Scan barcode
ssofia_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I was expecting to embark on a fascinating journey to the depths of the dark web or something equally mysterious but unfortunately I was mislead by the title. The author goes through, in detail and with numerous examples, how we live in constant darkness because we never have all the data about any one thing. Dark data is the data that's missing and there are different types.
The first third of the book was fairly interesting with different types of dark data being explained and illustrated with examples. However, the rest was very focused on how to identify and deal with dark data when conducting scientific research. It wasn't quite textbook style but not quite popular science either. It was certainly more than I was interested in knowing though and I struggled through the final third by having it playing in the background.
The book was narrated very well by the author himself but I would stay clear of this one unless research and understanding the pitfalls of data are interesting or relevant to you.
The first third of the book was fairly interesting with different types of dark data being explained and illustrated with examples. However, the rest was very focused on how to identify and deal with dark data when conducting scientific research. It wasn't quite textbook style but not quite popular science either. It was certainly more than I was interested in knowing though and I struggled through the final third by having it playing in the background.
The book was narrated very well by the author himself but I would stay clear of this one unless research and understanding the pitfalls of data are interesting or relevant to you.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
“All this means, first, is that it’s necessary to be very clear about what question you are asking, and, second, that whether data are dark or not will depend on that question. Trite though it may sound, the data you need to collect, the analysis you will undertake, and the answer you will get depend on what you want to know.”
What is invisible to us when we, the non-statisticians, read about statistics? What do we lack in our own personal critical thinking? What questions are mathematicians asking? Or not asking? How can we read data and understand what went into it? These are the questions that Hand asks and answers. This is considered "Dark Data", which Hand lists, including time-dependent, purposefully obscured data, unrepresentative, and more.
As an introductory text to this way of thinking, it hits the mark. Through examples including our everyday statistics to more militaristic, financial, and demographic, Hand shows us just why it's so important to acknowledge what isn't acknowledged.
What is invisible to us when we, the non-statisticians, read about statistics? What do we lack in our own personal critical thinking? What questions are mathematicians asking? Or not asking? How can we read data and understand what went into it? These are the questions that Hand asks and answers. This is considered "Dark Data", which Hand lists, including time-dependent, purposefully obscured data, unrepresentative, and more.
As an introductory text to this way of thinking, it hits the mark. Through examples including our everyday statistics to more militaristic, financial, and demographic, Hand shows us just why it's so important to acknowledge what isn't acknowledged.
emmalouisereads's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.75
This book is not quite a text book, not quite popular science. I think it would be better if it shifted towards one or the other. It wasn’t the most thrilling read - I wasn’t really expecting it to be - but it did remind me of some aspects of working with data and made me aware of some others. A good foundation for my career change from maths to data science.
More...