Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-By-Numbers is the New Way to be Smart

Weak Book, No discussion of problems with the empirical work that he pushes

Just look at the first chapter, where Ian Ayres touts his research on lojack devices, There is no discussion why almost all the insurance companies oppose giving any discount on the devices being installed. Presumably there are too few purchases of the device because if I hide a lojack on my car, even those without lojack benefit because car theives can't tell if a car is protected before they take it. Even with free-riding problems, if people got their cars back in generally one piece, why shouldn't the insurance companies want to give some discount? If there is a free-riding problem, it could be solved by car companies putting the device on all their cars. For example, if Porche put lojacks on its cars, Porche is protected without any beneficial spillover for others. Yet, no one 'not Porche, BMW, Cadillac, etc.' follows this policy. Couldn't Ayres discuss these problems? Couldn't he even mention them? What about the empirical work that confirms these car or insurance companies might not be as stupid as Ayres claims that they are? If he has a response, why not even mention these problems? He touts research reportedly showing that more abortion reduces crime, but he fails to note that if one actually did what the authors said should be done to conduct the tests, the effect went away 'see 'Abortion, crime and econometrics.' Economist Magazine, December 1, 2005'. Again, why not mention these problems? Other parts of the book also have problems. Ayres' empirical work on discrimination has also been extensively criticized, but no one would ever know from his discussion about these problems. The book would have given readers a better feel for what empirical work entails if instead of just making accertions about findings 'even when those findings have been proven to be wrong', he had spent even a little time showing how people learn from these debates over his research. A book touting the importance of empirical work would gain some credibility if Ayres acknowledged the objections raised to his and his friend's work and explained why their results still held. The personal attacks that Ayres makes in the book are also filled with inaccuracies

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Super crunching crushed

This book is a knowledge seeker's love story. It creatively makes math a fun and practical way to make life easier. The author gives his readers a conversation more than a story. He literally puts himself into the book. He'll stop in the middle of the page and start telling a new story about a time in his life. At first, it makes no sense but then it ties back to the paragragh he interupted. He makes the book not just for people who are scholars or formula freeks, but for people who might not understand why math would be important in thier everyday lives.
The book was an interesting read but not a page turner. It is like a book of jokes, only good the first time you read it. I'm not saying it is not a good book, but it is only good one time around. It was a compelling idea but it lacks in the pizazze portion to keep absent-minded readers entertained all the way through the book.
The writer's craft was so different from anything else I have read. It was a good change of pace. It seemed as if he was answering questions I had thought of and wonderd but never expected anyone would know the answer. Like I said ealier, it was more a conversation between writer and reader than a story. I realy liked the personal touches he made in the book. It made it easier to understand.

If you loved Freakonomics, you'll loved Super Crunchers

This book takes off the the other left off.

Data driven decison making is here

This book chronicles how data-driven decision making is changing marketing, sports, government policy, entertainment and other industries. This will influence how we purchase products ,services, set policy, and affect critical functions of decison makers. It is written in laymans terms and is an eye opener for everyone. I finished it in 3 days because it was so compelling

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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