Two weeks ago I attended the first ever PASS Business Analytics Conference in Chicago. Attendees to the PASS Business Analytics conference were given a copy of Dr. Levitt’s book Super Freakonomics (co-written with Stephen Dubner). After the keynote Dr. Levitt made himself available for a book signing as well.
Of course I had him mention bacon in my copy.
Did you even need to ask?
Last week while on vacation I took the time to read Super Freakonomics and found it to be better than the first Freakonomics. I don’t want to spoil it for you completely, but here are some of the highlights in Super Freakonomics for me:
- Prostitutes in Chicago are more likely to have sex with an officer than be arrested by one
- Livestock are responsible for greenhouse gases that are 25 times more potent then the entire transportation sector
- On a per-mile basis it is safer to drive drunk than to walk drunk
- How pimps are similar to realtors
- Why suicide bombers should purchase life insurance
What I love most about this book is that the authors know how to ask the right questions in order to get the right data to help them answer questions. More importantly, they let the data answer questions they didn’t even know they were looking for.
That being said, this is not an exact science. There are areas in the book where it seems the authors have not gotten all the data they need.
For example, they have no way of knowing how many miles are walked by drunks each year. It is rather difficult to say with certainly that on a per mile basis it is safer to drive drunk than to walk. But with Levitt himself admitting that math isn’t his strongest suit perhaps we can understand how a few leaps are made here and there.
But the stories and anecdotes do make for an entertaining read nonetheless.
I highly recommend both Freakonomics and Super Freakonomics for everyone to read especially data professionals. I believe these books help us to understand the value and power that exists within data analytics. There’s also fun, too.
I’ve added them to my library page, under the “Data Analytics and Insights” section.
P. S. While in Chicago that week I also attended my first Chicago Cubs game. It was also my first ever major league baseball home opener. If you know anything about the Cubs you know about the tradition of playing only daytime baseball games until lights were installed 1988. Being able to attend a daytime Cubs game and have it be the home opener was a thrill for me. 
