“Quid est veritas?” Pilate asked. Famously, his interlocutor did not answer, perhaps because Pilate didn’t give Him the chance. Then Pilate may have been (understandably) addled because the Answer was standing there. […]
Precaution: Part I — Guest Post by J.C. Hanekamp
The can things with the sharp little edges That can cut your fingers when you’re not looking The soft little things on the floor that you step on They can all be […]
More On The 1 in 1.6 Million Heat Wave Chance
Yesterday we looked at NCDC’s claim that the 13-month stretch of “above-normal” temperatures had only a 1 in 1.6 million chance of occurring. Let’s today clarify the criticism. The NCDC had a […]
Chance Of Heat Wave Only 1 in 1.6 Million? Or, Probability Gone Wrong
My dad took a swing with his nine-iron and the wiffle simulacrum of a golf ball took flight, arched upwards, spun left and, without bouncing, landed atop my favorite blade of grass! […]
The Year Of Faith: What Strange Things People Believe
What better way to start the Year of Faith than with this headline: Experts: Global warming means more Antarctic ice This was atop an article penned Seth Borenstein, who noticed that Antarctic […]
Heartland Institute Accomplishes Act To Self Once Thought Physically Impossible
At the risk of losing the argument before it begins, let me ask you two questions. Number One: What do Adolph Hitler, Mao Tse-tung, serial killer and eater Jeffrey Dahmer, and Barack […]
Tennessee Votes To Teach Uncertainty In Science. Result?
What do you think of this? Tennessee has enacted a law (HB 0368-SB 0893) which states (emphasis mine): This bill prohibits the state board of education and any public elementary or secondary […]
What Probably Isn’t: Heat Waves and Nine Feet Tall Men: Part I
Probability is screwy, and we statisticians do a horrible, rotten job of teaching it. The first thing students learn in normal statistics classes is about “measures of central tendency” or some such […]
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