Jaisanthini World

For three decades, Rick Smolan—a former  Time, Life  and  National Geographic photographer—has taken global cultural snapshots through his Day in the Life  series of coffee table books that explore a time capsule of activity involving a country, discipline, or issue. The projects—produced by the New York-based Against All Odds Productions—which Smolan runs with wife and co-author, Jennifer Erwitt, and COO Katya Able, take around 18 months and involve upwards of 200 writers and photographers around the globe. Their latest book,  The Human Face of Big Data , out this week, takes a more encompassing approach to a topic than its predecessors. Tackling the idea of Big Data—mankind’s ability to collect, analyze, and act on an unprecedented amount of information in real time—the book uses photos, essays, and articles (including one by yours truly) to examine the phenomenon, and how individuals and companies are harnessing it for human benefit, while raising concerns about data owners