Go Figure: Things you didn't know you didn't know: The Economist Explains

by Tom Standage

Which James Bond drinks the most martinis? What do Satanists really believe? How do hurricanes get their names? Why are bees disappearing? Is chocolate healthy? ...Go Figure has the answers. Bringing together the very best from the clever people at The Economist, Go Figure explains the mind-boggling, the peculiar and the profound, things you might always have quietly wondered about and yet more you didn't know you didn't know. Figure out why so many Koreans are called Kim, how bitcoin mining works, why eating insects makes sense and how to get ahead under a dictator - a treat for the knowing, the uninitiated and the downright curious.

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics, Business, Science, Politics

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2016

About the author

Tom Standage is a journalist and author from England. A graduate of Oxford University, he has worked as a science and technology writer for The Guardian, as the business editor at The Economist, has been published in Wired, The New York Times, and The Daily Telegraph, and has published five books, including The Victorian Internet[1][2]. This book explores the historical development of the telegraph and the social ramifications associated with this development. Tom Standage also proposes that if Victorians from the 1800s were to be around today, they would be far from impressed with present Internet capabilities. This is because the development of the telegraph essentially mirrored the development of the Internet. Both technologies can be seen to have largely impacted the speed and transmission of information and both were widely criticised by some, due to their perceived negative consequences.

Standage has taken part in various key media events. He recently participated in ictQATAR's "Media Connected" forum for journalists in Qatar, where he discussed the concept of technology journalism around the world and how technology is expected to keep transforming the world of journalism in the Middle East and all around the world.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, informative read. The little snippets of info were actually really interesting and presented well. I'd recommend this to anyone else who is prone to falling down the Wikipedia-rabbit-hole-spiral.

[Ridwan Anam · Rating 3 out of 5]

কেন, কিভাবে জাতীয় প্রশ্নের উত্তরে ছোট ছোট সহজবোধ্য বাখ্যা সম্বলিত বই। অনেকটা অদ্রীশ বর্ধনের "আমার মা সব জানে" ধরণের। কিছু কিছু প্রশ্ন আসলেই মজার, শরীরে ট্যাট্টু করলে কর্মজীবনে প্রভাব কতোটুকু? একে ৪৭ রাইফেল এতো জনপ্রিয় কেন? কেন এতো বেশি কোরিয়ানের নাম "কিম" হয়? এ ধরণের প্রশ্নের পাশাপাশি রয়েছে বাস্তব অর্থনৈতিক সমস্যার বাখ্যা, ঘর ভাড়া নিয়ন্ত্রণ করলে কি ঘর ভাড়া কমে? জাতিসংঘ ইন্টার্নদের বিনা বেতনে খাটায় কেন? এয়ারলাইন্সগুলো তাদের খরচ কমায় কিভাবে?

অলস সময় কাটানোর জন্য এ বই বেশ ভালো।

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of interesting topics and is a great introduction to a lot of discussions, but each explanation/question in the book is very short and I just wish they had delved more deeply into each discussion. Otherwise, it was a good book and nice to read during a commute since it has short questions that you can read when you don't have a lot of time available to devote to a book.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expected more, so was sightly disappointed. The articles are all way too short to do full justice to the topics at hand. However, if you are looking for an easy read that often ends with the usual Economist witty punchline, these many snippets could be just the thing for you. Or not.

[TG Lin · Rating 2 out of 5]

這本書是由英國《經濟學人》雜誌的部落格上的文章，所集結而成的一本小書。基本上，本書的「解惑」程度，還稱不上是「專家等級」的科普研究，比較像是「記者報導」的解釋型式。所以當中有不少主題，對我們而言感覺有些遙遠（比如荷蘭人兼差比例、義大利足球球星的貼紙……）；而對我們比較接近的主題（比如亞洲各國對日本的好感度不佳，英國人搞不懂……），解釋得卻是搔不著癢胡言亂語。充其量，本書比較具有「增廣見聞」的作用，沒有讓我值得認真研讀（因為有些主題具有時效性）的必要性。
　
此外，由於我心中存有「偏見」，因此便在本書第 29 個主題「哪一國政府最愛向臉書討資料？」中，發現在第 95 頁上的圖表，明顯具有惡劣的操弄手法。一般來講，一張各國比較的圖表，在視覺上最引人注意的，當然是用「長條圖」的並列，來看出各項統計項目的高低比較。針對這個主題，我們自然預期圖表將用各國政府索討臉書用戶資料的數目，以長短差異的長條圖來表現其數字——然而本書作者，居然是拿「2013年上半到2015年上半」期間的增減百分比數據，來畫出各國的長條圖。所以呢，當我們瞥一眼這張圖表，發現在這項「羞恥指數」的統計中，以「阿根廷」和「巴西」兩國的 218% 和 128% 最顯眼。至於英國則是 92%、美國是 33%，代表他們「監控人民」的程度隨時間減少。這是什麼鬼呀！？單就數字來看，英美政府向臉書索取用戶資料一向都是數千數萬筆，而被這張刻意扭曲的圖表「批判」的阿巴兩國，全都只是一千筆上下。這完全是顛倒黑白的糟糕行為。
　
無論如何，本書還是介紹了不少各國的有趣數據。比如像 48 項主題，「美國人醫療支出大，壽命卻與智利人的壽命相仿」，十分有趣。（當然這項數據並沒有顧及到到餘命是「健康與否」……）看來壽命是無法靠著醫療手段來加以延長的。

