Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.)

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.) is a 2005 non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner. The book has been described as melding pop culture with economics, but has also been decried as "amateur sociology." By late 2009, it had sold over 4 million copies worldwide. The book is a collection of 'economic' articles written by Levitt, an expert who has already gained a reputation for applying economic theory to diverse subjects not usually covered by "traditional" economists; he does, however, accept the standard neoclassical microeconomic model of rational utility-maximization. In Freakonomics, Levitt and Dubner argue that economics is, at root, the study of incentives.



One example of the Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner's use of economic theory in Freakonomics involves demonstrating the existence of cheating among sumo wrestlers. In a sumo tournament, all wrestlers in the top division compete in 15 matches and face demotion if they do not win at least eight of them. The sumo community is very close-knit, and the wrestlers at the top levels tend to know each other well. The authors looked at the final match, and considered the case of a wrestler with seven wins, seven losses, and one fight to go, fighting against an 8-6 wrestler. Statistically, the 7-7 wrestler should have a slightly below even chance, since the 8-6 wrestler is slightly better. However, the 7-7 wrestler actually wins around 80% of the time. Levitt uses this statistic and other data gleaned from sumo wrestling matches, along with the effect that allegations of corruption have on match results, to conclude that those who already have 8 wins collude with those who are 7-7 and let them win, since they have already secured their position for the following tournament. The authors attempt to demonstrate the power of data mining. Many of their results emerge from Levitt's analysis of various databases, and asking the right questions. Authors posit that various incentives encourage teachers to cheat by assisting their students with multiple-choice high-stakes tests. Such cheating in the Chicago school system is inferred from detailed analysis of students' answers to multiple choice questions. But first Levitt asks, "What would the pattern of answers look like if the teacher cheated?" The simple answer: difficult questions at the end of a section will be more correct than easy ones at the beginning.

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Reappraisals: In Chapter 2 of Freakonomics, the authors wrote of their visit to folklorist Stetson Kennedy's Florida home where the topic of Kennedy's investigations of the Ku Klux Klan were discussed. However, in their January 8, 2006 column in the New York Times Magazine, Dubner and Levitt wrote of questions about Stetson Kennedy's research ("Hoodwinked" pp 26-28) leading to the conclusion that Kennedy's research was at times embellished for effectiveness. In the "Revised and Expanded Edition" this embellishment was noted and corrected: "Several months after Freakonomics was first published, it was brought to our attention that this man's portrayal of his crusade, and various other Klan matters, was considerably overstated....we felt it was important to set straight the historical record."





Criticism: Freakonomics has been criticised for being a work of sociology and criminology, rather than economics. Israeli economist Ariel Rubinstein criticised the book for making use of dubious statistics and complained that "economists like Levitt ... have swaggered off into other fields", saying that the "connection to economics ... [is] none" and that the book is an example of "academic imperialism". Arnold Kling has suggested the book is an example of "amateur sociology".

Publishing history: Freakonomics peaked at number two among nonfiction on The New York Times Best Seller list and was named the 2006 Book Sense Book of the Year in the Adult Nonfiction category. The book received positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator Metacritic reported the book had an average score of 67 out of 100, based on 16 reviews. The success of the book has been partly attributed to the blogosphere. In the campaign prior to the release of the book in April 2005, the publisher (William Morrow and Company) chose to target bloggers in an unusually strategical way, sending galley copies to over a hundred of them, as well as contracting two specialized word of mouth (buzz marketing) agencies. In 2006, the Revised and Expanded Edition of the book was published, with the most significant corrections in the second chapter.



Freakonomics blog: The authors started their own Freakonomics blog, which is "meant to keep the conversation going", in 2005. In May 2007, writer and blogger Melissa Lafsky was hired as the full time editor of the site. In August 2007, the blog was incorporated into The New York Times' web site – the authors had been writing joint columns for The New York Times Magazine since 2004 – and the domain Freakonomics.com became a redirect there. In March 2008, Annika Mengisen replaced Lafsky as the blog editor. Among the recurrent guest bloggers on the Freakonomics blog are Ian Ayres, Daniel Hamermesh, Eric A. Morris, Sudhir Venkatesh, Justin Wolfers and others.





Film adaptation: In 2010, Chad Troutwine, Chris Romano, and Dan O'Meara produced a documentary film adaptation with a budget of nearly $3 million in an omnibus format by directors Seth Gordon, Morgan Spurlock, Alex Gibney, Eugene Jarecki, Rachel Grady, and Heidi Ewing. It was the Closing Night Gala premiere film at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 30, 2010. It was also the Opening Night film at the AFI/Discovery SilverDocs film festival on June 21, 2010. Magnolia Pictures has acquired distribution rights for a Fall 2010 release.

Sherry Turkle: Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other

In January 2011, Jessica Bennett wrote “The promise of technology is connectedness. But could modern gadgetry be making us lonelier than ever?” for Newsweek Magazine. The advantage to all that gadgetry, of course, is connectedness: email lets us respond on the go, and we are in touch with more people during more hours of the day than at any other time in history. But is it possible we're more lonely than ever, too? That's what MIT professor Sherry Turkle observes in her new book, Alone Together, a fascinating portrait of our changing relationship with technology. The result of nearly 15 years of study (and interviews with hundreds of subjects), Turkle details the ways technology has redefined our perceptions of intimacy and solitude—and warns of the perils of embracing such pseudo-techno relationships in place of lasting emotional connections.

“The reason that I put the robot part first, even though it hasn't really arrived yet, is that with robots, there's this new diction of "alive enough." This generation of kids has something very specific in mind when they say that things are alive enough: "[The robot] is alive enough to be a friend — it's alive enough to do X with me." They're willing to move the whole discussion of what it means to be alive off of the philosophical terrain and onto the pragmatic terrain, where things become alive only for various purposes.”

- Sherry Turkle, author of the book: Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other

“People would rather text than talk, because they can control how much time it takes. They can control where it fits in their schedule. When you have the amount of velocity and volume [of communication] that we have in our lives, we have to control our communications very dramatically. So controlling relationships becomes a major theme in digital communication. And that's what sometimes makes us feel alone together — because controlled relationships are not necessarily relationships in which you feel kinship.”

- Sherry Turkle, author of the book: Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other

In January 2011, Meredith Melnick wrote “Is Technology Making Us Lonelier?” for Time Magazine. Digital communication is so pervasive that most of us don't even bother to question its role in society. That's not the case with Sherry Turkle, who has tracked the way we interact with computers and artificial intelligence since the 1970s. Founder and director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, Turkle has written a new book, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, that asks a simple question: Do digital methods of communication connect us the way interaction in the real world does? In late December, Turkle sat with TIME to discuss robot puppies, teen texting and what "full attention" means in an age of smart phones.

“But many of these same ideas no longer seem abstract or esoteric when you immerse yourself in life on the Internet. For example, the idea that you are constituted by and through language is not an abstract idea if you're confronted with the necessity of creating a character in a MUD. You just have to do it. Your words are your deeds, your words are your body. And you feel these word-deeds and this word-body quite viscerally. Similarly, the idea of multiplicity as a way of thinking about identity is concretized when someone gets an Internet account, is asked to name five "handles" or nicknames for his activities on the system, and finds himself "being" Armani-boy in some online discussions, but Motorcycle-man, Too-serious, Aquinas, and Lipstick in others.”

- Sherry Turkle, author of the book: Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other

Nell Irvin Painter: The History of White People

In November, 2010, John Jackson, at the Huffington Post, mentioned the Nell Irvin Painter and "The History of White People" this way: Nell Irvin Painter's The History of White People provides a fascinating look at the different perceptions of whiteness throughout history. What was white in the United States in 1900, is not what is white today. Irish and Italians were not part of the Anglo-Saxon protestant view of what constituted mainstream white American society. Some suggest that Hispanics of 'European' descent might go through a similar process. You can find that entire Huffington Post article here. In December of 2010, Wesleyan University announced a series of lectures on the "History of Race" for 2011. A listed speaker and lecturer is Nell Irvin Painter. For more information on that lecture series, see this webpage.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
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Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> March to Keep Fear Alive

The Unfinished History of the Last Great American Highway from KERA's Think Podcast

[2010-12-21 12:00:00] Will Interstate 69, the actual "NAFTA Highway" ever be constructed? We'll examine the issue this hour with journalist Matt Dellinger, whose latest book is "Interstate 69: The Unfinished History of the Last Great American Highway" (Scribner, 2010). Alan Melson will guest-host.

