When I first downloaded the "Big Data App" I excitedly shared some of the fun examples with my son. Then my iPad went missing for a bit while he explored on his own.
It's addictive.
Now I have the book "The Human Face of Big Data." and that's addictive too. Some content covers topics that appear in the App. However the book has more and also adds a very neat viewer for any page that contains a key symbol. Download the viewer and point it at the page to automatically load a video on the given topic.
Point at the photo of the team creating a modern Library of Alexandria, intended to ultimately contain every book ever printed, now digitally accessible on the web. And you'll get a lecture explaining the project and its evolution.
Point at the photo of A. J. Jacobs atempting to become "the healthiest person alive" and you'll hear him describe his year-long project and all the detailed data he collected and the book he wrote about it.
As much as I enjoy exploring the original App, the book has a physically satifying feel to it. Put it on the coffee table to thumb through and an hour is gone in a flash. The topics may be futuristic, facinating and fun but the feel of a high quality old school book is also comforting.
Grounded.
Comments