Turn yourself into a Data Head. You'll become a more valuable employee and make your organization more successful. Thomas H. Davenport, Research Fellow, Author of Competing on Analytics, Big Data @ Work, and The AI AdvantageYou've heard the hype around data?now get the facts.In Becoming a Data Head: How to Think, Speak, and Understand Data Science, Statistics, and Machine Learning, award-winning data scientists Alex Gutman and Jordan Goldmeier pull back the curtain on data science and give you the language and tools necessary to talk and think critically about it.You'll learn how to:Think statistically and understand the role variation plays in your life and decision makingSpeak intelligently and ask the right questions about the statistics and results you encounter in the workplaceUnderstand what's really going on with machine learning, text analytics, deep learning, and artificial intelligenceAvoid common pitfalls when working with and interpreting dataBecoming a Data Head is a complete guide for data science in the workplace: covering everything from the personalities you’ll work with to the math behind the algorithms. The authors have spent years in data trenches and sought to create a fun, approachable, and eminently bingeable book. Anyone can become a Data Head—an active participant in data science, statistics, and machine learning. Whether you're a business professional, engineer, executive, or aspiring data scientist, this book is for you.This audiobook is skillfully read by Brian Arens and was produced and published by Echo Point Books & Media, an independent bookseller in Brattleboro, Vermont.PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. Read more

Benoit B. Mandelbrot, one of the century’s most influential mathematicians, is world-famous for making mathematical sense of a fact everybody knows but that geometers from Euclid on down had never assimilated: Clouds are not round, mountains are not cones, coastlines are not smooth. To these classic lines we can now add another example: Markets are not the safe bet your broker may claim.In his first book for a general audience, Mandelbrot, with co-author Richard L. Hudson, shows how the dominant way of thinking about the behavior of markets-a set of mathematical assumptions a century old and still learned by every MBA and financier in the world-simply does not work. As he did for the physical world in his classic The Fractal Geometry of Nature, Mandelbrot here uses fractal geometry to propose a new, more accurate way of describing market behavior. The complex gyrations of IBM’s stock price and the dollar-euro exchange rate can now be reduced to straightforward formulae that yield a far better model of how risky they are.With his fractal tools, Mandelbrot has gotten to the bottom of how financial markets really work, and in doing so, he describes the volatile, dangerous (and strangely beautiful) properties that financial experts have never before accounted for. The result is no less than the foundation for a new science of finance. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. Read more

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A former Wall Street quant sounds the alarm on Big Data and the mathematical models that threaten to rip apart our social fabric—with a new afterword “A manual for the twenty-first-century citizen . . . relevant and urgent.”—Financial Times NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review The Boston GlobeWired Fortune Kirkus Reviews The Guardian Nature On Point We live in the age of the algorithm. Increasingly, the decisions that affect our lives—where we go to school, whether we can get a job or a loan, how much we pay for health insurance—are being made not by humans, but by machines. In theory, this should lead to greater fairness: Everyone is judged according to the same rules. But as mathematician and data scientist Cathy O’Neil reveals, the mathematical models being used today are unregulated and uncontestable, even when they’re wrong. Most troubling, they reinforce discrimination—propping up the lucky, punishing the downtrodden, and undermining our democracy in the process. Welcome to the dark side of Big Data. Read more

