LIVING IN DATA A Citizen's Guide to a Better Information Future

The author, who arranges data in creative ways for the NEW YORK TIMES, believes that today's massive information sets have lost their connection with their human contexts. Charlie Thurston narrates with an urgent, colorful, and believable intensity that allows the author's story to have impact without calling attention to his vocal talent. It's a discussion that needs help to sustain interest because the Canadian artist and technology expert often drifts into the weeds with challenging sociological and philosophical concepts. But two broad points he makes are unmistakable and worth hearing: We should pay more attention to where data comes from--the behavior and experiences of humans--and we should make data accessible to those humans instead of allowing government and businesses to use it to manipulate them. T.W. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2021]