I've recently read Super Crunchers, the book by Ian Ayres that I blogged about a few weeks ago. Even though no propers are paid to SAS (I mean, why should the world's largest privately held software company and a leader in analytics get a mention in a book about the influence of analytics?), I recognize many of the companies mentioned in the book as being SAS customers. Now, it's not possible for me to determine that these companies are using SAS to perform the exact analytical feats that Ayres recounts in the book, but it's certainly plausible and in some cases even likely. You can see for yourself: cross reference the book index with our sampling of customer success stories.

I enjoyed the book, and I recommend it to anyone interested in the invisible influence of analytics on our daily lives. It will help you to be a more informed citizen and consumer, even if it's not always obvious when others are "using their numbers powers" on you.

I'm looking forward to tuning in on Monday for the bettermanagement.com webcast seminar, featuring the author Mr. Ayres himself.