The world economy and its entire, historic, economic production has been fueled by one thing, and one thing only - sex. Specifically, men’s desire to have sex with young and beautiful females. It’s not specifically female youth and beauty per se, as much as it is the fertility these things signal. But make no mistake, female youth and beauty has powered the world economy since the beginning of time. And men are the economic engines that run on it.Consequently, in their pursuit of women, men have not only produced nearly every penny of GDP, but have created nearly every technological innovation in the history of the world. They’ve built civilizations from the ground up. Cured diseases through amazing medical advances. Laid incredible multitrillion dollar transportation and communications infrastructures. And it isn’t even these great, Herculean achievements of man, as much as it is the daily grind billions of men today and in the past went through to attract wives and support families. From waking up in the morning to going to school, to suffering a commute to working overtime, to hitting the gym to majoring in STEM, to going to war, and even to the granular level of choosing which shirt to buy or what car to finance, nearly all of a man’s post-pubescent life is directly or indirectly dedicated toward the pursuit of women. And if there were no women, $90 trillion in global GDP and $360 trillion in wealth would simply disappear overnight. And the army of 50 billion men who’ve existed on this planet would never have produced the $3 quadrillion in total historic GDP that built society. Without female youth and beauty, humanity would simply not exist.But there is an opposite side to this total, historical, global GDP coin. Because while society screams bloody murder over wealth and income gaps between the sexes, nobody asks how all this economic production, let alone these financial disparities, came about. And while men no doubt out-earn women and own the lion’s share of global wealth, it is only because for every penny of GDP, a man’s labor was put into it. That for every technological innovation, a man paid a price in terms of time, effort, toil, and mental energy. And the $90 trillion in global GDP we see today is not just cryptically “the total economic production of the world", but can also be viewed as the total price men pay for their pursuit of women.And this essay asks just one simple question - “Is it worth it?”To date, no serious economic analysis has been conducted on what is nothing short of the most important economic question facing men. And since men will likely account for the majority of economic production and technical innovation in the future, this also makes it the most important economic question facing the world. However, while the economic ramifications of men's pursuit of women are truly global, this essay has no grandiose ideas of convincing the world, let alone the economics profession, about the importance of whether it's in men's best interests to continue this pursuit. It only cares about the individual man reading this essay and whether the pursuit of women is personally worth it to him. In that regard, this essay aims to inform the reader about the real mathematical chances of success he faces in the pursuit of women, as well as the modern-day risks, so that he may make an informed economic decision as to how he best invests his life. It also aims to align the reader's expectations with reality so his life is not ruined by delusion or hope, both of which have ruined millions of lives in the past. But in short, this essay is nothing less than the most important cost-benefit analysis any man will read, which makes it mandatory reading for any man who wishes to take his life seriously. Read more

Named a Best Book of the Year by Forbes and The Economist From our "greatest living statistical communicator" (Tim Harford) comes an invaluable, data-driven guide for understanding―and learning to embrace―risk and uncertainty in our daily lives.How dangerous is our diet? How much of sports falls into the realm of luck? When authorities categorize a given event as “highly likely”―how likely is that, really? Whether we’re trying to decide if the benefits of a new medication are worth the chance of side effects or if artificial intelligence truly threatens humanity, our lives are riddled with uncertainties both everyday and existential―yet it can be difficult to know how to properly weigh all those unknowns. Luckily for us, renowned statistician David Spiegelhalter has spent his career dissecting data to resolve the apparently random and decode the many decisions we face with imperfect information. In The Art of Uncertainty, he shows how we can become better at dealing with what we don’t know to make smarter choices in a world so full of puzzling variablesIn lucid, lively prose, Spiegelhalter guides us through the principles of probability, illustrating how they can help us think more analytically about everything from medical advice to sports to climate change forecasts. He demonstrates how taking a mathematical approach to phenomena we might otherwise attribute to fate or luck can help us sort hidden patterns from mere coincidences, better evaluate cause and effect, and predict what’s likely to happen in the future. Along the way, we learn how a misinterpretation of a probability contributed to the infamous Bay of Pigs fiasco, why a ship twice the size of the Titanic sank without a trace, and why we can be so confident that no two properly shuffled decks of cards have ever been in the same orderSparkling with wit and fascinating real-world examples, this is an essential guide to navigating uncertainty while also retaining the humility to admit what we don’t, or simply cannot, know. 63 graphs, charts, and photographs Read more

Over Half a Million Copies Sold--an Honest-to-Goodness Bestseller Darrell Huff runs the gamut of every popularly used type of statistic, probes such things as the sample study, the tabulation method, the interview technique, or the way the results are derived from the figures, and points up the countless number of dodges which are used to full rather than to inform. Read more

