Stephen L. Baker
Encyclopedia
Stephen L. Baker is an American journalist, author and blogger. His first published book, The Numerati
, discusses the increasing role that data-mining plays in shaping politics, business, law enforcement, and even romance. It highlights the mathematicians, consultants and programmers who harness the information to learn more about people as consumers, employees, voters and lovers, and use it to target them more precisely. Formerly a senior writer at BusinessWeek
, Baker left the magazine in December, 2009.
In early 2011, Houghton Mifflin published Baker's next book Final Jeopardy, which follows IBM
's development of Watson an artificial intelligence
computer system designed to play human contestants in the television game show Jeopardy.
Baker grew up in Rosemont, Pennsylvania
, a suburb of Philadelphia. He attended Harriton High School
and the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, where he majored in Spanish and History. He attended the University of Madrid
in Spain
during his junior year. He later received a Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University
in New York.
He began his professional career at the Black River Tribune, a weekly newspaper in Ludlow, Vermont
. After working in Venezuela
and Ecuador
, he spent a year at the El Paso
(Texas
) Herald-Post. A year later he was BusinessWeek
's bureau chief in Mexico City
. From Mexico he moved on to Pittsburgh, PA, where he covered industry for six years, and then to Paris, France, where he covered European technology.
Baker has also written for the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times
, and the Boston Globe. He received an Overseas Press Club Award for his portrait of the rising Mexican auto industry.
He has written an unpublished novel "Donkey Show", which is set on the U.S.-Mexico border between El Paso, Texas
, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.
Baker currently resides in Montclair, NJ, with his wife, Jalaire, and son, Henry. He also has two adult sons, Jack and Aidan, who are students.
The Numerati
The Numerati is a non-fiction book written by Stephen L. Baker. Baker interviews people who are studying, developing and implementing the technologies and techniques used to capture and analyze many of our everyday actions as we communicate, travel and make purchases...
, discusses the increasing role that data-mining plays in shaping politics, business, law enforcement, and even romance. It highlights the mathematicians, consultants and programmers who harness the information to learn more about people as consumers, employees, voters and lovers, and use it to target them more precisely. Formerly a senior writer at BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
, Baker left the magazine in December, 2009.
In early 2011, Houghton Mifflin published Baker's next book Final Jeopardy, which follows IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
's development of Watson an artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
computer system designed to play human contestants in the television game show Jeopardy.
Baker grew up in Rosemont, Pennsylvania
Rosemont, Pennsylvania
Rosemont is a community in Pennsylvania on the Pennsylvania Main Line lying partly in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania and partly in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania.Part of the geographic area is served by the Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, ZIP code...
, a suburb of Philadelphia. He attended Harriton High School
Harriton High School
Harriton High School is a public secondary school located in Rosemont, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania.Harriton is one of two high schools in Lower Merion School District; the other is Lower Merion High School. It used to be a comparatively small high school, containing 889...
and the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, where he majored in Spanish and History. He attended the University of Madrid
University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid is a public university in Madrid, Spain, and one of the oldest universities in the world.The University of Madrid may also refer to:* The Autonomous University of Madrid, a public university founded in 1968...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
during his junior year. He later received a Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York.
He began his professional career at the Black River Tribune, a weekly newspaper in Ludlow, Vermont
Ludlow, Vermont
Ludlow, Vermont may refer to:*Ludlow , Vermont*Ludlow , Vermont...
. After working in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, he spent a year at the El Paso
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
(Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
) Herald-Post. A year later he was BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
's bureau chief in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. From Mexico he moved on to Pittsburgh, PA, where he covered industry for six years, and then to Paris, France, where he covered European technology.
Baker has also written for the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, and the Boston Globe. He received an Overseas Press Club Award for his portrait of the rising Mexican auto industry.
He has written an unpublished novel "Donkey Show", which is set on the U.S.-Mexico border between El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.
Baker currently resides in Montclair, NJ, with his wife, Jalaire, and son, Henry. He also has two adult sons, Jack and Aidan, who are students.
External links
- The Numerati, presentation and reading by Stephen L. Baker, September 25, 2008, Powell's Books, Portland, Oregon (from his recent book tour).