[rockandfiocc]

non vi butterete per terra ma è carino! Il giornale The Economist si preoccupa di rispondere a domande come "chi dà il nome agli uragani?" e "quali sono i paesi in cui si fanno più figli?". Interessante da leggere e avrete spunti per cominciare nuove conversazioni con gli amici.

[Pratik Sawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's good little book of information about random things which you might not think of. Very light read and enjoyable.

[Jakub Věžník · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess this book gives you the feeling what it's like for a woman to lay with premature ejaculator. You get excited with interesting topic (despite the polution in China, Chinese in certain parts of the country now have the same life expectancy as western countries), the shirt comes off and there's something pretty to look at (a map of which countries correspond to which regions of China) and...that's it, before you get under the skin, the topic ends and is replaced by another one.

Ok, let's stop generalizing. For some topics this 1-2 pages format suits well, let's say bitcoin, if you're not interested in cryptocurrencies, then you'll get some basic understanding of bitcoin and can move onto another, hopefully more interesting topic. But topics that interests you will leave you wanting more, if you're an avid swimmer a visit to kiddies pool won't satisfy you.

See the fundamental problem here? The format of this book is good for things that doesn't interest you and bad for stuff that's exciting. It's like a recipe for failure. This is an ideal book for a grumpy man who hates stuff, but wants to know at least the basics of what he hates.

Despite the many flaws, the book does contain some interesting tidbits and trivia (my rough estimate is 20%), but it's simply not as interesting as the title claims. Many of the topics covered are even general knowledge, something you should have learnt in school...

[Alan W. Rudolph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a long-time subscriber to The Economist, which has (probably) risen to the rank of "favorite" magazine. (Do we still call them that if we primarily read the content with the app?) This is just one in a line of books from deputy editor Tom Standage that collects some of the best explainers that have previously been published, predominantly in "The Economist Explains" blog. So it's not exactly the kind of book you read front-to-back. I browsed through it randomly with a good cuppa to stretch the mind in the morning, or between last look at the tablet and lights out at the end of the day. My favorite entry was actually the very meta afterword: "Why Explainer Articles Have Become So Popular" especially the closing paragraph which explains The Economist's four-paragraph formula. It was only then that I discovered that nearly every entry was precisely that. In my job I have to explain lots of things to other people, and co-opting that format just might help me in my eternal struggle to be more concise. Enjoyable both ways as an analog book, but this kind of book is definitely when you miss the hyperlinks and connected references of a blog post. I usually ended up picking up the tablet afterward to explore more on a topic, which is probably an intent of the author and contributing journalists: mind duly stretched.

[Weronika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.75 / 5 stars

As with any book that covers multiple topics, some may seem more interesting than others and this was definitely true - some topics really intrigued me while others just made me skip until the conclusion part. Overall, it is an informative read of which it was interesting to gain an insight on World War Zero, The 3 parent baby, dialect / language and how even airlines go about cutting costs. My main problem is perhaps the length of these; only three pages (maximum) were given for these topics, and for some that was nowhere near enough as the topic was mostly brushed over and I learned nothing. Some examples include one article that simply paints 'Bitcoin' as complex and Batman's size (this one was too random for me to be honest) in all the movies, even including the lego movie size...

The Bottom Line:
Overall, it is a great little book that can start topics and I can appreciate it for that despite some articles being glossed over too much to make them a valuable addition to the collection. A fun, informative little read though - I even had fun reading it while on a road-trip with friends as it sparked interesting debates on topics!

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

mul olid kõrged ootused selle raamatu osas, sest mulle üldiselt meeldib, kuidas The Economist asju seletab. selline selge, enamasti neljalõiguline formaat: sissejuhatus, taust, seletus, kokkuvõte. vahel asjalik graafik ka kõrval.

ja täpselt seda Go Figure mulle pakkuski, aga... ma vist lootsin rohkem üllatusi? lubati, et saan teada asju, millest ma ei tea, et ma neid ei tea, aga enamuse kohta ma tegelikult teadsin, et ei tea. samas, ega ma polnud vaevunud suuremat osa neist enne järele ka uurima, nii et abiks ikka.

see on selline hea kempsu- või öökapiraamat. hoiad varuks ja loed aegajalt artikli või paar (originaalis need ongi mingid artiklid või blogipostitused nagunii). midagi maailmamuutvat vast ei õpi, aga obskuursed faktid ongi huvitavamad. minu lemmik mu uutest teadmistest on see, mis käib Guinnessi õlle kohta!

