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imperfectletter112. ^*Simplexity by Jeffrey Kluger (309)
This was a LibraryThing Early Reviewer book.
The anecdotes and bits of data that make up this book are intriguing and very interesting to read. I've heard about some of them elsewhere - the "wisdom of the crowds" idea, that a large group of people guessing the answer to an impossible question (how many marbles does it take to fill up a car, that sort of thing) will average to near the right answer, even though most of them individually get it very wrong, for instance. The discussion about why traffic happens the way it does was also fascinating. I especially liked the chapter that compared the function of cities to the function of bodies.
But that's all it seems to be - a collection of interesting stories. Which, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading. I do find these things quite fascinating. But there weren't any any connections made between them or any overarching theories coming to light, so as much as I enjoy the stories, I don't really understand the point of the book.
113 / 150 books. 75% done!
53 / 75 *new books. 71% done!
4 / 10 ^non-fiction. 40% done!
30779 / 33000 pages. 93% done!
This was a LibraryThing Early Reviewer book.
The anecdotes and bits of data that make up this book are intriguing and very interesting to read. I've heard about some of them elsewhere - the "wisdom of the crowds" idea, that a large group of people guessing the answer to an impossible question (how many marbles does it take to fill up a car, that sort of thing) will average to near the right answer, even though most of them individually get it very wrong, for instance. The discussion about why traffic happens the way it does was also fascinating. I especially liked the chapter that compared the function of cities to the function of bodies.
But that's all it seems to be - a collection of interesting stories. Which, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading. I do find these things quite fascinating. But there weren't any any connections made between them or any overarching theories coming to light, so as much as I enjoy the stories, I don't really understand the point of the book.
