We look forward to seeing you on your next visit to the library. Find a location near you.

The Formula: How Algorithms Solve all our Problems... and Create More
(OverDrive MP3 Audiobook, OverDrive Listen)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Published:
Ascent Audio 2014
Status:
Available from OverDrive
Description
A fascinating guided tour of the complex, fast-moving, and influential world of algorithms-what they are, why they're such powerful predictors of human behavior, and where they're headed next. Algorithms exert an extraordinary level of influence on our everyday lives - from dating websites and financial trading floors, through to online retailing and internet searches - Google's search algorithm is now a more closely guarded commercial secret than the recipe for Coca-Cola. Algorithms follow a series of instructions to solve a problem and will include a strategy to produce the best outcome possible from the options and permutations available. Used by scientists for many years and applied in a very specialized way they are now increasingly employed to process the vast amounts of data being generated, in investment banks, in the movie industry where they are used to predict success or failure at the box office and by social scientists and policy makers. What if everything in life could be reduced to a simple formula? What if numbers were able to tell us which partners we were best matched with - not just in terms of attractiveness, but for a long-term committed marriage? Or if they could say which films would be the biggest hits at the box office, and what changes could be made to those films to make them even more successful? Or even who is likely to commit certain crimes, and when? This may sound like the world of science fiction, but in fact it is just the tip of the iceberg in a world that is increasingly ruled by complex algorithms and neural networks. In The Formula, Luke Dormehl takes readers inside the world of numbers, asking how we came to believe in the all-conquering power of algorithms; introducing the mathematicians, artificial intelligence experts and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who are shaping this brave new world, and ultimately asking how we survive in an era where numbers can sometimes seem to create as many problems as they solve.
Also in This Series
Formats
OverDrive MP3 Audiobook
Works on MP3 Players, PCs, and Macs. Some mobile devices may require an application to be installed.
OverDrive Listen
Need Help?
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.
More Like This
Other Editions and Formats
More Copies In LINK+
Loading LINK+ Copies...
More Details
Format:
OverDrive MP3 Audiobook, OverDrive Listen
Edition:
Unabridged
Street Date:
12/01/2014
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781469091105
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Luke Dormehl. (2014). The Formula: How Algorithms Solve all our Problems... and Create More. Unabridged Ascent Audio.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Luke Dormehl. 2014. The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems... and Create More. Ascent Audio.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Luke Dormehl, The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems... and Create More. Ascent Audio, 2014.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Luke Dormehl. The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems... and Create More. Unabridged Ascent Audio, 2014.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Copy Details
LibraryOwnedAvailable
Shared Digital Collection11
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
277aa419-8681-be15-f5c1-c44982b0e958
Go To Grouped Work
Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 19:52:59
Date Updated:
Dec 07, 2020 20:38:05
Last Metadata Check:
Apr 21, 2024 11:53:28
Last Metadata Change:
Oct 15, 2023 22:49:40
Last Availability Check:
Apr 21, 2024 11:53:32
Last Availability Change:
Apr 11, 2024 23:31:51
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Apr 24, 2024 02:13:21

OverDrive Product Record

images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/1088-1/{962F3668-3DA7-4EA2-9ED5-9564DFB7F527}Img100.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/1088-1/{962F3668-3DA7-4EA2-9ED5-9564DFB7F527}Img200.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/1088-1/962/F36/68/{962F3668-3DA7-4EA2-9ED5-9564DFB7F527}Img150.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1088-1/962/F36/68/{962F3668-3DA7-4EA2-9ED5-9564DFB7F527}Img400.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
formats
      • identifiers:
            • type: 8
            • value: hachette_audio#9781469091099
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781469091105
      • name: OverDrive MP3 Audiobook
      • id: audiobook-mp3
      • identifiers:
            • type: 8
            • value: hachette_audio#9781469091099
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781469091105
      • name: OverDrive Listen
      • id: audiobook-overdrive
mediaType
Audiobook
primaryCreator
    • role: Author
    • name: Luke Dormehl
title
The Formula
dateAdded
2017-04-07T14:04:00-04:00
contentDetails
      • href: https://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=141&titleID=1899023
      • type: text/html
      • account:
          • name: Sacramento Public Library (CA)
          • id: 1151
sortTitle
Formula How Algorithms Solve all our Problems and Create More
crossRefId
1899023
subtitle
How Algorithms Solve all our Problems... and Create More
id
962f3668-3da7-4ea2-9ed5-9564dfb7f527
starRating
3.9

