version

It was 360 degrees entertainment. The most interesting and informative. The overall concept came alive and I am able to grasp the evolution of collecting, storing vast data. Full of insight.

Now I am going to buy the book in hard copy to use as reference and read the printed format to have a rock sold understanding Big Data.

What did you like best about this story?

History, background and lots of real life benefits fo Big Data especially N=ALL
I love data, statisticis and analysis so this book is perfect for me.

What does Jonathan Hogan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Good voice tone, engaging and lively.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The dark side of Big Data. Everything comes with a price, as long as we do not abuse the tool. Still I think the good over rides the not so good. Big Data is here to stay, we should enhanced it for overall good to bring peace and happiness to the world.

Any additional comments?

We need to have trust, love and care. Not everyone is bad just misguided. We also should respect one another's likes and dislikes.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great introduction

I really enjoyed this book. It gave really powerful insight into a world of data and how it is governing our lives.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great starting point

Would you listen to Big Data again? Why?

I might listen to the first few chapters again to note down some of the examples and use them during my presentations.

What other book might you compare Big Data to, and why?

This is the first of the set of books that I am reading on Big Data.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Hogan – was your favourite?

The story of the guy who joined Amazon to help people find books was very interesting.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes,but I was able to listen to this book in a week

Any additional comments?

This book demystifies Big Data and busts certain myths people may have about it. After reading the book you know what to expect from Big Data. May be a chapter on what to do next for people wanting to know more about Big Data and how to get started on it might have been helpful.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I never listened to a book faster than this!

Would you listen to Big Data again? Why?

Yes there is so much information and a lot of actionable information. And it was rather interesting a lot of stories to tie you in.

Fantastic book

This is a great book which highlights the importance of data and how its used throughout our lives.

GREAT perspective on Big Data

What made the experience of listening to Big Data the most enjoyable?

Available on the go!

What did you like best about this story?

Great articulations and examples on Big Data

What about Jonathan Hogan’s performance did you like?

very clear and interesting (meaningful) voice modulation

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no.. 1 hr max per sitting.. did will exercising

Any additional comments?

Great way to learn about topics.. especially the free trial feature is good.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Really enjoyed it. Very well put together.

Well structured. Well narrated. Some fascinating content. An excellent introduction to Big Data and its implications.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful