Friday, January 22, 2010

Super Freakonomics – Go Read It

image Just finished reading "Super Freakonomics"... Freaking awesome it is.. Absolutely entertaining,mind-boggling,insightful and full of information..

What a read it was, right from the first alphabet of the book till the last note. Riveting, absolutely informative. A person like me who likes to read out of the box things, this was an aphrodisiac. Lately I have taken a huge interest in economics and International business. This book literally adds a flavor to these interest levels.

The first one "Freakonomics" landed in my hands, when I was in TCS. I read  few chapters but could not complete it. And now post Super Freakonomics, I am sure I would complete it too.

If you think any of the following questions interest you even a bit, go and read this book.

  • Why walking drunk can be fatal as compared to driving drunk?
  • How is a street prostitute like a department store Santa?
  • What is a "PIMPACT"?
  • What the similarity between prostitution and real estate?
  • Why a May-birth in Uganda can have 20% increased chances of hearing or learning disabilities?
  • How a failed act of terrorism can still levy a huge tax on the common man?
  • What is relation between cognitive drift and death of patients?
  • Why chemotherapy may not be helping cancer patients at all?
  • Why people are altruistic and selfish at the same time?
  • Why the death rate post delivery was high in the doctors’ section in the General Hospital in Vienna as compared to the midwives’’ section?
  • Why "cheap fixes" or "jugaad" can be much more effective than solutions worth millions?
  • Why is ammonium nitrate so much of a vital chemical?
  • How pushing warm water down into the ocean will help reduce the formation of life threatening Hurricanes?
  • Why Co2 may not be the prime reason for the Global Warming?
  • How a hot air balloon and a long pipe hose can reduce the average temperature of Earth?
  • Why big-fat volcanic eruptions are good for the planet?
  • Who is "Nathan Myhrvold"?
  • How "Geo-engineering" may help reduce the threat of Global Warming?
  • Why "incentive" is the single most important factor that decides the behavior of a human irrespective of whether it is good or bad?
  • How a bunch of researchers taught a group of monkeys the value of money and how the first Monkey-trade happened?

Steven J. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have done a marvelous job with this book. Apologies for putting few points out of the book on the blog, although I haven't quoted anything that takes away the sheen, it will only build curiosity. All credits to the original authors.

2 comments:

Ketan said...

Sure Ill try 2 read..

nitin said...

Worth the time and money if you buy it