Review of The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver

  During these times of dubious economic and political stability, the buzz word "uncertainty"  is often heard in the media and felt in our personal lives.  When hearing of the success in which Mr. Silver predicted the outcome of the 2012 election, I became curious as to how he was able to so closely call precinct results and bought this book.
  Not being a gambler per se, and knowing very little about statistics, I was a bit apprehensive at first; but soon comforted by the straight-forwardness in the text, and how conversational it read. Also, I could see why it was listed among self-help books, and like how broadly the concept of finding our personal signals (reliably factual), amid ambiguous noise, could be applied.
  The author's analyses among various topics reveal a plethora of knowledge and wide range of experiences that serve as examples of how to think in specific ways in given situations. His gift for conveying what went wrong and why makes the book intriguing and fun to read. Far from the tone of a condescending know-it-all, Nate Silver writes as a buddy who is willing to show you the ropes in sports, investments, medicine, weather, etc. In short, he offers you a key to reliability.

Review of Plutocrats by Chrystia Freeland

  The disparity between the top 0.10% and the 0.01% of income brackets featured in The Plutocrats runs  hand in hand with the fractal inequality described in Chris Hayes' Twilight of the Elites.  Chrystia Freeland presents a well documented account of the values and culture of the super-elite, and points out the disparity even within the range between the merely wealthy and the wealthiest. Her book reveals intricacies within this exclusive group of global investors who are shaping our economic future in their financial endeavors that are unfettered by national interests, and furthermore defining the shape of things to come in this century. In a world without political boundaries, their economic fiefdoms lay in waiting not so much for large and sluggish corporations modeled on entrepreneurs of the late nineteenth century, but for a new more ethnically diverse generation in a second Gilded Age (piggy-backing or leap frogging the technological precedents of the first), and whose speed in pouncing on investment opportunities in industrial development exceeds the standard paradigm of big eating small.
  Ms. Freeland's acceptance of oligarchic behaviors is a reality check. Her distinction between rent-seeking investors- who capitalize on existing enterprises (usually through government contracts) - versus the truly innovative industries like Microsoft and Apple wherein the gravitational pull is reversed, provides insight into the dynamics of money and political power. More importantly, she demonstrates that oligarchic power isn't necessarily exclusive; and that opportunities exist for it to be broadened by those unselfish enough not to pull the ladder of social stratification up behind them.
  The Plutocrats is a good book to read on the heels of Chris Hayes' Twilight of the Elites; America After Meritocracy because it lends to a refreshing outlet from the static, tail-chasing depiction of our bloated meritocratic institutions, that are becoming increasingly dysfunctional by their insulation and segregation from their purposes. What may not strike the reader as refreshing is the scope of the topic; it's global now. I would recommend this book to those prone to accept conspiracy theories about the power elite, and those who aspire to entrepreneurship. For the former, it presents the dynamics of finance and power; for the latter, some character traits among the successful personalities interviewed by the author.