"Thou art too damned jolly. Sail on." Herman Melville in Moby Dick
Current book-selection rotation: B, M, J, A, K
Monday, November 23, 2009
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
I just bought the book this weekend, and if i wasn't busy mending clothes - yes I sew - I would have started it. Hoping to knock it out over the long weekend.
Okay, I'll go. I did enjoy this book, it was an "easy" read. I especially liked the part about teachers "updating" tests, and it SO could happen and I am sure it does. If not by the teachers, by everyone up the chain until the scores reach their final destination.
And since we just bought a house (as a rental property), I was intrigued by the real estate code words and went back to look at the ad for our house, ummm should we say it was "charming".
Eli has lots of books, a nice positive correlation......
Good or bad, my name was not on any list - unique? I guess so!
I am in the bonus section right now. I quite enjoyed the book, maybe 'cause it was my pick, but I think the findings were very thought provoking, and most of them, from my perspective, made total sense.
I think I was most surprised by the correlation between the crime rates and abortion, but I guess numbers don't lie . . . Does not being horrified by this make me a demon spawn of satan??
I also found the study on real estate very interesting and hope if Sammy and I delve into that realm again that I will remember those points on descriptions, price, agents, etc.
My name was also not on any of the lists, so I will put myself in the unique category too:)
This was a good book - and not something I would have _ever_ picked up myself.
I must say I was just blown away by the teacher cheating. I never in a million years would have suspected such conduct. I guess teachers have always been symbols of all that was good and just in the world for me. Now I'm jaded. And those poor kids. Of course the shady education, but what a blow to the ego, to have a decent score as part of your self-image, only to have it ripped away the following year.
NPR once did a story on mamograms, how many are done each year compared with positive cancer detections versus how many false positives, false negatives and negative results. It was really quite extrodinary, showing that they are pretty much the most inefectual test you can perform as a non-symptomized general public initial screening. I'd be interested to see a freakonomics study applied to that data.
Regarding the factors that influence a child's test scores, before reading the chapter I didn't think the following would, but they do: The childs parents have high socio-economic status The child's parents are involved in the PTA and I did think that these factors would, but apparently they don't: The child's family is intact The child frequently watches television.
Regarding the predicted top baby names of 2015, I think the following are almost ready to hit their boom: Girls: Ava Emma Isabel Sophie Boys: Aiden Beckett Carter Liam
I was thinking that we could take some of the other lists and make new name combinations for redneck life.
Okay, I'm finally finished. First- I agree with Joy, Shu-teed had to be my favorite part. Who would do that to their child? And all the child's teachers who are trying to figure out how to pronounce the name so as not to embarass the poor child!
I really enjoyed the chapter on why drug dealers live with their mothers. It was an interesting look at a part of society that I haven't spent much time around.
I can't say that I was really surprised by the teachers adjusting exam scores. There isn't that much pressure on profs and yet I know of some that artificially inflate student grades so that they look good (not ME, of course). :-)
My name was on the list of most popular names in the 1980s- go figure. Otherwise, no other lists. It was fun to see the names I recognize from family and friends. While I like unique names, sometimes when I look at my class lists I have to shudder. I'm supposed to know how to pronounce these names?
Otherwise, I can see how some of the results are controversial, but I also think some of the research designs utilized by Levitt are a little flawed. For example, you can't really generalize from one or two cases and some of the theories are based on only a few cases (understandably, since he is right that in the social sciences researchers must rely on natural experiments like randomly assigning students to schools). I had a specific example to back up this thought, but I already returned the book to the library this morning and now forgot the example. Sorry!
M, Though I'm not in any sort of research field, I thought that some of their conclusions were a little hasty, based on just 1 or 2 data sets. Of course, they are limited as you mentioned. I just loved the idea of finding those data sets where you wouldn't nornmally look for them; I think that is the genius of the book.
I think my company tends to use the term "massage" for data manipulation, but I much prefer "tease" as used in this book. I've already tried to slip it in to a few conversations: "Yes, I can pull that data from Discoverer and then tease out the info you need." Noone has even snickered at it yet, which just confirms my speculation that the general public does not take nearly as much interest or enjoyment in semantics as I do.
Since we really liked this book, a friend suggested The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. From Gladwell's site: "It's a book that presents a new way of understanding why change so often happens as quickly and as unexpectedly as it does. For example, why did crime drop so dramatically in New York City in the mid-1990's? How does a novel written by an unknown author end up as national bestseller? Why do teens smoke in greater and greater numbers, when every single person in the country knows that cigarettes kill? Why is word-of-mouth so powerful? What makes TV shows like Sesame Street so good at teaching kids how to read? I think the answer to all those questions is the same. It's that ideas and behavior and messages and products sometimes behave just like outbreaks of infectious disease. They are social epidemics. The Tipping Point is an examination of the social epidemics that surround us."
I wonder if his crime explination is the same as Lecitt and Dubner's.
I have found that enjoyment in semantics is not a widely held characteristic of the general population. Of course, my data set is biased. It is comprised primarily of undergraduates who don't laugh at my nifty word usage.
