William M. Briggs

The following conversation from an alleged Class follower (CF) and an academic statistician (AS) may or may not have taken place. Whichever, it comes at a perfect time for our…

The consent argument is so strong in our culture that its truth is almost self-evident. It says as long as two people consent in an act, that act is therefore moral. Or,…

I stole most of the headline from The Times, which ran a subtler version: "Laws banning FGM are harmful and ‘stigmatising’, say academics". The practice of slicing off a women's…

My Dear Friends and Despised Enemies, Once Again, Happy New Year. As has been our tradition these many years, it’s time to register our predictions for the coming year. We…

My Dearest Supporters, Loyal Readers & Despised Enemies, The Lord seeing fit to leave me to roam free another annum, I once again bid you the happiest of New Years.…

On Monday, 5 January, we'll register new predictions. Don't put them here. I bring glad prognosticative tidings and am pleased to report we did slightly better this year than last.…

Most of us have seen the Drake equation, in one its many forms, which purports to put a number on how many alien civilizations have iPhones. There has been much…

"See that guy over there, Mugsy?" "Yeah, boss." "He needs to be provisioned." "You got it, boss." I have a small collection of euphemisms for killings, curious deaths and murder.…