The fun and easy way to get down to business with statisticsStymied by statistics? No fear? this friendly guide offers clear, practical explanations of statistical ideas, techniques, formulas, and calculations, with lots of examples that show you how these concepts apply to your everyday life.Statistics For Dummies shows you how to interpret and critique graphs and charts, determine the odds with probability, guesstimate with confidence using confidence intervals, set up and carry out a hypothesis test, compute statistical formulas, and more.Tracks to a typical first semester statistics courseUpdated examples resonate with today's studentsExplanations mirror teaching methods and classroom protocolPacked with practical advice and real-world problems, Statistics For Dummies gives you everything you need to analyze and interpret data for improved classroom or on-the-job performance. Read more

Fooled by Randomness is a stand-alone book in Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s landmark Incerto series, an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don’t understand. The other books in the series are The Black Swan, Antifragile, Skin in the Game, and The Bed of Procrustes.Fooled by Randomness is the word-of-mouth sensation that will change the way you think about business and the world. Nassim Nicholas Taleb - veteran trader, renowned risk expert, polymathic scholar, erudite raconteur, and New York Times best-selling author of The Black Swan - has penned a modern classic that turns on its head what we believe about luck and skill.This book is about luck - or more precisely, about how we perceive and deal with luck in life and business. Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill - the world of trading - Fooled by Randomness provides captivating insight into one of the least understood factors in all our lives. Presented in an entertaining narrative style, the author tackles major intellectual issues related to the underestimation of the influence of happenstance on our lives.The book is populated with an array of characters, some of whom have grasped, in their own way, the significance of chance: the baseball legend Yogi Berra; the philosopher of knowledge Karl Popper; the ancient world’s wisest man, Solon; the modern financier George Soros; and the Greek voyager Odysseus. We also meet the fictional Nero, who seems to understand the role of randomness in his professional life but falls victim to his own superstitious foolishness.However, the most recognizable character of all remains unnamed - the lucky fool who happens to be in the right place at the right time - he embodies the “survival of the least fit”. Such individuals attract devoted followers who believe in their guru’s insights and methods. But no one can replicate what is obtained by chance.Are we capable of distinguishing the fortunate charlatan from the genuine visionary? Must we always try to uncover nonexistent messages in random events? It may be impossible to guard ourselves against the vagaries of the goddess Fortuna, but after listening to Fooled by Randomness, we can be a little better prepared.Includes bonus pdf of tables and figures.Praise for Fooled by Randomness:Named by Fortune One of the Smartest Books of All TimeA Financial Times Best Business Book of the YearPLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. Read more

A New York Times bestseller "Brilliant, funny…the best math teacher you never had." ―San Francisco ChronicleOnce considered tedious, the field of statistics is rapidly evolving into a discipline Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, has actually called "sexy." From batting averages and political polls to game shows and medical research, the real-world application of statistics continues to grow by leaps and bounds. How can we catch schools that cheat on standardized tests? How does Netflix know which movies you’ll like? What is causing the rising incidence of autism? As best-selling author Charles Wheelan shows us in Naked Statistics, the right data and a few well-chosen statistical tools can help us answer these questions and more.For those who slept through Stats 101, this book is a lifesaver. Wheelan strips away the arcane and technical details and focuses on the underlying intuition that drives statistical analysis. He clarifies key concepts such as inference, correlation, and regression analysis, reveals how biased or careless parties can manipulate or misrepresent data, and shows us how brilliant and creative researchers are exploiting the valuable data from natural experiments to tackle thorny questions.And in Wheelan’s trademark style, there’s not a dull page in sight. You’ll encounter clever Schlitz Beer marketers leveraging basic probability, an International Sausage Festival illuminating the tenets of the central limit theorem, and a head-scratching choice from the famous game show Let’s Make a Deal―and you’ll come away with insights each time. With the wit, accessibility, and sheer fun that turned Naked Economics into a bestseller, Wheelan defies the odds yet again by bringing another essential, formerly unglamorous discipline to life. Read more

