The World's Best Book Summaries
Is society’s reliance on technology really all that great? How do data and technology fail to make accurate predictions? It’s assumed that, with technological advancements, machines can help us do anything. This includes predicting the future. But, in actuality, they’re more wrong than ever. Continue reading to learn how our reliance on technology prevents us from making correct predictions.
Why is it hard to make predictions? How can you tell what the future has in store for you? According to The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver, prediction is an inherently challenging endeavor. He explores how insufficient information, system complexity, and the tendency of small errors to compound all limit the accuracy of predictions. Here’s why you can’t predict the future and the challenges you’ll face when attempting to.
Why do most predictions fail? How can we make better predictions that save people from catastrophic events? In The Signal and the Noise, Nate Silver argues that our predictions falter because of mental mistakes such as incorrect assumptions, overconfidence, and warped incentives. However, he also suggests that we can mitigate these thinking errors with the help of a method called Bayesian inference. Read below for a brief overview of The Signal and the Noise.
What are the disadvantages of data analytics in product development? How can hard data fail to support business innovation? In his book Competing Against Luck, Clayton Christensen challenges the conventional thinking around business innovation and highlights the disadvantages of relying solely on data analytics to guide decision-making. Christensen argues that this approach often leads to disappointment. Keep reading to learn the two key disadvantages of data analytics in business, according to Christensen.
Where are climate trends headed? Should we be concerned or encouraged? Many scientists and activists believe that the climate has already passed a tipping point and that environmental catastrophe is inevitable. Michael Shellenberger believes that environmental alarmists overstate their claims and that there’s a reason for hope for our planet’s future. Keep reading to learn Shellenberger’s argument for climate optimism.
When you’re implementing change, what metrics should you monitor? How can you protect the process when data fails you? In Upstream, Dan Heath explains how people can intentionally foster an upstream mindset to effect real change. He recommends several ways you can implement upstream solutions in any context. One of these is using data to guide experimentation. Read more to learn about data-driven solutions and some challenges that come with the territory.
Do you want to solve a major problem in your organization or in society at large? How can you intentionally foster an upstream mindset with those around you? In Upstream, business writer Dan Heath explains a strategy for focusing energy on proactive, long-term solutions: upstream problem-solving. He shares recommendations for implementing upstream solutions in any context, and he points out three roadblocks that are likely to be in your way. Continue reading for Heath’s advice for moving upstream along with an exercise to help you implement his ideas.
How much has the Earth warmed? Is extreme weather getting worse? Are climate scientists in agreement? In Unsettled, a book about climate change, former energy industry scientist Steven E. Koonin doesn’t deny that the planet is warming and that humans are partly to blame. But, he challenges the evidence and prediction models, coming to some conclusions that not everyone shares. Read more for an overview of Koonin’s book.
How much is the Earth warming? What’s the cause? What does the future hold? With all of the information about climate change available at your fingertips, you probably still have unanswered questions. In Unsettled, former energy industry scientist Steven E. Koonin provides his answers to three of the biggest questions in the conversation. Continue reading for three climate change questions and answers from Koonin.
Why are sea levels rising? What do the data say? Can we know for sure? “Climate Scientists Unsure Whether Rising Sea Levels the Result of Human Influences” isn’t a click-worthy headline. But, former energy industry scientist Steven E. Koonin argues that it would be more accurate than what we typically see in the news. Read on to learn what we know—and don’t know—about the cause of rising sea levels.