Long before the civil rights movement, a team of black women mathematicians were recruited to help NASA send astronaut John Glenn into orbit. This untold story, written by Shetterley is so incredible that it has inspired a motion picture, out in January 2017, starring Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Janelle Monae. Shetterly also founded a digital archive called “The Human Computer Project.”
SEE: 10 books to get you started on big data: TechRepublic’s picks (TechRepublic)
This title applies data algorithms in a unique way–to uncover the code behind creativity. While the book does not help a writer craft a bestseller, it does help explain how the magical formula works, in scientific terms. The system analyzed 20,000 contemporary novels for plot, character, setting, and style. It created a “bestseller-ometer” to determine how these factors worked together to appeal to readers, and it was successful in selecting the bestseller 80% of the time.
SEE: 10 books to get you started on big data: TechRepublic’s picks (TechRepublic)
In this title, co-written by a neuroscientist and a psychologist, a compelling argument is made for smarter use of our devices, which are increasingly at risk of distracting us in our highly-connected world. The authors show the detrimental effects of multitasking, and offer practical tips for helping us all pay better attention.
SEE: 10 books to get you started on big data: TechRepublic’s picks (TechRepublic)
Simanowski, a professor at the City University of Hong Kong, takes a philosophical approach to the “love” he sees in the recent explosion of data analysis. This title explores the larger social implications of big data on society.
SEE: 10 books to get you started on big data: TechRepublic’s picks (TechRepublic)
This new title, longlisted for the National Book Award, comes from Cathy O’Neil, who has a background in math and spent time working for a risk software company, assessing risk for a hedge fund. O’Neil then became a data scientist, and currently appears on Slate’s Money podcast. According to Kirkus, which awarded Weapons of Math Destruction a starred review, this is a “simultaneously illuminating and disturbing account, she describes the many ways in which widely used mathematic models–based on ‘prejudice, misunderstanding, and bias’–tend to punish the poor and reward the rich.”
SEE: 10 books to get you started on big data: TechRepublic’s picks (TechRepublic)
Hope Reese is a writer based in Louisville, Kentucky, currently living in Budapest. Her work has appeared in the Atlantic, the Boston Globe, Vox, Vice and other publications.