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short essays reprinted from The Economist about a host of interesting enough subjects that explain in adequate detail and clarity stuff that is worth considering, for a while.: why death row inmates will most likely die of old age; why vultures are vanishing (they are being poisoned by medication given to livestock that they feed on); why pigs are so important to China; do rent controls work; why India loves cricket; the trouble with space junk (there is too much of it, with no real way to get rid of it).
Read as bedtime reading, for which it was ideal–short essays of 2 to 4 pages, on interesting subjects, well written for clarity to a general audience.
I will remember little of the specifics, and even as I look through it for some topics to record, I have already forgotten many of them. But it was a fun book that served its purpose of lolling me to sleep

[Popup-ch · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of very short pieces on various 'interesting topics' written in a fairly chatty voice. Most (all?) of the topics have been previously covered in the 'Economist Explains' column from The Economist, where Standage is deputy editor, but the articles have been expanded a little bit, with some interesting tidbits.
The topics covered are very varied, from the classification of 'backward castes' in India and population growth estimates for Nigeria to road traffic safety in Sweden and childbirth mortality in America. Many of the topics are worthy of a more serious treatment, and the gloss here barely touches on many aspects of the topics.

[Vanessa Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining book with random facts only lasting 1-2 pages on each. Perfect for people with a short attention span as it jumps before you can get bored. Would I read it again? No, but that doesn’t mean, it wasn’t insightful. Would I recommend it, yes, if you’re looking for an easy read before bedtime, it delves into why some societies are the way they are. It loses steam half way through with the ‘by the numbers’ section. I would scrap this section altogether bar how airlines cut costs as the overall section was drab and monotonous. The last section could also have been cut by two thirds. Didn’t need to be 200+ plus.

[Color · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the short essays explaining wide array of topics but then I read 'in India they are revising 500 year old laws to allow people marry out of caste, village etc' . There are no such laws. Anyone can marry anyone of legal age with consent. So I had to doubt all other info given in this book.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a good read of questions. In many cases they offer answers to interesting questions, however in some cases they merely discussed the question and it's ideas rather than provide answers and details. Worth the #2017ReadingChallenge read.

[Jbussen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Your basic answers to question almost nobody would ask, unless your drunk or stoned sitting around a bar. Very short articles and chatty humorous snippets, a easy read BR Reader. Nothing in depth or extraordinary here.

[Márton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting topics, however, every chapter ends up being quite short. Good for a quick read on the bus or for when you don't have enough time for reading long chapters on a book.
While it won't go in depth on those subjects, it will spark a curiosity to look for more info on them.

[Franz Kafka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this along with my subscription to the economist. Packed with information. However the style of writing, also why I've stopped reading the economist is that they don't get to the point most of the time and it's very annoying.

[Firat Tarman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eğlencelik olarak okunabilir, ilginç bilgiler de var. Ancak ciddi bir bilimsel birikim edinilecek bir kitap değil. Anlatım dili de pek çekici değil.

Fazla boş vaktiniz varsa okunabilir, aksi durumda zamanınızı daha iyi kitaplara harcayın.

[Mustafa Hussain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this has a freebie when I signed up to The Economists magazine.
Amazing books with lots, lots & lots of interesting facts about places, cultures, data & historic events.
Book designed to give the readers many “light bulb” & “pause for thought” moments.

[Kelimelerinzihni]

Sokrates " Bilge bir insan, neleri bilmediğinin farkındadır" diyor. Bu kitap bilmediğiniz bilmediğiniz şeyler hakkında. Şimdi Sen Düşün! bilmediğinizi bilmediğiniz 108 farklı sorunun cevabını veriyor. Tom Standage okuyucuyu bilgilendirici ve ilginç bir tura çıkarıyor.

[Delson Roche · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that answers pretty interesting questions, very thoroughly and nicely. Questions are quite contemporary and answer's well researched. Also, they cover the globe quite evenly- not just west centric.

[Nhân Tùng]

Complex term and interesting facts, combined with clear and thorough expression by the authors, seems to bring a new wind to my mind.
If you are like me, a curious geek who want to find out about almost everything, the book is surely a must

[Charlotte De Klerck · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up.

This nice little book was perfectly concise, with each topic (chapter) between one to three pages. As a result, it was a very quick and easy read.

All of the topics were interesting, but I agree with previous reviews that the lack of depth was - at times - frustrating.

[William Huan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great bedtime book....nothing too complicated and quick snippets, just like Reader's Digest.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cannot think of a better book to read on public transport or the toilet.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite interesting for the first few chapters but ultimately became a bit repetitive and boring.

[Nick Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like popcorn - delicious, mildly addictive and slightly nutritious.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect toilet book :D