anything can be predicted?....

I picked up a few books last week at kunikuniya (gawd, its soo difficult to remember this japanese bookshop's name at KLCC! to assist or trigger people's instant recognition, I have a malay name for it...konekukecewa...hahaha...ezier to remember rite?). Am reading the first one now (the pix above). The author, Ian Ayres, is a professor at Yale, both in the Law School and in the School of Management, as well as a lawyer and author (Wadi please take note). He is a regular commentator on National Public radio in America and a columnist for Forbes magazine. A contributor to the New York Times and editor of the Journal of Law, Economics and Organizations and he has written eight books. This book of his, 'Super Crunchers: How Things can be Predicted' starts the chapter with examples of the mathematician who out-predicted wine buffs in determining the best vintages, and sports scouts who now use statistics rather than intuition to pick winners. This book exposes the hidden patterns all around us. The new way to be smart, savvy and statistically superior is the suggestion that no businessperson, academic, student or consumer (statistically that's everyone...hehe) should make another move without getting to grips with 'thinking by numbers'. I have said this many times to my MBA students and to many HR well HC (Human Capital as is fashionably termed these days!) people that inorder for you to be strategic is to be at the table and not on the table (boardroom). The only way to gain respect from your colleagues/peers is to be numerate and an impressive number cruncher. I like the part when Ian quoted Upton Sinclair (and now Al Gore) who said: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it" haha...sounds familiar isn't it? I won't spoil your fun now. Go get your own copy you hear? ciao...time for my beauty sleep..hehe.