Tag: university of chicago

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Education Reading

Latest read: Think Like a Freak

I have been a big fan of Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. They are about to release a new book Think Life a Freak on May 18th.  Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics are well known best sellers. They have an amazing ability to tell stories with data.

think like a freak

Telling stories with data has impacted other books that I have chosen to read including Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw, Mark Penn’s Microtrends and Tom Davenport’s Competing on Analytics.

After Freakonomics I was pleased to see Levitt and Dubner make a movie with new stories that focused on the hidden side of everything.

And I found the movie very enjoyable. A few of the stories out of their original book while a new story focused on Chicago, their hometown.

The segment, paying high school students $500 for good grades simply brought out the ‘freak’ side of their research. At the same time I have wondered about how the impact of paying students in middle school may have a bigger impact on success rates.

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Education Globalization Innovation Reading Technology

SuperFreakonomics’ Authors on GeoEnginnering

University of Chicago Economics Professor Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner about Geoengineering Global Warming Fixes.  Their data about innovation planning shows how important creative thinking can be in addressing global problems.  From their followup best seller Freakonomics called SuperFreakonomics:

I really enjoyed what Levitt and Dubner’s research revealed in both books, it was very enjoyable reading.  Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (my review) and their recent followup SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance (my review) are two can’t miss books!

Tags: SUPERFreakonomics, Stephen Dubner, Steven Levitt, Economics, datasets, innovation, energy, population, poverty, technology, Sudir Venkatesh, terrorist, trends

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Design Education Innovation Rich media Technology

Dr. Richard Schilsky on Chicago’s WTTW

While at the University of Chicago I had the true pleasure of working for Dr. Schilsky at the Cancer and Leukemia Center. This interview describes some of the new advanced treatments for breast and colon cancers.

Categories
Education Reading

Latest read: Freakonomics

Well I’m not sure what took so long to read Steven Levitt‘s Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. It was enjoyable, fun and interesting to read the hidden side of everything.
So I finally pushed it to the front of my pile of books after crossing an article on the NYTimes and found the book is now part of their blogs. When was the last time the NYTimes took over a book’s blog? Yea, its that good!

I was very impressed with Chapter 3 “Why do drug dealers still live with their Mothers?” since I was working in Chicago for Apple and know the area where his research occurred: the Robert Taylor Homes.

I remember getting advice from fellow engineers at the downtown loop office to literally drive through red lights, stop signs and anything else if I ever found myself anywhere around Cabrini-Green or the Robert Taylor Homes.

Sure enough I recall driving at night in the loop lost and finding myself looking at a sign similar to the one in this photo…drove without stopping until I was north east of the area. Nice welcome to the city…

So I was living in Chicago and still remember the violent deaths reported at that time during the gang wars. Wow Levit does not display the details of the violent incidents that occurred during this crack war.

And the research actually proves gangs organized by a business model very close to McDonalds. What is most amazing was his ability to access the financial records of the gangs. While gang foot soldiers were making $3.00/hour the research showed that if you survived long enough to be on the “board of directors” of a gang you could earn $400,000/year.

But with a 25% chance of being killed working as a foot solider, its no wonder drug dealers still live with their mothers. And that is just one chapter of his amazing book. If you have passed on this book you should really pick it up and give it a read. Its easy and will amaze you.

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