William M. Briggs

What Is A “Climate Change Skeptic”? Assist With Definition

As requested by Richard Drake and J Ferguson, who began a conversation on a similar topic last week, this new post asks what is the best "opinion poll-ready definition of…

Culture Statistics

New York’s Induced Terminations Of Pregnancy

New York City's Health Department (motto: It's for your own good!) released its annual birth and death statistics, and the internet is aflutter, particularly over the numbers on abortion. "Raw"…

Culture Statistics

Internet Porn Reduces Rape?

I want to be charitable. I really do. But as I reviewed the paper "Pornography, Rape, and the Internet" by Clemson professor Todd Kendall (author of "Celebrity Misbehavior in the…

Philosophy Statistics

Ivy League Climate Skeptics

I received this email from Rob Fishman at the Huffington Post. My answer follows. I'm the social media editor here at HuffPost (and a Cornell alum). I came across your…

Fun

Ecoheroes For the Climate Join Global Warming Superheroes!

Remember Global Warming Superheroes? A site where I---cough, cough---made villain of the day? While glancing through my logs, I was led to Timberati: Reasonably green thoughts. The folks there were…

Culture Fun Statistics

Predictions For 2011: Submit Yours Today!

Since everybody remembers what Yogi Berra said about this hoary subject, we can skip it. Still, we can't help but wonder with Calvin, where are all the rocket ships…

Fun

Nanodots, Kindles, And The Future Of E-Books

US News and World Report reprinted a press release from the National Science Foundation which announced that, "Nanodots Breakthrough May Lead to 'A Library on One Chip'." A researcher at…

Fun Statistics

Scientists Too Sure Of Themselves: Except, Of Course, Climatologists And Neuroscientists

Since most of us are ill inclined to labor until Monday next, I don't want to post anything of momentous importance until then---accepting, as we must, that all that appears…

km on The Red-Blue Button Dilemma & Its Surprising AnswerMay 3, 2026
What happens if you choose not to participate?
Briggs on Class 88: The Most Neglected Concept: SkillMay 3, 2026
Gareth, And thanks for the comment.
gareth on Class 88: The Most Neglected Concept: SkillMay 3, 2026
You said "and thanks for listening". To which my reply is "and thanks for doing" (many fold) I'm only half…
tfc on Class 88: The Most Neglected Concept: SkillMay 1, 2026
Wow. Americans say the Soviet Union was a huge success.
John Pate on The Red-Blue Button Dilemma & Its Surprising AnswerApril 30, 2026
I would press the red button because it's the red button. The bigger the red button the harder you hit…

William M. Briggs

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

How A Miracle Turns Mundane

Contest Winner Announced!

Trump’s Last Stand: Mea Culpa, Redux — Guest Post by Ianto Watt

Class 85: Proper Scores of Model Goodness

Proof!

Justice Ketanji Roars

Iran Has Caught Covid: A Reason For The War

Class 84: Most Important Measure of Model Goodness

There Is No Solution To Crashing Fertility: Good Times Made Soft Men

Did The Pope Really Say Health Is A “Right”?

All Models Only Say What They Are Told To Say, And AI Is A Model

It’s The End Of The World Again

Belgian Judge Wants To Arrest Little Nate Cofnast Because Cofnast Says Smart People Are Smarter Than Dumb People