Download the podcast here. The author's alma mater mentioned that the book was nominated for an award, the other week. See that DePauw University mention here. See this Wall Street Journal review of the book.

'Reshaping the Work-Family Debate' from KQED's Forum Podcast

The U.S. has the most family-hostile public policy in the developed world. So says Hastings law professor Joan Williams in her new book, "Reshaping the Work-Family Debate: Why Men and Class Matter."

Download the NPR Forum podcast here. See also: The Unfinished Revolution : How a New Generation is Reshaping Family, Work, and Gender in America

Thinking Our Way Out of Extinction from The Takeaway: Early Edition by feedback@thetakeaway.org (Public Radio International and WNYC Radio)

Are there limits to the kinds of problems humans are capable of solving? It can certainly seem like it. The conflict in Afghanistan rages on, the schools keep failing, the world is warming up. We throw ideas at these problems, we dream up fixes, we try new cures… and yet the problems continue. The conflict rages on. The kids keep dropping out. The hurricanes get stronger. It’s enough to make you throw up your hands and wait for the end times. But don’t despair just yet. Rebecca Costa, author of The Watchman’s Rattle: Thinking our Way out of Extinction, says that recognizing that we're stuck is the first step towards getting out. With lessons from history, she demonstrates why it can be so difficult for humans to think our way out of complex problems, and - more important - how we can nurture the kind of insight that will bring us forward. Acclaimed Sociobiologist E.O. Wilson joins the conversation. He wrote the forward which was chosen, among many contenders, for the print edition of Costa's book. (To read the many e-forewords to the book, written by Temple Grandin, Donald Trump, Tina Brown, and many others, visit Costa's website.)

Listen to the full podcast show here. Download it here (right click, then save as).

Please Explain: Caffeine from Lopate - Underreported by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

This week's Please Explain will answer all of our caffeine-related questions, from whether or not we should drink coffee before we run a marathon to how caffeine differs from other stimulants. Bennett Alan Weinberg, co-author of the book The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World's Most Popular Drug, explains how the world's most popular drug affects us.

Download the podcast here. None other than the New Journal of Medicine had this to say about the book:

This book covers the history and social effects of the principal beverages that contain caffeine, notably coffee and tea. Products of cacao, chocolate that is eaten and drunk, and the soft drinks that contain caffeine (principally colas) are also covered. The historical origins of coffee, tea, and cacao are described, as are the various fascinating ways they made their way into world culture. Some of the main features of this story are told with a theme of geographic spread and with a description of effects of the arrival of “the drug,” as the authors often refer to caffeine, on existing cultures. How the different beverages were received (or rejected) by different cultures and by different strata and segments of each culture makes a rich and exciting story. Insights emerge as to how the various civilizations worked. The pleasure of reading is enhanced by the authors' eye for beauty and the many appropriate half-tone illustrations. The scholarship is impressive; many of the most famous figures of the past 500 and more years make brief appearances. Among them are Chinese emperors, Zen Buddhist monks in Japan, nameless Olmecs of Mesoamerica, and then Cortés and Montezuma and Charles V. The conquest of Europe by the drug from Turkish and African sources is also covered. The familiar names of great historical figures appear on almost every page, tying this account in with our knowledge of history and making it more real. The text is rich with information, yet it is easy and pleasant to read.

