Kaiser Fung
Kaiser Fung is an author of data science books and the founder of Principal Analytics Prep. He is the co-founding director of Columbia’s Master of Science in Applied Analytics. He has also taught several courses in data visualization and business analytics at New York University and Columbia University. Fung’s work has been featured in The Daily Beast, Slate, Wired, BBC, CNN, Financial Times, Significance, and other media outlets.
In his book Numbersense, Kaiser Fung explores a variety of analytical problems, ranging from evaluating the performance of fantasy sports leagues to deciding when a merchant should accept a Groupon deal.
The book introduces readers to the meaning of numbers in an era when books compete over how to compute statistics. Fung questions and investigates the reasons for generating those statistics, the abuse of statistics to misguide customers, and helps identify the traps that statisticians can fall into.
The book dives into the analysis of information by invoking sensible theories that do not require special skills to understand. It also explains why data is analyzed and presented as it is in the modern world.
Fung includes several chapters that draw inspiration from news items from the past five years that feature cases of people making claims backed by data. Themes explored in the book include the relationship between obesity and morality, the accuracy of government unemployment and inflation data, and how universities game the school ranking process.
The book urges readers always to investigate the counterfactual when analyzing data. This represents “what could have been” and is quite essential in statistics.
Fung also cautions readers not to confuse causation with correlation and provides detailed examples in the chapter on obesity and morality. He references a study that found an above-average risk of getting a stroke for obese men. However, this observational data cannot explain the result. Weight is a good marker of poor health, but it is not a direct cause of heart disease or diabetes; in this case, the relationship between cause and effect is purely theoretical. Fung emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between conclusions based on data and those that rely on theory.
In the end, Dr. Fung warns consumers to be extra cautious when relying on data analysis, given overconfidence and confirmation bias among research companies. It is also essential to investigate the institution's incentive framework to check for potential bias. Fung therefore urges readers to improve their data analysis and assessment skills to optimize decision-making in the world of Big Data.
Related Authors
Readers who follow Kaiser Fung also follow these authors:
- Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
- J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
- Charles Dickens, author of: A Christmas Carol.
- Dennis Lehane, author of: Shutter Island.
- Val McDermid, author of the Inspector Karen Pirie Series.
Kaiser Fung: F.A.Q
What was the first book Kaiser Fung wrote?
The first book written by Kaiser Fung was Numbers Rule Your World: The Hidden Influence of Probabilities and Statistics on Everything You Do, published in 2010.
What was the most recent book Kaiser Fung wrote?
Their most recently released work was Numbersense: How to Use Big Data to Your Advantage on January 1st, 2013.
Are there upcoming new books by Kaiser Fung?
Kaiser Fung does not have any upcoming books with a set publication date within the next few months at this time.
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How many books has Kaiser Fung written?
Kaiser Fung has written 2 books. All of their books are Non-Fiction Books.