Fooled by Randomness is a standalone book in Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s landmark Incerto series, an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don’t understand. The other books in the series are The Black Swan, Antifragile, Skin in the Game, and The Bed of Procrustes.Fooled by Randomness is the word-of-mouth sensation that will change the way you think about business and the world. Nassim Nicholas Taleb–veteran trader, renowned risk expert, polymathic scholar, erudite raconteur, and New York Times bestselling author of The Black Swan–has written a modern classic that turns on its head what we believe about luck and skill. This book is about luck–or more precisely, about how we perceive and deal with luck in life and business. Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill–the world of trading–Fooled by Randomness provides captivating insight into one of the least understood factors in all our lives. Writing in an entertaining narrative style, the author tackles major intellectual issues related to the underestimation of the influence of happenstance on our lives. The book is populated with an array of characters, some of whom have grasped, in their own way, the significance of chance: the baseball legend Yogi Berra; the philosopher of knowledge Karl Popper; the ancient world’s wisest man, Solon; the modern financier George Soros; and the Greek voyager Odysseus. We also meet the fictional Nero, who seems to understand the role of randomness in his professional life but falls victim to his own superstitious foolishness. However, the most recognizable character of all remains unnamed–the lucky fool who happens to be in the right place at the right time–he embodies the “survival of the least fit.” Such individuals attract devoted followers who believe in their guru’s insights and methods. But no one can replicate what is obtained by chance. Are we capable of distinguishing the fortunate charlatan from the genuine visionary? Must we always try to uncover nonexistent messages in random events? It may be impossible to guard ourselves against the vagaries of the goddess Fortuna, but after reading Fooled by Randomness we can be a little better prepared. Named by Fortune One of the Smartest Books of All Time A Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year Read more

Named a Best Book of the Year by Forbes and The EconomistFrom our "greatest living statistical communicator" (Tim Harford) comes an invaluable, data-driven guide for understanding—and learning to embrace—risk and uncertainty in our daily lives.How dangerous is our diet? How much of sports falls into the realm of luck? When authorities categorize a given event as “highly likely”—how likely is that, really? Whether we’re trying to decide if the benefits of a new medication are worth the chance of side effects or if artificial intelligence truly threatens humanity, our lives are riddled with uncertainties both everyday and existential—yet it can be difficult to know how to properly weigh all those unknowns. Luckily for us, renowned statistician David Spiegelhalter has spent his career dissecting data to resolve the apparently random and decode the many decisions we face with imperfect information. In The Art of Uncertainty, he shows how we can become better at dealing with what we don’t know to make smarter choices in a world so full of puzzling variablesIn lucid, lively prose, Spiegelhalter guides us through the principles of probability, illustrating how they can help us think more analytically about everything from medical advice to sports to climate change forecasts. He demonstrates how taking a mathematical approach to phenomena we might otherwise attribute to fate or luck can help us sort hidden patterns from mere coincidences, better evaluate cause and effect, and predict what’s likely to happen in the future. Along the way, we learn how a misinterpretation of a probability contributed to the infamous Bay of Pigs fiasco, why a ship twice the size of the Titanic sank without a trace, and why we can be so confident that no two properly shuffled decks of cards have ever been in the same orderSparkling with wit and fascinating real-world examples, this is an essential guide to navigating uncertainty while also retaining the humility to admit what we don’t, or simply cannot, know. Read more

In this "important and comprehensive" guide to statistical thinking (New Yorker), discover how you can use data and mathematics to gain a better understanding of life’s biggest problems.     The age of big data has made statistical literacy more important than ever. In The Art of Statistics, David Spiegelhalter shows how to apply statistical reasoning to real-world problems. Whether we're analyzing preventative medical screening or the terrible crime sprees of serial killers, Spiegelhalter teaches us how to clarify questions, assumptions, and expectations and, most importantly, how to interpret the answers we receive. Combining the incomparable insight of an expert with the playful enthusiasm of an aficionado, The Art of Statistics is the definitive guide to the power of data.   "A call to arms for greater societal data literacy . . . a reminder that there are passionate, self-aware statisticians who can argue eloquently that their discipline is needed now more than ever." -- Financial Times Read more

