Super Crunchers – Audio Book Review

I have recently started listening to Audio books as another way to enjoy books while on the go. My service of choice at the moment is Audible.com which has descent prices and a good selection.

After some consideration I have decided to make my first book choice: Super Crunchers by Ian Ayres, narrowed by Michael Kramer.

If you never heard of this book before, here is a summary by the publisher:

Why would a casino try and stop you from losing? How can a mathematical formula find your future spouse? Would you know if a statistical analysis blackballed you from a job you wanted?

Today, number crunching affects your life in ways you might never imagine. In this lively and groundbreaking new audiobook, economist Ian Ayres shows how today's best and brightest organizations are analyzing massive databases at lightening speed to provide greater insights into human behavior. They are the Super Crunchers. From Internet sites like Google and Amazon that know your tastes better than you do, to a physician's diagnosis and your child's education, to boardrooms and government agencies, this new breed of decision-maker is calling the shots. And they are delivering staggeringly accurate results. How can a football coach evaluate a player without ever seeing him play? Want to know whether the price of an airline ticket will go up or down before you buy? How can a formula out-predict wine experts in determining the best vintages? Super crunchers have the answers.

In this brave new world of equation versus expertise, Ayres shows us the benefits and risks, who loses and who wins, and how super crunching can be used to help, not manipulate, us. Gone are the days of solely relying on intuition to make decisions. No businessperson, consumer, or student who wants to stay ahead of the curve should make another keystroke without listening to Super Crunchers.

Now that I am almost done with the book I feel I can fairly review it and its a positive review. The book is very interesting and the narration is excellent! I really cant stress how much Michael Kramer brings a relative passive topic alive and keeps you glued to the story.

This website is not about book reviews so I wont bore you with any additional details, but if you like audio books or ever wanted to try and listen to one this is a great one to get.

Note: If you have never been a customer of Audible you can get one free audio book by using the special offer link available to TWiT listens, here it is.