Every day, we produce loads of data about ourselves simply by living in the modern world: We click web pages, flip channels, drive through automatic toll booths, shop with credit cards, and make cell phone calls. Now, in one of the greatest undertakings of the 21st century, a savvy group of mathematicians and computer scientists is beginning to sift through this data to dissect us and map out our next steps, profiling us as workers, shoppers, patients, voters, potential terrorists, even lovers. Their goal? To manipulate our behavior — what we buy, how we vote — without our even realizing it.
In this tour-de-force of original reporting and analysis, journalist Stephen Baker provides us with a fascinating guide to the world we're all entering—and to the people controlling that world.
Journalist Steven Baker offers this fascinating look at social trends such as emailing, cell phone usage, and even shopping habits to examine how scientists he calls "the Numerati" are breaking us down into numbers to profile us. The idea may seem intriguing, but, in truth, Baker tells us, it's incredibly scary, as the formulas calculated for each individual may be used to control his or her life. Narrator Paul Michael Garcia taps into the harsh realities of Baker's vision in his reading, speaking in a firm and candid voice that relates the material in a straightforward yet ominous tone. The way Garcia uses his voice to connect with his listeners makes the material all the more believable--and frightening. L.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly (starred review)...
"Captivating...An intriguing but disquieting look at a not too distant future when our thoughts will remain private, but computers will disclose our tastes, opinions, habits and quirks to curious parties, not all of whom have our best interests at heart."
About the Creator
STEPHEN BAKER has written for many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and Philadelphia Inquirer. He won an Overseas Press Club award for his portrait of the rising Mexican auto industry. He is the co-author of Blogspotting.net, featured as one of fifty blogs to watch by the New York Times.
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