None

Now updated with new measurement methods and new examples, How to Measure Anything shows managers how to inform themselves in order to make less risky, more profitable business decisionsThis insightful and eloquent book will show you how to measure those things in your own business, government agency or other organization that, until now, you may have considered "immeasurable," including customer satisfaction, organizational flexibility, technology risk, and technology ROI.Adds new measurement methods, showing how they can be applied to a variety of areas such as risk management and customer satisfactionSimplifies overall content while still making the more technical applications available to those readers who want to dig deeperContinues to boldly assert that any perception of "immeasurability" is based on certain popular misconceptions about measurement and measurement methodsShows the common reasoning for calling something immeasurable, and sets out to correct those ideasOffers practical methods for measuring a variety of "intangibles"Provides an online database (www.howtomeasureanything.com) of downloadable, practical examples worked out in detailed spreadsheetsWritten by recognized expert Douglas Hubbard―creator of Applied Information Economics―How to Measure Anything, Third Edition illustrates how the author has used his approach across various industries and how any problem, no matter how difficult, ill defined, or uncertain can lend itself to measurement using proven methods. Read more

Statistics problems can make the best students shudder as they near the classroom, but they need not worry any longer—QuickStudy is here to help! A comprehensive, up-to-date collection of tips and tricks for understanding statistics/probability is contained in this 3-panel (6-page) guide, which is designed with easy-to-use icons to help students go right to the equations and problems they most need to learn, and also call out helpful tips to use and common pitfalls to avoid. Read more

Written by renowned data science experts Foster Provost and Tom Fawcett, Data Science for Business introduces the fundamental principles of data science, and walks you through the "data-analytic thinking" necessary for extracting useful knowledge and business value from the data you collect. This guide also helps you understand the many data-mining techniques in use today. Based on an MBA course Provost has taught at New York University over the past ten years, Data Science for Business provides examples of real-world business problems to illustrate these principles. You’ll not only learn how to improve communication between business stakeholders and data scientists, but also how participate intelligently in your company’s data science projects. You’ll also discover how to think data-analytically, and fully appreciate how data science methods can support business decision-making. Understand how data science fits in your organization―and how you can use it for competitive advantage Treat data as a business asset that requires careful investment if you’re to gain real value Approach business problems data-analytically, using the data-mining process to gather good data in the most appropriate way Learn general concepts for actually extracting knowledge from data Apply data science principles when interviewing data science job candidates Read more

Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted To Know is an approachable and captivating guide to understand the complicated world of data  From raw data to actionable insights - journey through the essentials of data analytics. Data analytics is becoming increasingly important in today's data-driven society, and so has the demand for data analysts. Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted to Know (Data Analytics Essentials) is a comprehensive yet succinct manual, perfect for you if you are trying to understand the fundamentals of data analytics. It gives a concise introduction to data analytics and its current applicability.   Upon reading this book, you will get: A fundamental comprehension of data analytics, including its types An understanding of data analytics processes, software tools, and a range of analytics methodologies A comprehension of what daily tasks and procedures the data analysts follow An investigation into the vast field of big data analytics, covering its possibilities and challenges An understanding of the existing legal frameworks, as well as ethical and privacy issues in data analytics Application-based learning using a variety of real-world case studies   This book is a great tool for professionals switching to a career in data analytics and for students who want to learn the basics of data analytics. It will give you a strong foundation by explaining everything in an easy-to-understand language. Data Analytics Essentials goes beyond a theoretical manual and contains real-world case studies and fun facts to help you enhance your knowledge. The chapter summaries and self-assessment tests along with every chapter will help you test yourself as you move from one concept to the next. Read more

