Tag: freakonomics

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Latest Read: Everybody Lies

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz wrote Everybody Lies Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are. Seth holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard. He is a former quantitative analyst at Google. Seth also writes for the NYTimes. The stories are similar to Freakonomics but are based upon much larger datasets.

Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are

Everybody Lies is able to utilize Google search data that reveals in the opening chapter that we live in a very racist society.

Seth reviews search results from the 2016 Presidential election. Data mining via Google Search revealed hard truths that most would not say in mixed company.

Search at at work or home, Google data clearly indicated racists supported Trump in the 2016 Presidential election.

The outcomes of data mining Google search, Wikipedia, Facebook, Pornhub and Stormfront. The results are somewhat surprising if you simply follow analog driven surveys popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Clearly the mobile revolution and search provides real insights to the sway of the country or just specific sets of groups.

Everybody Lies tackles some interesting topics with vast amounts of data sets:

  • How much sex do people really have?
  • How many Americans are actually racist?
  • What should you say on a first date if you want a second?
  • Is America experiencing a hidden back-alley abortion crisis?
  • Where is the best place to raise kids?
  • Can you game the stock market?
  • Do parents treat sons differently from daughters?
  • How many men are gay?
  • Do violent movies increase violent crime?
  • How many people actually read the books they buy?

Like Freakonomics, the results will surprise you.

One of the more interesting data sets is within chapter three: Bodies as Data and involved a great story of American Pharoah. What makes a great racehorse? Actually the percentile of the left ventricle. Jeff Seder found the way to measure success of a racehorse. A great story is here. Seder, a Harvard trained lawyer took his hedge fund experience and applied it to his love of champion racehorses.

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Design Education Innovation Reading Technology

Latest Read: Think Like a Freak

The authors of Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner publish Think Like a Freak. This is their third, and potentially last book in the Freakonomics platform.

think like a freak

Their idea is to train people to … well, think like they do, like a Freak. For example, the soccer penalty kick. Which way will the kicker try to strike the ball into the net? Go left side, middle or right? Well this is their first lesson to dig into the analytics and the mental thoughts of the kicker and goalie.

The level of attention they pay to the soccer question may be viewed as overthinking. Yet with your legacy riding on the kick, you have to decode a lot of data in a minute. Take this idea further. You will see the book’s insights develop for your life.

They teach readers to boil events down to incentives. Then measure the hell out of it. Yes this is an interesting take on how to change someone’s position. They even address the idea that you are too old to change your ways. The book’s subtitle is their offer to retrain your brain.

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Education Innovation Reading

Latest Read: When to Rob a Bank

The authors of Freakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner published When to Rob a Bank, a collection of stories from their blog. When these two economists look at popular culture, results will be amazing stories.

When to rob a bank

So, how do economists celebrate the 10th anniversary of publishing their breakout book Freakonomics? By researching stories from their most popular blog articles. One wants to be a professional golfer while the other is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And they play a lot of poker in Las Vegas.

This book provides insights via their blog posts. Learn about tipping and why flight attendants do not collect them. In addition, if you were a terrorist how would you attack? And why does KFC always run out of fried chicken?

Indeed, their idea to reduce air traffic in NYC was really genius, just close LaGuardia. There is certainly no chance in a political environment in New York City that LaGuardia would ever close.

Chapter 9 is the focus of When to Rob a Bank. Turns out Thursday morning is the best time to commit this crime. However the return on investment is not worth any effort.

Their story of how a woman arrested in 1961 for robbing a bank was again amazing!

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Education Innovation Reading

Preview: When to Rob a Bank

Could not think of a more focused book title: When to Rob a Bank from the Freakonomics dynamic duo of Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. Looking forward to reading this book. I have never been disappointed in the research and economics of their stories. When to Rob a Bank marks the 10 year anniversary of their original bestseller Freakonomics.
when to rob a bankFrom their legendary initial release Freakonomics and their follow-up bestseller Superfreakonomics to their book Think Like a Freak and even to their highly anticipated movie. When to Rob a Bank should be a very enjoyable read and an opportunity to review some of their most striking stories.

And I must admit after living in Chicago the segment of the Chicago mother looking to inspire her son was a story I felt many around Chicagoland could understand to some degree.

Their approach to telling stories on their blog over the last ten years led them to some amazing stories …. and some that totally missed the mark.

A collection of their best blog posts has been compiled into When to Rob a Bank.

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Design Education Innovation Reading

Think like a freak

think like a freakHow many options do soccer players have before a penalty kick?

Think like a Freak, out TODAY from Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner is really, really enjoyable. I would stop just about everything (In a perfect world) to read this cover to cover. More to come….