Ratings31
Average rating3.8
Tornadoes, cyclones, tsunamis…Weather can be deadly—especially when it strikes without warning. Millions of Americans could soon find themselves at the mercy of violent weather if the public data behind lifesaving storm alerts gets privatized for personal gain. In his first Audible Original, New York Times best-selling author and journalist Michael Lewis delivers hard-hitting research on not-so-random weather data—and how Washington plans to release it. He also digs deep into the lives of two scientists who revolutionized climate predictions, bringing warning systems to previously unimaginable levels of accuracy. One is Kathy Sullivan, a gifted scientist among the first women in space; the other, D.J. Patil, is a trickster-turned-mathematician and a political adviser. Most urgently, Lewis’s narrative reveals the potential cost of putting a price tag on information that could save lives. Please note The Fifth Risk includes the entirety of The Coming Storm.
Reviews with the most likes.
Shocking insight to a portion of the government I had next to zero previous knowledge.
Short audible original book that discusses the benefits of public data. I would have given this higher marks if it had been a little more in depth. I think there is definitely room for a full Michael Lewis-style book on the topic. Another issue is that he took the opportunity to politicize the issue, making it look like conservatives in general are all against public data and mining it for the public good. At the same time, he didn't discuss at all any potential pitfalls of public data mining, such as how it might impact our individual liberties or how it might otherwise be misused.
Interesting topic, not fully explored (very unlike M.L. in that regard)