We are in a historic moment of horse-versus-locomotive competition.-͑p. 10͒With that, Ian Ayers launches the opening salvo in his campaign to prepare us for the brave new world of Super Crunching. The horse, of course, is you-relying on intuition, personal experience, and expertise to make a decision. The locomotive is the Super Cruncher, fueled by massive stores of information and statistical tools to make data-driven decisions. The outcome is inevitable-how can a horse compete against a locomotive? The answer is obvious-it cannot. So the real question Ayers asks is, will you come along for the ride? SUMMARY OF THE BOOKAs defined in the book, Super Crunching is the statistical analysis of data to inform real-world decisions. It is used, for example, by Amazon to determine which books to recommend to you based on a statistical analysis of your past purchases. The statistical techniques are straightforward: regression analysis, randomization, probability estimates, and Bayesian updating.The basic premise of using statistical methods to analyze data and draw conclusions is nothing new. Indeed, Oliver Wendell Holmes noted in 1897 that "the man of the future is the man of statistics" ͑p. 215͒. So what makes Super Crunching different? One, the sheer size of the data available for crunching is staggering. Acxiom, a database aggregation company detailed in the book, would require 2,000 miles of diskettes to store its raw data. This massive database connects with other massive databases to create mountains of data we can scarcely comprehend. Two, the technological resources available to disseminate the data to throngs of users is unparalleled. Cheap, compact, and powerful storage devices, combined with the ever-expanding reach of the Internet, make it easy to capture and mine the wealth of data that had previously been stored in books, on tapes, or on diskettes. Third, recognition of the power of data analysis has finally moved outside the confines of academics and actuaries. Super Crunchers are not "egghead academics" striving to publish journal articles ͑p. 11͒, but rather are decision-makers looking to improve a business, a political campaign, a sports team, health care, etc. THE CORE THEMES OF SUPER CRUNCHERSThe impact of Super Crunching on our everyday lives is a core theme of the book. The aforementioned Amazon, plus Netflix, Wal-Mart, eHarmony, Lowe's, Harrah's Casino, Capital One, Continental Airlines, and many more, use Super Crunching to tailor website formats, coupon offers, and promotional gimmicks, as well as to match potential dates and even set product prices.