Scan barcode
rimestock's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Interesting and thought-provoking!
emilyrowellbrown's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. It combined many of my loves--biology, anthropology, and sociology--but fell flat. Perhaps because the examples of human swarms in comparison to the commentary on animal behavior proved lackluster, perhaps because the conclusions drawn at the end were just too general...for whatever reason, this book did not capture me as I thought it would.
coops456's review against another edition
4.0
Picked this up on a whim in the local pound shop; what a bargain for a quality hardback.
It's very accessible and the author exhorts the advantages of the swarm. If we can act more ant and be more bee, there can be advantages beyond wiki editing.
It's very accessible and the author exhorts the advantages of the swarm. If we can act more ant and be more bee, there can be advantages beyond wiki editing.
fdterritory's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting first read on the theory of crowds and complex systems of organisms. Not terribly complex, but a great introduction to the field.
zhelana's review against another edition
3.0
This book showed us how swarming animals can be used to fix problems like delivery routes for a shipping company or making bomb disarming robots. But it ended almost contradicting itself by showing how swarms of people are really really dumb.
mapetiteliseuse's review against another edition
5.0
I want to write a long review about this book but I won't. It gets five stars; because unlike many of the non fiction titles I've read recently it is well written AND of excellent content.
The appeal for me was not only the insight into animal behaviour (which is really fascinating) but how this reflects on the power of the crowd and decision making in humans. I particularly enjoyed relating this to social media (no surprise there) and will definitely use some of the principles in my work.
Don't read it if you're 'just' a keen animal behaviourist, and don't read it if your 'just' a manager looking for ways to make a team work smarter. You need to see something more to make the most of this one.
The appeal for me was not only the insight into animal behaviour (which is really fascinating) but how this reflects on the power of the crowd and decision making in humans. I particularly enjoyed relating this to social media (no surprise there) and will definitely use some of the principles in my work.
Don't read it if you're 'just' a keen animal behaviourist, and don't read it if your 'just' a manager looking for ways to make a team work smarter. You need to see something more to make the most of this one.
davidr's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fun, entertaining book about how animals and people act in crowds. Peter Miller shows clearly how ants, bees, termites, locusts, birds and fish usually act much smarter in a crowd than any individual. They do this instinctively, without the need to be taught how to behave. In some situations, people also are smarter in a group than any individual. But not always; there are times when a group of people will be dumber than the dumbest individual. Several anecdotal examples are given in the book. This is definitely a "feel-good" book, though occasionally it veers off-topic.
To me, the most interesting topic was the use of models of ant behavior, in the development of mathematical algorithms. For example, the well-known traveling-salesman algorithm is intractable for a large number of cities. But models of ant behavior, depositing pheromones along a trail, helps to yield an approximate solution.
To me, the most interesting topic was the use of models of ant behavior, in the development of mathematical algorithms. For example, the well-known traveling-salesman algorithm is intractable for a large number of cities. But models of ant behavior, depositing pheromones along a trail, helps to yield an approximate solution.
jessferg's review against another edition
1.0
I actually feel angry at this book for wasting my time. I would have been much better off with some E.O. Wilson (who you should read) and whatever boring pop-business writer is hot right now. This is a book full of regurgitated info that offers no insight. Maybe if the author had directed the correlations between animals and humans to moral dilemmas (as he only mentions in the last three pages of his conclusion) instead of dull business processes, the likenesses of his premise (and subtitle) would be more relevant and interesting.
Perhaps I am being overly sensitive but using the deaths of Hajj pilgrims as a comparison to locust swarms just didn't sit right with me, nor did his insights of Hilary Clinton's standing-ovation when receiving an honorary degree at Yale which ended up feeling like underlying political commentary.
Def not recommended.
Perhaps I am being overly sensitive but using the deaths of Hajj pilgrims as a comparison to locust swarms just didn't sit right with me, nor did his insights of Hilary Clinton's standing-ovation when receiving an honorary degree at Yale which ended up feeling like underlying political commentary.
Def not recommended.
More...