Briggs

How Presidential Polls Work: D+7 or R-3 And All That

Unleash the polls! No, I don't mean the men who bravely served under Grand Duke of Lithuania Władysław II Jagiełło (free bad joke of the day!), but those election omens…

Fun

Boo!

Culture Philosophy

Women Do Not Have A Right To Do Whatever They Want With Their Bodies

Over the weekend Yours Truly tweeted this: https://twitter.com/mattstat/status/262583368246497280 Within five minutes of posting, I lost seven Twitter followers, people presumably displeased with the entry. Since this is me, I first…

Statistics

Nate Silver’s Obama Prediction: What Does It Mean?

It was Sophocles who first noted the truism, "No one loves the messenger who brings bad news." But the converse is also true. As it is written (in Romans 10:15),…

Culture

The Downside Of Technology: Being On Call 24/7—Guest Post by The Blonde Bombshell (with pic!)

Let me first say that I am a modest person with a modest existence. I have a job, which is nothing special, but I do it well. I have a…

Philosophy

Academic Philosopher Finds New Way To Dehumanize People; Calls For Beetroot Liberation

Update Now with new and improved title! (Title writing is a talent which your humble author possesses not.) In the classic 1978 documentary Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! we watch…

Statistics

Intrade’s Record In Picking Presidents: Is There Market Manipulation?

An "influential forecast" is one in which knowledge of the prediction changes the uncertainty in the thing being predicted. Consider a (respected) political opinion poll which announces Candidate B has…

Culture

Italian Scientists Convicted! Shocked That Their Predictions Were Heeded

Do you feel that chill? It's from a fell wind issuing from an Italian judge's courtroom, where he has just sent a group of seismologists and one politician to the…

shawn marshall on Fertility Fears Overblown: Tiny Shift in Childless Rate Saves The SpeciesAugust 27, 2026
Anecdotally - I attend a Catholic Church in Roanoke Virginia - It seems there are many young families with several+…
Cloudbuster on Guilty People Aren’t Guilty, Innocent People AreAugust 26, 2026
"It is like punishing a snail for leaving a trail of slime." If this is true, it is a powerful…
gareth on A New Kind Of University: Your Comments WantedAugust 26, 2026
I'm not an academic. What you are suggesting seems a good idea. A formalised system akin to a personal letter…
Steve on A New Kind Of University: Your Comments WantedAugust 26, 2026
The calendar on my fridge this month says, "Common sense is like deodorant. The people who need it most never…
Daniel Lemire on A New Kind Of University: Your Comments WantedAugust 25, 2026
It makes sense.