OverDrive MetaData

isPublicDomain
False
formats
      • duration: 07:26:46
      • fileName: TheFormula_9781469091099_1899023
      • partCount: 9
      • fileSize: 214521912
      • identifiers:
            • audience: retailer
            • type: 8
            • value: hachette_audio#9781469091099
            • audience: library
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781469091105
      • rights:
            • type: PlayOnPC
            • value: 1
            • type: PlayOnPCCount
            • value: -1
            • type: BurnToCD
            • value: 1
            • type: BurnToCDCount
            • value: -1
            • type: PlayOnPM
            • value: 1
            • type: TransferToSDMI
            • value: 1
            • type: TransferToNonSDMI
            • value: 1
            • type: TransferCount
            • value: -1
            • type: CollaborativePlay
            • value: 0
            • type: PublicPerformance
            • value: 0
            • type: TranscodeToAAC
            • value: 1
      • name: OverDrive MP3 Audiobook
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: audiobook-mp3
      • onSaleDate: 12/1/2014
      • samples:
            • source: Part 1
            • formatType: audiobook-mp3
            • url: https://excerpts.cdn.overdrive.com/FormatType-425/1088-1/1899023-TheFormula.mp3
            • source: Part 1
            • formatType: audiobook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=962F3668-3DA7-4EA2-9ED5-9564DFB7F527&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
      • duration: 07:26:50
      • fileName: Formula9781469091099
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 214483900
      • identifiers:
            • audience: retailer
            • type: 8
            • value: hachette_audio#9781469091099
            • audience: library
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781469091105
      • name: OverDrive Listen
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: audiobook-overdrive
      • onSaleDate: 12/1/2014
      • samples:
            • source: Part 1
            • formatType: audiobook-mp3
            • url: https://excerpts.cdn.overdrive.com/FormatType-425/1088-1/1899023-TheFormula.mp3
            • source: Part 1
            • formatType: audiobook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=962F3668-3DA7-4EA2-9ED5-9564DFB7F527&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
keywords
      • value: calculus
creators
      • role: Author
      • fileAs: Dormehl, Luke
      • bioText: Luke Dormehl is a technology journalist, filmmaker and author, who has written for Fast Company, Wired, Consumer Reports, Politico, The L.A. Times, and other publications. He is also the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems... And Create More.
      • name: Luke Dormehl
      • role: Narrator
      • fileAs: Weyman, Daniel
      • name: Daniel Weyman
imprint
Your Coach Digital
publishDate
2014-12-01T00:00:00-05:00
edition
Unabridged
isOwnedByCollections
True
title
The Formula
fullDescription
A fascinating guided tour of the complex, fast-moving, and influential world of algorithms-what they are, why they're such powerful predictors of human behavior, and where they're headed next. Algorithms exert an extraordinary level of influence on our everyday lives - from dating websites and financial trading floors, through to online retailing and internet searches - Google's search algorithm is now a more closely guarded commercial secret than the recipe for Coca-Cola. Algorithms follow a series of instructions to solve a problem and will include a strategy to produce the best outcome possible from the options and permutations available. Used by scientists for many years and applied in a very specialized way they are now increasingly employed to process the vast amounts of data being generated, in investment banks, in the movie industry where they are used to predict success or failure at the box office and by social scientists and policy makers. What if everything in life could be reduced to a simple formula? What if numbers were able to tell us which partners we were best matched with - not just in terms of attractiveness, but for a long-term committed marriage? Or if they could say which films would be the biggest hits at the box office, and what changes could be made to those films to make them even more successful? Or even who is likely to commit certain crimes, and when? This may sound like the world of science fiction, but in fact it is just the tip of the iceberg in a world that is increasingly ruled by complex algorithms and neural networks. In The Formula, Luke Dormehl takes readers inside the world of numbers, asking how we came to believe in the all-conquering power of algorithms; introducing the mathematicians, artificial intelligence experts and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who are shaping this brave new world, and ultimately asking how we survive in an era where numbers can sometimes seem to create as many problems as they solve.
reviews
      • premium: True
      • source: AudioFile Magazine
      • content: Narrator Daniel Weyman assumes a conversational style in this wide-ranging and timely investigation into the expanding role of algorithms in our daily lives. For the unfamiliar, an algorithm is a set of instructions, a formula, used to solve a specific problem. Despite their frequent invisibility, these formulas are constantly at work shaping choices and outcomes in a variety of sectors--from entertainment to business to law and beyond. While presenting the case studies, Weyman maintains a clear, well-modulated voice and a neutral delivery, echoing the author's intent to raise questions rather than argue a position. Though Weyman's British diction may periodically confuse some American listeners, pithy ideas like "nothing is safe from a few well-designed algorithms" will not go unnoticed, making for a provocative listen. A.S. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        October 13, 2014
        Dormehl (The Apple Revolution), a journalist and technology writer for Fast Company, provides relevant insight into the algorithms that shape our world, how they benefit us, and what they might mean for the future. The author focuses on four main areas generally thought of as being very human—personal data, love and romance, society, and art. The use of anecdotes, history, and examples of existing algorithms makes this information-rich narrative fascinating for experts and laymen alike. The author even broaches deeper questions about whether everything can be described by algorithms, whether we should even try, and what problems and ethical issues might arise from the increasingly widespread use of algorithms. Unsettling consequences of increased data collection and reliance on computers are discussed, such as the close monitoring of employee efficiency, the “filter bubble” that determines which search results an individual will see, and use of algorithms to profile people likely to commit crimes or children likely to misbehave in school. This book thoroughly explores the idea that “technology is neither good nor bad—nor is it neutral” and makes a great resource for anyone seeking to understand the intersection of technology and humanity in the 21st century. Agent: Maggie Hanbury, Hanbury Agency, U.K.

