William M. Briggs

Review and Comments on Anna Karenina—Guest Post by the Blonde Bombshell

The movie itself is quite enjoyable. The opening is a little jarring, as the movie mixes "stage" settings with "movie" settings. The characters will march across the stage or climb…

Philosophy Statistics

Precaution: Part II—Guest Post by J.C. Hanekamp

For all the flurry surrounding precaution---being portrayed as a decisional/procedural instrument to protect human and environmental health from the (potential) dangers of human activities---the history shows that we are dealing…

Culture Philosophy

The HHS Mandate & Hobby Lobby: Updated

I'm a little late with this; pressures of work. Nevertheless, it's Hobby Lobby appreciation day. Open letter from CEO. One day the department of Health and Human Services sat in…

Culture Philosophy

Who Is A Mother When Same-Sex “Marriage” Arrives?

A headline in the 2 January 2013 The Telegraph ran: First baby born in France in 2013 has two mothers The story informs us the birth mother is named Maude,…

Philosophy Statistics

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…

Culture Fun

American Atheists, Hispanic Division Sues Federal Government Over Documents

The American Atheists have once again filed suit, this time against the Federal Government over its use of the Spanish language in official documents. The litigious group has previously sued…

Culture Fun Statistics

How’d Our 2012 Predictions Fare?

We didn't have a such a bad year making picks---here's the list. Make predictions for 2013 here. Yours truly picked Mitt Romney as president. A wishcast not a forecast! A…

Fun Statistics

Predictions 2013—Register Yours Today!

Time for our annual guessing game about what's to come for 2013. The predictions we made for 2012 will be posted and analyzed tomorrow. We have one week to enter…

Steve on Reader Poll: Shorter or Longer, Frequent or Rarer Posts?June 5, 2026
The bikini rule -- less is more, but it has to cover all the important stuff. As with human bodies,…
Heresolong on Reader Poll: Shorter or Longer, Frequent or Rarer Posts?June 5, 2026
Yes.
Jose Miro Julia on Reader Poll: Shorter or Longer, Frequent or Rarer Posts?June 5, 2026
I'd prefer 3-4 short ones a week.
Ivdas Machabevs on Reader Poll: Shorter or Longer, Frequent or Rarer Posts?June 4, 2026
Longer, deeper, rarer.
Jean Lesperance on Reader Poll: Shorter or Longer, Frequent or Rarer Posts?June 4, 2026
Rather than short or long, I prefer "significant" posts. These days energy and religion aka morals are particular interests. Your…

William M. Briggs

Reader Poll: Shorter or Longer, Frequent or Rarer Posts?

No Model Will Save Us: Pope Leo, the Miserostat, and AI’s Woke Coders

How High an IQ Must A Person Have To Be Executed?

Class 90: Simple (Optimal) Decisions

Shocking Abortion Numbers: Death Distributions Show We’re Living Longer

Blessed Memorial Day; No Class; See You Wednesday

Why There Are (Probably) No UFOs: “Climate Change”

Creating Microbial Monsters To Terrorize Ourselves

Class 89: The Measure Most Modelers Forget: Skill Examples

The Shocking Conclusion of the HR Trilemma!

The HR Trilemma: Which Door Decides Your Fate?

Capital Punishment Deters Crime More Than The Death Penalty

How Experts Use “Calamities” to Find Official Victims & Gain Power

Richard Dawkins, The Big Muscles Fallacy & AI Pachinko

Class 88: The Most Neglected Concept: Skill

The Red-Blue Button Dilemma & Its Surprising Answer

UFO Reports About To Blast Off!

Class 87: Calibration & Conformal Prediction: Examples

Noticing Differences Between Races Does Not Pay

What Are The Chances Of All These Scientists Dying, Killed, Or Going Missing?

Class 86: Calibration & Conformal Prediction: Theory