William M. Briggs

Quirk’s: Telling the future from the past: predictive versus classical statistics

Today's post is at Quirk's, the well known trade journal and marketing research review. If you want to read the article on-line at Quirk's, registration is required, but free. You…

Culture Statistics

Malthus Was Wrong, But Not Why You Think

It's hard to think of a historical writer more misunderstood than Thomas Malthus. A week doesn't go by without somebody dropping his name, but only to show how wrong he…

Statistics

R Lecture 5: Reading Built-in Data

This is the fifth in a series of lectures on R. 10 minutes is a shockingly short period of time! Today, we read in some datasets that come with R.…

Statistics

2011 Per Capita Budget Highest Ever

President Obama submitted the 2011 fiscal year budget. If Congress passes it---and history shows that the approximate amount requested is usually granted---then this will be the highest the USA has…

Statistics

Why Global Warming Won’t Go Away: Inertia

Rajendra Pachauri---chairman of the IPCC, railway engineer, and the man who penned these words, "Sanjay saw a shapely dark-skinned girl lying on Vinay's bed. He was overcome by a lust…

Culture Philosophy

Tim Tebow’s Super Bowl Ad and the Washington Post Editorial

Very delicate ground, here. I want to be as precise as I know how in discussing the language used in today's Washington Post editorial about the upcoming Tim Tebow ad,…

Culture Statistics

Welcome-to-Saturday Links

My heart soared like a hawk this week after several readers sent in fascinating stories. Here are a few of them. Reader Sara C sent in a wonderful example of…

Statistics

R Lecture 4: Help & Plotting

This is the fourth in a series of lectures on R. 10 minutes is a shockingly short period of time! Today, we learn the R way to create comments: start…

Uncle Mike on Mark Twain On The Dictatorship Of HealthNovember 23, 2024
I wish to be clear. I don't need RFKJ or anybody else telling me what I may or may not…
spaceranger on Mark Twain On The Dictatorship Of HealthNovember 23, 2024
I think it was Twain who said that if you don't maintain at least a few bad habits to get…
John Pate on Prominent Academic Asks: When And How Did Statistics Lose Its Way? November 23, 2024
You're a bit hard on old R.A. I vaguely remember reading one of his books. What killed statistics was software,…
John Pate on The Impossibilities Of Quantum ComputingNovember 23, 2024
String Theorists can make a good living with nonsense, so can Quantum Computer enthusiasts. You've just got to hand wave…
Why Pope Benedict’s resignation was valid: a response to Dr. Mazza - LifeSite - Christianity House on The Is-Pope-Francis-The-Pope Debate Continues. Two Views from Edmund J Mazza and Steven O’ReillyNovember 22, 2024
[…] [5] See “The Is-Pope-Francis-The-Pope Debate Continues. Two Views from Edmund J Mazza and Steven O’Reilly,” on the WMBRIGGS website.…

William M. Briggs

Mark Twain On The Dictatorship Of Health

The Impossibilities Of Quantum Computing

What Science Can Say About Vaccines: And What It Can’t Say

Bad Predictions Mean Bad Models, Even If You’re A Distinguished Expert

Class 29: Nothing Has A Distribution

Women Let Him Win — Guest Post by Ianto Watt

Trends In Wokeness & Girlbossery In Science

Prominent Academic Asks: When And How Did Statistics Lose Its Way?

Fixing College: Hit Them In The Money, Replace Their Prestige

Class 28: Randomization Redux (Randomization Does Nothing)

If We Are What We Sexually Desire, How About These Curious People?

What The Covid Panic Did To Science

We Win

See You On The Other Side

Class 27: Probability Is In Your Mind, Not Things

How Tim Walz Did Not Know Models Only Say What They’re Told To Say

Hell On Earth: 1978’s Zombie Apocalypse ‘Dawn Of The Dead’ Reviewed

The Decline Of Western Christianity: Gradually Then Suddenly

The Science Of Transitioning Children

Class 26: Randomization Does Nothing

Addicted To Drug — Statistics

Mark Twain On The Dictatorship Of Health

The Impossibilities Of Quantum Computing

Quirk’s: Telling the future from the past: predictive versus classical statistics

Malthus Was Wrong, But Not Why You Think

R Lecture 5: Reading Built-in Data

2011 Per Capita Budget Highest Ever

Why Global Warming Won’t Go Away: Inertia

Tim Tebow’s Super Bowl Ad and the Washington Post Editorial

Welcome-to-Saturday Links

R Lecture 4: Help & Plotting

There Is No Culture Without Inequality: Stove 1

Impose Your Beliefs Before They Impose Theirs

Telekinesis: Ideas In Our Reenchantment & Rectification

The Physics Of Blessings: Ideas In Our Reenchantment & Rectification