The Quantified Self: Learning to Observe
San Francisco
Thu Oct 8
5:30 PMBook Passage
Ferry BuildingBook talk and Q&A with author Gary Wolf
Join us for a book talk and Q&A with author Gary Wolf in conversation with legendary editor Kevin Kelly. Gary and Kevin started The Quantified Self movement 18 years ago, and over the last two decades it has introduced the idea of self-tracking with technology to millions. Now that nearly 40% of U.S. adults wear their self-tracker at least 5 days a week, it's time to find out: What have we learned?
The Quantified Self: Learning to Observe is a groundbreaking guide to scientific reasoning at the scale of a single life. Based on nearly two decades of work in the Quantified Self community, it proves that science is for everybody by showing how to make discoveries about your own life from your own data. With chapters on pain, mood, sleep, digestion, heart rate, hormones, and more, The Quantified Self distills the techniques of empirical observation into practical patterns anyone can use.
Feel free to bring along your own self-research challenges; there will be open discussion and Q&A.
A perfect road map to how to actually do personal science to answer questions that matter—whether about a chronic degenerative disease or some other challenge. - Eli Pollard, executive director of World Parkinson Coalition
Most self-tracking books promise miracles. This one promises something more useful: a method. - Dr. Harlan M. Krumholz, founder of the Center for Outcomes Research at the Yale School of Medicine
Gary Wolf
Gary Wolf is a former executive editor of Wired Digital and contributing editor at Wired magazine, a Kavli Science Journalism Award winner and a former Knight Fellow at Stanford University. He currently works with the Personal Science Research Group to build tools, develop methods, and publish case studies that support small scale empirical science.
Kevin Kelly
Kevin Kelly is the former editor of the Whole Earth Catalog, Whole Earth Review, the founding executive editor of Wired magazine, and author of the classic essay on DIY culture, 1000 True Fans, among many other works. His most recent book is Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier.