‘Hilarious, humbling and brutally honest…This book is not merely a declaration of the woes of an ill-informed public, it also serves to highlight the benefits of broadening your horizons, offering insight and advice on how to best use today’s media to stay informed.’
Head in the Cloud
The Power of Knowledge in the Age of Google
William PoundstoneWhat’s the point of knowing anything when facts are so easy to look up? Just reach for your computer, tablet or mobile and ask the sky. We’re living in the golden age of rational ignorance where more people know who Khloe Kardashian is than who René Descartes was and most of us can’t name the largest ocean on the planet. Yet the latest research indicates that the better informed are healthier, happier and often dramatically wealthier.
Bestselling author William Poundstone conducts a hilarious and humbling investigation into the true worth of knowledge. What does it tell you, for example, when those who can pinpoint a country on a map are less likely to favour invading it? Underpinned by big data analysis and illustrated with eye-opening anecdotes, Poundstone’s Head in the Cloud is an entertaining manifesto on the surprising benefits of broadening your horizons, as well as a warning of the dangers of an ill-informed electorate.
Reviews
E&T Magazine
‘True fact: people who read Poundstone’s extraordinary books are smarter (and happier) than people who don’t.’
Seth Godin, author of The Icarus Deception
‘Poundstone is a smart thinker, a deft writer and a spinner of engaging tales.’
Tim Harford, Financial Times' Undercover Economist and presenter of BBC Radio 4's More or Less
William Poundstone
William Poundstone is the author of seventeen books including How to Predict Everything, How to Predict the Unpredictable and Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google? He has written for the Economist, New York Times, Harper’s and Harvard Business Review, among others. You can find out more about him on his website: william-poundstone.com
Author page
