Why would a casino try and stop you from losing? How can a mathematical formula find your future spouse? Would you know if a statistical analysis blackballed you from a job you wanted?

Today, number crunching affects your life in ways you might never imagine. In this lively and groundbreaking new book, economist Ian Ayres shows how today's best and brightest organizations are analyzing massive databases at lightening speed to provide greater insights into human behavior. They are the Super Crunchers. From internet sites like Google and Amazon that know your tastes better than you do, to a physician's diagnosis and your child's education, to boardrooms and government agencies, this new breed of decision makers are calling the shots. And they are delivering staggeringly accurate results. How can a football coach evaluate a player without ever seeing him play? Want to know whether the price of an airline ticket will go up or down before you buy? How can a formula outpredict wine experts in determining the best vintages? Super crunchers have the answers. In this brave new world of equation versus expertise, Ayres shows us the benefits and risks, who loses and who wins, and how super crunching can be used to help, not manipulate us.

Gone are the days of solely relying on intuition to make decisions. No businessperson, consumer, or student who wants to stay ahead of the curve should make another keystroke without reading Super Crunchers.

From the Hardcover edition.

伊恩•艾瑞斯（Ian Ayres） 计量经济学家、律师，耶鲁大学法学院和管理学院教授，stickK.com网站的创始人，《法律、经济学和组织机构期刊》（Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization）编辑，曾著有11本书，发表过100篇文章。他是《福布斯》杂志的专栏作家，著名公共广播节目《Marketplace》的时事评论员，是《纽约时报》“魔鬼经济学”博客的专栏作家之一。

其著作《Insincere Promises: The Law of Misrepresented Intent》获得了由美国艺术与科学学院颁发的Scribes图书奖。他成就卓著、名声斐然，曾受到《黄金时间实况》、《奥普拉脱口秀》、《早安美国》节目以及《时代周刊》《Vogue》等杂志的采访，可以说伊恩•艾瑞斯是那一代人里成就最多、文章观点被引用最多、名气最大的法学教授。