Adam Grant’s “8 New Idea Books to Start Spring”Next Big Idea Club's Must-Read Books for May 2024"A wonderful litany of the myriad ways in which we can be deceived, and deceive ourselves."—The Guardian"Entertaining, thorough and full of current examples. . . . It’s excellent." —The Wall Street JournalHow our biases cause us to fall for misinformation—and how to combat it. Our lives are minefields of misinformation. It ripples through our social media feeds, our daily headlines, and the pronouncements of politicians, executives, and authors. Stories, statistics, and studies are everywhere, allowing people to find evidence to support whatever position they want. Many of these sources are flawed, yet by playing on our emotions and preying on our biases, they can gain widespread acceptance, warp our views, and distort our decisions.   In this eye-opening book, renowned economist Alex Edmans teaches us how to separate fact from fiction. Using colorful examples—from a wellness guru’s tragic but fabricated backstory to the blunders that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster to the diet that ensnared millions yet hastened its founder’s death—Edmans highlights the biases that cause us to mistake statements for facts, facts for data, data for evidence, and evidence for proof.   Armed with the knowledge of what to guard against, he then provides a practical guide to combat this tide of misinformation. Going beyond simply checking the facts and explaining individual statistics, Edmans explores the relationships between statistics—the science of cause and effect—ultimately training us to think smarter, sharper, and more critically. May Contain Lies is an essential read for anyone who wants to make better sense of the world and better decisions. Read more

Are you intimidated by statistics? Do you struggle to make sense of the numbers and data that are so prevalent in today's world? If so, you're not alone. Statistics can be a challenging and complex subject, but with the right guidance, you can learn the basics and understand the world through data – without the calculations. That's why I’ve created Statistics for the Rest of Us, the ultimate guide to understanding statistics without complex equations.Statistics is a vital subject to learn.Statistics is used in almost every field and industry imaginable. From healthcare to finance to marketing, statistics are used to make important decisions, identify patterns and trends, and predict future outcomes. Without a basic understanding of statistics, it's easy to be left behind and taken advantage of.If you wonder where should you start, start here.Statistics for the Rest of Us takes a step-by-step approach to teaching the fundamentals of statistics ensuring that you'll never feel lost or overwhelmed. Whether you're a complete beginner or simply need a refresher, this book will guide you through the fundamental concepts in descriptive and inferential statistics. Simple. Easy-to-follow.Avoid getting misled and manipulated. From determining the average age of your customers, the most popular product in your store, or the likelihood of a patient recovering from a particular illness, you can use this statistics manual to seek answers or to interpret the answers of others. The possibilities are endless, and with Statistics for the Rest of Us, you'll be equipped to make sense of it all.This book is for you especially if you're not a math person. Don't worry, this book is designed for the math shy. Written in a clear, jargon-free language and an abundance of real-world examples, Statistics for the Rest of Us will help you understand the concepts and apply them to your advantage.Albert Rutherford is an internationally bestselling author whose writing derives from various sources, such as research, coaching, academic, and real-life experience.What can you expect to learn from Statistics for the Rest of Us? Here's just a taste:The difference between descriptive and inferential statistics, and when to use eachHow to statistics is applied in your everyday lifeThe 5 biggest misuses of statistics and how to spot themHow to interpret and create statistically relevant analysesThe very basics of the Bayesian Theorem – in plain EnglishHow to become highly sensitive to data manipulationUnlock the power of statistics, take your understanding of data to the next level, and start your journey towards statistical mastery. Read more

'A wonderful page-turner about a fascinating idea that should affect the way every thinking person thinks about the world around him' Michael LewisIn this brilliant and original book, Malcolm Gladwell explains and analyses the 'tipping point', that magic moment when ideas, trends and social behaviour cross a threshold, tip and spread like wildfire. Taking a look behind the surface of many familiar occurrences in our everyday world, Gladwell explains the fascinating social dynamics that cause rapid change.'Hip and hopeful, THE TIPPING POINT is like the idea it describes: concise, elegant but packed with social power. A book for anyone who cares about how society works and how we can make it better' George Stephanopoulos Read more