William M. Briggs

What Would Mark Twain Say About Gun Safety?

Spring Training at the Blog. This post originally appeared in January of 2008. Domonic Gaines, the brute, held the gun to the baby's head and...snapshot! As in photograph: somebody filmed…

Statistics

Thirdhand Smoking: A Triumph Of Wee P-Values

We last did third-hand smoking back in 2011. Even then I didn't think the concept would far. How silly can you get? Pretty silly. Thanks to Dan Hughes we have…

Statistics

Bayes Theorem and Coronavirus: The Chance You Have It & The Chance You Die

I didn't have a chance to put this in yesterday's update, but I've been asked to do it. It's a classic in every 101 biostat textbook to do Bayes theorem…

Class Statistics

Coronavirus Update IV — Take A Deep Breath — If You Still Can

Apologies for the duplicate email! I hit the wrong button yesterday and published the incomplete update meant for today. All the good stuff, caveats, and explanations are linked, some in…

Culture

UN Rapporteur: Give Up Your Religion, Embrace Expert-Certified UNreligion

I don't know the Maldivian word for cohones, but Maldivian UN Special Rapporteur Ahmad Shaheed got him some heuvos grande. Shadheed says any who follows a religion should ignore that…

Philosophy SAMT

Summary Against Modern Thought: Even Private Acts Can Be Sinful

Previous post. Getting away with it in private won't cut it. THAT DIVINE LAW ORDERS MAN ACCORDING TO REASON IN REGARD TO CORPOREAL AND SENSIBLE THINGS 1 Now, just as…

Culture

The Week In Doom — Gendering Jesus Edition

Item What Finding Jesus' Private Parts in the Turin Shroud Says About Faith (Tip from Beckett Basketcase) Newly published scientific investigations into the Turin Shroud have identified the outline of…

Fun

Everything You Know Is Wrong — Book Excerpt! There Is No Wisdom In Crowds

The most controversial book of the year is still on its way! I found two other publishers willing to give it a look, and they're reviewing it now. If they…

Rudolph Harrier on Lancet Discovers Public Health Is PoliticsMarch 16, 2026
During the COVID pandemic the Minnesota shut down directives were based on a computer model that said that tens of…
R W Pearson on On Not ReadingMarch 16, 2026
Good to hear you are an avid reader, Professor Briggs. The word processor gave us the boat anchor novel, and…
James on Lancet Discovers Public Health Is PoliticsMarch 16, 2026
Why is a BRITISH journal (The Lancet) complaining about the US medical establishment? And given the current political establishment in…
bruce g charlton on Lancet Discovers Public Health Is PoliticsMarch 16, 2026
As I have been saying for a couple of decades; science is dead (as a social institution) - but *medical*…
JR Ewing on Lancet Discovers Public Health Is PoliticsMarch 16, 2026
"For these crimes, our rulers paid no price. Not directly." ----------------------- It depresses me when I think about it, so…

William M. Briggs

Lancet Discovers Public Health Is Politics

Class 82: Be More Uncertain (About Models)

On Not Reading

The Great Smoothing: Another Reason Not To Fear (or trust) AI

A Synchronicity Or Coincidence? What Is Behind Curious Events?

Class 81: The Second Biggest Error In Time Series

The Paper Test Shows Why AGI Is Not Possible: And Why The Brain Is Different In Kind

Researcher Imagines Weather With No Human Influence: Concludes Climate Change Hurts Incomes

Faith Deposited: Why Godless Science Fails

Class 80: Granger Causality; Per Se & Accidental Time Series; Stationarity

Scientists Seeking To Escape Criticism Run To The Warmth & Comfort Of Bluesky

The Loss of Ephemera — Guest Post by The Blonde Bombshell

Class 79: Time Series Example

The Importance Of Not Making Decisions

Don’t Take The ‘Long-Covid’ Alzheimer’s Study Seriously

AI Is Driving Many Crazy: Our Latest Panic

Class 78: The Attempt To Turn Correlation Lead Into Causation Gold In Time Series

Desperate Need For Equality: AP Exam Performance

Some Sanity: Experts Sued For Creating Gender Delusions

Why The Recent Claims Of AGI Fail: Plus, A New Test For AGI

Polar Bears Are Doing Fine: Activists, Not So Well