Culture – Page 33 – William M. Briggs

France Strikes Over Increasing Retirement Age: The Meta-Economics of Success

France is into its third or fourth day of striking over President Nicolas Sarkozy's bold plan to increase the retirement age from 60 to a whopping 62. Of course, striking…

Culture Philosophy Statistics

Decadence And The Failure Of The State: A Checklist

Decadence: a falling away; a decay; a deterioration; a failing of heart; a focus of self, on the here and now; the emergence of "What's in it for me?" as…

Culture Statistics

Director Explodes Children In Name of Environment; College Degrees Don’t Always Pay

The delta-V at which I am approaching death has increased because I was crammed into an aluminum tube with two hundred sneezing strangers who unburdened their diseases upon me, and…

Culture Fun Statistics

Lottery Simulator; Science Reporting; More

Bit busy today, folks. Here's some interesting links. Typo warning level 5. Incredibly Depressing Mega Millions Lottery Simulator! That's the creator's name for it: I find it exhilarating and nicely…

Culture Statistics

How To Guarantee Enthusiastic College Students

I Didn't Do My Homework Apathy is contagious. I discovered this after only two of the forty-five students registered for the statistics class I teach bothered to do their homework…

Book review Culture Statistics

Reading Lyrics by Robert Gottlieb and Robert Kimball

First, thanks, Google. Aren't you all sweethearts. 10100 != F1 + F4 + F6 + F9. Reading Lyrics: More than a thousand of the finest lyrics from 1900 to 1975.…

Culture Statistics

Too Many Kids Go To College: A Second Conversation With Myself

Read the first conversation here. William How goes the teaching? Matt Do you really want to know? You might not like the answer. William You're going to start this conversation…

Culture Fun Statistics

Lying For A Living: Tiny Airline Seats

Cowboys on airplanes No doubt channeling Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood, the Italian design firm Aviointeriors Group has created a new airline seat dubbed the "saddle." Ride them skies! What…

Tony Cooke on Creating Microbial Monsters To Terrorize OurselvesMay 18, 2026
The description of the possible transfer of the Hanta virus reminded me of the woman who sang "I danced with…
The Errors of Mr. Coffin on the PP signature and Apostolic Blessings – Roma Locuta Est on Munus, Ministerium & Pope Emeritus Benedict — Guest Post by Fr John RickertMay 16, 2026
[…] However, for the record I will note that myself and others (e.g., Ryan Grant, and Fr. John Rickert, HERE…
John Pate on The HR Trilemma: Which Door Decides Your Fate?May 14, 2026
You haven't given any information the beast sizes of the women involved, this being an important factor (as demonstrated by…
JRob on The Shocking Conclusion of the HR Trilemma!May 14, 2026
Wow, Wow, Wow! Someone else used the exaggeration method! Years ago I tried to figure out the Monte Hall problem…
McChuck on The Shocking Conclusion of the HR Trilemma!May 13, 2026
There is a simpler, less math-intensive solution that gives the same answer. Knowing that it doesn't take two men to…