Nicknames
“Man boobs” becomes the first significant use of imagery. It is imagery used to destroy NBA draft plans. Marc Gasol is singled out by a scout for drafting based strictly on data, but a single image of Gasol’s body earns him a nickname which undermines the confidence of the scout who proceeds to watch as Gasol is picked by the Grizzlies and goes on to become an All-Star.
The Marshmallow Experiment
Imagine a kid sitting in a room along with a marshmallow treat. He is promised a second treat if doesn’t eat the marshmallow while left alone in the room for a few minutes. This image—and the subsequent examples of either giving into temptation or resisting—has proven to be remarkably effective as a predictor of IQ, SAT scores, self-esteem and even body image. Those who resist temptation tend to be more successful than those who do not.
And That’s How Studies Begin
Ever wonder what prompted the first study of whether driving while talking on a cell phone was really any more dangerous than talking to a passenger or fiddling with the radio? What would stimulate a statistician to launch a study where none had yet bee done?
“…one day he had a phone call from an AIDS patient who was suffering side effects of medication. In the middle of the conversation, the patient cut him off and said, `I’m sorry, Dr. Redelmeier, I have to go. I just had an accident.' The guy had been talking to him on a cell phone while driving. Redelmeier wondered: Did talking on a cell phone while driving increase the risk of accident?”
That initial study would reveal that talking on a cell phone while driving equitable to driving at the legal alcohol limit.
Moneyballing
The same author also wrote the more well-known account of the Oakland A’s experiments in data mining titled Moneyball which adapted into a critically acclaimed film starring Brad Pitt. The Introduction to this book portrays the consequences of that success by way of demonstrating how the concept has been widely and often inappropriately parlayed into a number of industries, with the title of the book become engineered into all-purpose imagery to cover a wide variety of statistic modeling:
“I’ve read articles about Moneyball for Education, Moneyball for Movie Studios, Moneyball for Medicare, Moneyball for Golf, Moneyball for Farming, Moneyball for Book Publishing(!), Moneyball for Presidential Campaigns, Moneyball for Government, Moneyball for Bankers, and so on.”