popularity
161
links
    • self:
        • href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BWwAAAA2I/products/962f3668-3da7-4ea2-9ed5-9564dfb7f527/metadata
        • type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json
id
962f3668-3da7-4ea2-9ed5-9564dfb7f527
starRating
3.7
images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/1088-1/{962F3668-3DA7-4EA2-9ED5-9564DFB7F527}Img100.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/1088-1/{962F3668-3DA7-4EA2-9ED5-9564DFB7F527}Img200.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/1088-1/962/F36/68/{962F3668-3DA7-4EA2-9ED5-9564DFB7F527}Img150.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1088-1/962/F36/68/{962F3668-3DA7-4EA2-9ED5-9564DFB7F527}Img400.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
isPublicPerformanceAllowed
False
languages
      • code: en
      • name: English
subjects
      • value: Mathematics
      • value: Nonfiction
publishDateText
12/01/2014
mediaType
Audiobook
shortDescription
A fascinating guided tour of the complex, fast-moving, and influential world of algorithms-what they are, why they're such powerful predictors of human behavior, and where they're headed next. Algorithms exert an extraordinary level of influence on our everyday lives - from dating websites and financial trading floors, through to online retailing and internet searches - Google's search algorithm is now a more closely guarded commercial secret than the recipe for Coca-Cola. Algorithms follow a series of instructions to solve a problem and will include a strategy to produce the best outcome possible from the options and permutations available. Used by scientists for many years and applied in a very specialized way they are now increasingly employed to process the vast amounts of data being generated, in investment banks, in the movie industry where they are used to predict success or failure at the box office and by social scientists and policy makers. What if everything in life...
sortTitle
Formula How Algorithms Solve all our Problems and Create More
crossRefId
1899023
subtitle
How Algorithms Solve all our Problems... and Create More
publisher
Ascent Audio
bisacCodes
      • code: MAT002000
      • description: Mathematics / Algebra / General
      • code: MAT005000
      • description: Mathematics / Calculus
      • code: MAT018000
      • description: Mathematics / Logic