Man vs Big Data: Everyday data explained

by Stewart Cowley, Joe Lyward (Illustrator)

Have you ever wondered how to beat the bookies?
How does your computer know you might like this song?
And should you be worried about this?

Everything we do leaves a trail of data behind, from buying something on a credit card, to using a GPS-enabled mobile phone – whether you know it or not, like it or not, Big Data is now a part of modern life. Heralded as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is now more crucial than ever to learn about how data is affecting the way we live. Exploring the numerous ways in which ‘Big Data’ has, sometimes imperceptibly, infiltrated our lives, this accessible and informative book looks at one of the most important subjects facing us today, and helps you get to grips with what that means for you. With quirky, humorous illustrations this important book distills the complexities of the most absorbing statistics and data of modern life, showing us how understanding a little more can help improve your life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology

224 pages, Paperback

Published October 19, 2017

About the author

Stewart^^Cowley has been working in financial markets since 1987. He is one of a handful of people to have ever held a triple-A rating by Standard & Poor’s and was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal for long-term investment performance by FE Trustnet. He has also been one of the UK’s most visible fund managers, having written for the New Statesman, the Sunday Telegraph and Citywire. He has made frequent appearances on BBC TV and radio and Sky News. His previous books, Man vs Money and Man vs Big Data, have both been bestsellers.

Reviews

[Mariem Gaafar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It found the book both informative and entertaining. It is suitable for non technical folks. My favorite thing about this book is that it highlights the potential of big data in multiple fields but I believe that there are many other fields that remain unaddressed by the book.
It might be a little boring in the beginning for someone coming from a technical background because it explains very basic concepts, but it gets more and more interesting in later chapters.

[Khoi Nguyen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pros: Accessible writing. The book is not overly padded out.

Cons: 1) This is a very superficial review of Big Data that never goes beyond the depth of an Wikipedia article and often falls far short of even that. If you have the internet, you can write this book in three weeks.
2) Many big and small inaccuracies shows that the author doesn't really understand what he is writing about. Example: his made-up example of a relational database is completely wrong. His distinction between machine learning and AI: also wrong.
3) His view of macroeconomics, politics, medicine, and other touched-upon topics are similar to that of a lay reader who once in while skims news articles without an ounce of critical thinking.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of the book were standard, not finding out much new. The illustrations made it an enjoyable primer however the chapter on marathon running was 5 stars and made the book worth reading. Although it did confuse the difference between elite runners and the average, contrary to the cited research on running energy use, it is actually useful to read for runners and would be good to expand to a whole book.

[GCP · Rating 2 out of 5]

High level overview oriented towards non-technical folks. Does not go deep into Big Data topics.

[Fera Khalil · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some good topics that can be futhered explored. Overall the writing was easy to read, but, I do feel the ideas were brief and could be further expanded & be a lot more interesting read.

[Stuart Haining · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as interesting (to me) as the money book but some great insights about things like using exercise only to lose weight, now I know why its difficult....plus of course privacy, so at least its a little easier now to know what you need to do to remain anonymous!


And discovered a real gem at the end of the book about DNA sequencing (for medical use, not just tracing ancestors) which led me to discover what used to cost £2,000,000,000 per study can probably now be purchased for £400 or less.....that's the power of data!