Steve Lohr, a technology reporter for the New York Times, chronicles the rise of Big Data, addressing cutting-edge business strategies and examining the dark side of a data-driven world.
Coal, iron ore, and oil were the key productive assets that fueled the Industrial Revolution. Today, Data is the vital raw material of the information economy. The explosive abundance of this digital asset, more than doubling every two years, is creating a new world of opportunity and challenge.
Data-ism is about this next phase, in which vast, Internet-scale data sets are used for discovery and prediction in virtually every field. It is a journey across this emerging world with people, illuminating narrative examples, and insights. It shows that, if exploited, this new revolution will change the way decisions are made--relying more on data and analysis, and less on intuition and experience--and transform the nature of leadership and management.
Lohr explains how individuals and institutions will need to exploit, protect, and manage their data to stay competitive in the coming years. Filled with rich examples and anecdotes of the various ways in which the rise of Big Data is affecting everyday life it raises provocative questions about policy and practice that have wide implications for all of our lives.
About the Author :
Steve Lohr has covered technology, business, and economics for the New York Times for more than twenty years and writes for the Times' Bits blog. In 2013 he was part of the team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. He was a foreign correspondent for a decade and served as an editor, and has written for national publications such as the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, and the Washington Monthly. He is the author of Go To: The Story of the Math Majors, Bridge Players, Engineers, Chess Wizards, Maverick Scientists, and Iconoclasts--the Programmers Who Created the Software Revolution. He lives in New York City.
Walter Dixon is a broadcast media veteran of more than twenty years' experience with a background in theater and performing arts and voice work for commercials. After a career in public radio, he is now a full-time narrator with more than fifty audiobooks recorded in genres ranging from religion and politics to children's stories.
Review :
"Big Data has the potential to make us healthier and more effective. Learn why, and what will happen, in Steve Lohr's important new book."
-- "Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google"
"Chock full of anecdotes, insights, and behind-the-scenes profiles of modern-day data gods such as Cloudera's Jeff Hammerbacher and IBM's Michael Haydock, Data-ism is a must-read for understanding Big Data's impact on society and in your own life."
-- "Oren Etzioni, CEO, Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence"
"If you want to understand where our world is headed, you need to read this book. It goes beneath the surface of Big Data to provide a penetrating view of the people exploring the edges of how to extract more value from the data."
-- "John Hagel, cochairman, Center for the Edge"
"Lohr uses his Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting skills to dig into and explain the power, pervasiveness, and potential downside of big data...A quick read that will appeal widely to readers looking to get up to speed on this popular topic."
-- "Library Journal"
"Offers a nuanced look at the rise of big data and the challenges the world faces in maximizing the 'technological payoff' while minimizing the risk to personal privacy...In this accessible introduction to a complex topic, Lohr offers insight valuable to both businesses and everyday people."
-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"
"Steve Lohr lays out the promise, the personalities, and the perils of Big Data in an entertaining and enlightening book."
-- "Hal Varian, chief economist at Google"
"Steve Lohr, a New York Times technology reporter, delivers a solid narration of his take on large-data analysis and how it will transform the world. A clear and professional-sounding speaker, he seems urgent at times, but his tone fits the book, which offers a sweeping discussion of both the benefits and threats presented by big-data analysis."
-- "AudioFile"
"The digitization of business has created staggering amounts of data and unprecedented opportunities for data-driven decision-making. If you want to understand this new territory, Steve Lohr is the trusted, insightful guide you need."
-- "Erik Brynjolfsson, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Second Machine Age"
"Transformative."
-- "Vanity Fair"