The full article is here. See also: Caffeine for the Creative Mind: 250 Exercises to Wake Up Your Brain, Caffeine for the Creative Team: 150 Exercises to Inspire Group Innovation, Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine

Charlie Rose's Friday, August 13, 2010 conversation with Author Christopher Hitchens

CHARLIE ROSE: Christopher Hitchens is an English-born, Oxford-
educated writer and journalist who has lived and worked in Washington for
many years. He is well known for his wit, his sharp arguments and strong
opinions on religion, politics and especially the war in Iraq. David
Brooks of "The New York Times" says "There are few people in this country
who bring such a literary perspective to political and policy
controversies." And here is what his friend Martin Amis said on this
program this week.

Check out the full length conversation and interview here. The transcript can be found here. See also: God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever, Letters to a Young Contrarian (Art of Mentoring)

Charlie Rose's Tuesday, May 18, 2010 conversation with Joel Kotkin - author of 'The Next Hundred Million' -

CHARLIE ROSE: Joel Kotkin is here. He is a distinguished
presidential fellow in urban futures at Capp University in California.
His new book is called "The Next 100 Million -- America in 2050." This
book imagines what is America will look like 40 years from now when the
population will grow from 300 to 400 million.

I am pleased to have Joel Kotkin at this table. Welcome.

JOEL KOTKIN: Great to be here.

CHARLIE ROSE: So tell me how you came to write this? What does a
geographer do?

JOEL KOTKIN: Well, geography is one of those skills that`s
declined, like history, over time. You try to understand how people fit
in with space, with place, with this particular location.

And the reason I came to the book was one thing. One is that after
we had 300 million I asked a demographer friend, well, when we do we get
to 400 hundred million. He said about 2050. I said, well, somebody
ought to be writing about this.

CHARLIE ROSE: It was a nice sort of timeline.

JOEL KOTKIN: It`s a milestone like 300 million was. And, you
never know, we never thought we could support 300 million people, and in
many ways the country`s better than it was when it was 200 million.

And the other thing was I felt like the -- and I have to say this
as a boomer myself. I think we boomers left -- are leaving leave our

Read the full transcript here, or you can view the full interview and conversation here. See also: The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050, The City: A Global History (Modern Library Chronicles), Tribes: How Race, Religion and Identity Determine Success in the New Global Economy, The New Geography: How the Digital Revolution Is Reshaping the American Landscape

Charlie Rose's Tuesday, May 18, 2010 conversation with Joel Kotkin - author of 'The Next Hundred Million' -

CHARLIE ROSE: Joel Kotkin is here. He is a distinguished
presidential fellow in urban futures at Capp University in California.
His new book is called "The Next 100 Million -- America in 2050." This
book imagines what is America will look like 40 years from now when the
population will grow from 300 to 400 million.

I am pleased to have Joel Kotkin at this table. Welcome.

JOEL KOTKIN: Great to be here.

CHARLIE ROSE: So tell me how you came to write this? What does a
geographer do?

JOEL KOTKIN: Well, geography is one of those skills that`s
declined, like history, over time. You try to understand how people fit
in with space, with place, with this particular location.

And the reason I came to the book was one thing. One is that after
we had 300 million I asked a demographer friend, well, when we do we get
to 400 hundred million. He said about 2050. I said, well, somebody
ought to be writing about this.

CHARLIE ROSE: It was a nice sort of timeline.

JOEL KOTKIN: It`s a milestone like 300 million was. And, you
never know, we never thought we could support 300 million people, and in
many ways the country`s better than it was when it was 200 million.

See: http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11018. See also: The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050, The City: A Global History (Modern Library Chronicles), Tribes: How Race, Religion and Identity Determine Success in the New Global Economy, The New Geography: How the Digital Revolution Is Reshaping the American Landscape, The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050

James Fallows on China's Economy from KQED's Forum by forum@kqed.org (KQED Public Radio)

Does the global economic crisis spell doom for China? Not according to James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic. Fallows joins us to discuss China's current economic situation, and how Chinese entrepreneurs are turning hard times into opportunities. Fallows wrote the cover story for the April 2009 issue of The Atlantic, an article entitled "China's Way Forward." His latest book is "Postcards from Tomorrow Square: Reports from China."

Listen to the podcast here.