Statistics – Page 282 – William M. Briggs

The Trolley Problem And Experimental Philosophy

The Trolley Problem, as given by Eric Schwitzgebel (as part of a larger survey): You are standing by the railroad tracks when you notice an empty boxcar rolling out of…

Culture Statistics

Wishcasting The End Of The World: Update

Wishcasting is when a forecast or prediction is shaded in the direction the forecaster or predictor wants the event to happen. For example, if you forecast this weekend's weather, you…

Statistics

Can Telomeres Predict How Long You Will Live?

No, they can't. Not exactly, and perhaps not with sufficient precision to be useful to you. But there is a new company called Life Length who will sell you, for…

Philosophy Statistics

Belief In God “Rooted” In Human Nature Say Academics

New research has shown---and by "research" I mean a fact long known to citizens is revealed to academics who attach a p-value to it and publish it---"that suggests that religion…

Culture Statistics

Food Deserts: Millions Of Californians Starving Themselves Into Obesity

The blubber is flowing in California. So says that State's venerable University, Los Angeles division. It's an epidemic! Both excessive fatness "increased significantly in just six years". This isn't the…

Philosophy Statistics

“I Can See The Future!”

The future begins tomorrow. This being so, it doesn't seem especially difficult to say what will happen in that uncertain land. Weathermen, and their noble sisters the weatherwomen, daily dispatch…

Philosophy Statistics

Do Americans Still Dislike Atheists?

The answer is: Americans hate atheists just as much as they hate theists. Residents of these grand United States had always disliked prigs of any stripe and are not shy…

Statistics

The Non-Candidacy Of Donald Trump

2020 Update Thanks for DAV for reminding me of this. This post below shows how far you can go wrong, how idiotic you can be, when you, like I, follow…

CorkyAgain on The Equality ParadoxJuly 10, 2026
Somehow I'd missed that story about Schumer's grilling gaffe. Aside from not lighting the fire or putting cheese on a…
John Pate on The Equality ParadoxJuly 9, 2026
Maybe it wasn't considered safe for Schumer to be near an open flame, having no familiarity with the ordinary tasks…
Fubsy on My Horrible Interaction With AIJuly 9, 2026
Lol, I remember "Iron Eyes Cody," the spaghetti Indian!
Rudolph Harrier on My Horrible Interaction With AIJuly 9, 2026
I've also experienced that thing where it claims to not be able to do something it just did. I see…
Rudolph Harrier on My Horrible Interaction With AIJuly 9, 2026
A couple of things I have noticed about how LLMs have developed in the last year or so: 1.) Somehow…