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Book Reviews

A collection of 4 issues

Noise: A Flaw in Book Writing

This is a review of Noise, A Flaw in Human Judgment by Kahneman, Sibony, and Sunstein. The phrase “noise in decision making” brings to mind “random” error. Scientists, however, shy away from random error. Science is mostly about systematic error, except, perhaps, quantum physics. So Kahneman et al. conceive of

Expertise as a Service

The best thing you can say about Prediction Machines, a new book by a trio of economists, is that it is not barren. Most of the green patches you see are about the obvious: the big gain from ML is our ability to predict better, and better predictions will change

Sidhwa's Lahore, A Lovingly Embroidered Family Heirloom

Every great city deserves a worthy admirer. Lahore has just found one. Bapsi Sidhwa’s edited volume is a tribute to the city, a celebration of its landmarks, its cuisine, its gourmets, its brutalizing summers, its people, and its stories. The book strikes an immediate rapport. It is akin to

Movie Review: The Namesake

The Film The Namesake is a mediocre film based on an equally middling eponymous novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, the Pulitzer Prize-winning London born author of Indian descent. It is a coming of age story of an ABCD by “another badly confused Deshi” (ABCD – Lahiri) [Washington Post] The novel traces the