9 comments:
Well I have finished and my very FAVORITE part was the name Shu-teed, love it....
Okay, I'll go. I did enjoy this book, it was an "easy" read. I especially liked the part about teachers "updating" tests, and it SO could happen and I am sure it does. If not by the teachers, by everyone up the chain until the scores reach their final destination.
And since we just bought a house (as a rental property), I was intrigued by the real estate code words and went back to look at the ad for our house, ummm should we say it was "charming".
Eli has lots of books, a nice positive correlation......
Good or bad, my name was not on any list - unique? I guess so!
I am in the bonus section right now. I quite enjoyed the book, maybe 'cause it was my pick, but I think the findings were very thought provoking, and most of them, from my perspective, made total sense.
I think I was most surprised by the correlation between the crime rates and abortion, but I guess numbers don't lie . . . Does not being horrified by this make me a demon spawn of satan??
I also found the study on real estate very interesting and hope if Sammy and I delve into that realm again that I will remember those points on descriptions, price, agents, etc.
My name was also not on any of the lists, so I will put myself in the unique category too:)
I finally had my ID card reissued yesterday and checked out Freakonomics last night. I expect to have it finished soon, I promise.
This was a good book - and not something I would have _ever_ picked up myself.
I must say I was just blown away by the teacher cheating. I never in a million years would have suspected such conduct. I guess teachers have always been symbols of all that was good and just in the world for me. Now I'm jaded. And those poor kids. Of course the shady education, but what a blow to the ego, to have a decent score as part of your self-image, only to have it ripped away the following year.
NPR once did a story on mamograms, how many are done each year compared with positive cancer detections versus how many false positives, false negatives and negative results. It was really quite extrodinary, showing that they are pretty much the most inefectual test you can perform as a non-symptomized general public initial screening. I'd be interested to see a freakonomics study applied to that data.
Regarding the factors that influence a child's test scores, before reading the chapter I didn't think the following would, but they do:
The childs parents have high socio-economic status
The child's parents are involved in the PTA
and I did think that these factors would, but apparently they don't:
The child's family is intact
The child frequently watches television.
Regarding the predicted top baby names of 2015, I think the following are almost ready to hit their boom:
Girls:
Ava
Emma
Isabel
Sophie
Boys:
Aiden
Beckett
Carter
Liam
I was thinking that we could take some of the other lists and make new name combinations for redneck life.
Oh, and my name wasn't on any of the lists either, but Briana's was (albeit with two Ns).
Okay, I'm finally finished. First- I agree with Joy, Shu-teed had to be my favorite part. Who would do that to their child? And all the child's teachers who are trying to figure out how to pronounce the name so as not to embarass the poor child!
I really enjoyed the chapter on why drug dealers live with their mothers. It was an interesting look at a part of society that I haven't spent much time around.
I can't say that I was really surprised by the teachers adjusting exam scores. There isn't that much pressure on profs and yet I know of some that artificially inflate student grades so that they look good (not ME, of course). :-)
My name was on the list of most popular names in the 1980s- go figure. Otherwise, no other lists. It was fun to see the names I recognize from family and friends. While I like unique names, sometimes when I look at my class lists I have to shudder. I'm supposed to know how to pronounce these names?
Otherwise, I can see how some of the results are controversial, but I also think some of the research designs utilized by Levitt are a little flawed. For example, you can't really generalize from one or two cases and some of the theories are based on only a few cases (understandably, since he is right that in the social sciences researchers must rely on natural experiments like randomly assigning students to schools). I had a specific example to back up this thought, but I already returned the book to the library this morning and now forgot the example. Sorry!
M, Though I'm not in any sort of research field, I thought that some of their conclusions were a little hasty, based on just 1 or 2 data sets. Of course, they are limited as you mentioned. I just loved the idea of finding those data sets where you wouldn't nornmally look for them; I think that is the genius of the book.
I think my company tends to use the term "massage" for data manipulation, but I much prefer "tease" as used in this book. I've already tried to slip it in to a few conversations: "Yes, I can pull that data from Discoverer and then tease out the info you need." Noone has even snickered at it yet, which just confirms my speculation that the general public does not take nearly as much interest or enjoyment in semantics as I do.
Since we really liked this book, a friend suggested The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.
From Gladwell's site:
"It's a book that presents a new way of understanding why change so often happens as quickly and as unexpectedly as it does. For example, why did crime drop so dramatically in New York City in the mid-1990's? How does a novel written by an unknown author end up as national bestseller? Why do teens smoke in greater and greater numbers, when every single person in the country knows that cigarettes kill? Why is word-of-mouth so powerful? What makes TV shows like Sesame Street so good at teaching kids how to read? I think the answer to all those questions is the same. It's that ideas and behavior and messages and products sometimes behave just like outbreaks of infectious disease. They are social epidemics. The Tipping Point is an examination of the social epidemics that surround us."
I wonder if his crime explination is the same as Lecitt and Dubner's.
I have found that enjoyment in semantics is not a widely held characteristic of the general population. Of course, my data set is biased. It is comprised primarily of undergraduates who don't laugh at my nifty word usage.
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