William M. Briggs

Tolkien Wants A King, Cheating With Statistics

Cheating With Statistics Reader Matt Lewis points us to Planet Moron, to an article which tears apart a statistical argument used by the Washington Post, an argument which sought to…

Culture Statistics

Peer Review Fails? Sympathetic Priest? What’s Going On Here?

Duke Scores Another Own Goal According to Science, Duke University oncologist Anil Potti quit after being caught cheating: Anil Potti had published papers in prominent journals identifying gene signatures in…

Culture Statistics

The Government Loves You And Wants You To Stop Smoking

As an example to others, and not that I care for moderation myself, it has always been my rule never to smoke when asleep, and never to refrain from smoking…

Culture

New Expert Panel To Pick Experts For Expert Panels: Lessons From The TSA

But climate change experts opposed to [Prime minister Julia Gillard's idea of creating a citizens panel to discuss climate change] were saying 'these are citizens, they are not experts on…

Culture

TSA Full-Body Scans Would Not Pass Hospital IRB Reviews

Zzzzaapp! Some angry photons have just been blasted off toward your body, scouting for "contraband." In the process of the search, these energetic massless particles will kick the crap out…

Culture Statistics

College Students More Loquacious Than Erudite: Vocabulary Test Results

The results of the Great Vocabulary Test of 2010 are in. Two weeks ago, in this thread, after announcing my surprise that no student in any of my classes knew…

Statistics

TSA Cops A Feel: More Bad Statistics

As far as I can discover, Janet "There's Nothing To See Here" Napolitano's newly created policy of feeling up and peeking under the skirts of random airline passengers has not…

Culture Statistics

Texting Leads To Sexting…Leads To Bad Television

Researchers Find What they find is a way to publish yet another study documenting what everybody already knew. According to this article, sent in by reader Jack Mosevich, researchers have…

Briggs on Viewer Asks: Why Do I Bother?October 1, 2026
All, Thanks for the kind words and inspiration, everybody. It means a lot to me.
Uncle Mike on Viewer Asks: Why Do I Bother?October 1, 2026
Megafires can, and sometimes do, start with a single spark. Don't underestimate the power of Truth. Therefore, (continue to) wield…
Tars Tarkas on Viewer Asks: Why Do I Bother?October 1, 2026
Well I for one appreciate your work. Thank you for all the time you put into this.
Brian (bulaoren) on Viewer Asks: Why Do I Bother?October 1, 2026
Why does anyone put a message in a bottle, and toss it into the sea?
Rara Avis on Viewer Asks: Why Do I Bother?October 1, 2026
I asked myself the same question as your viewer, Bill, when trying to engage online readers about the logical (and…

William M. Briggs

Viewer Asks: Why Do I Bother?

Academics Call For The Killing Of Babies In “After-Birth” Abortions

Irrational Rationalists: Effective Altruists & The Planet of the Ants

Class 95: Answering P-Value Good Uses Challenges

Whoring For Climate Change

Lady Academics Tire Of Being Judged By Peer Review

Class 94: Quantifying The Unquantifiable

PFAS and Preservatives: Entrenching Chemophobia through Everyday Stuff — Guest Post by Jaap Hanekamp

The MRS Degree — Guest Post by Johnathan Edwards

Politicians Demand “Right” To Be Protected Against AI

Class 93: P-values Challenge! List The “Good Uses” of P-value

Is the West Dying Out? The Demographic Crisis Explained: Jon Harris Podcast

Lindsay Clancy Strangled Her Kids Because Of “Climate Change”

Do Dogs Poop In Alignment With The Earth’s Magnetic Field?

Lewontin’s Other Fallacy: Race & Intelligence

Fertility Fears Overblown: Tiny Shift in Childless Rate Saves The Species

A New Kind Of University: Your Comments Wanted

Bad Black Health Blamed On Slavery

Is Moral Certainty Possible?

We Passed Peak “Climate Change” (um) Research

Sweet Wee Ps Say Sugar Makes You Lose Your Mind

Viewer Asks: Why Do I Bother?

Academics Call For The Killing Of Babies In “After-Birth” Abortions

Tolkien Wants A King, Cheating With Statistics

Peer Review Fails? Sympathetic Priest? What’s Going On Here?

The Government Loves You And Wants You To Stop Smoking

New Expert Panel To Pick Experts For Expert Panels: Lessons From The TSA

TSA Full-Body Scans Would Not Pass Hospital IRB Reviews

College Students More Loquacious Than Erudite: Vocabulary Test Results

TSA Cops A Feel: More Bad Statistics

Texting Leads To Sexting…Leads To Bad Television

There Is No Culture Without Inequality: Stove 1

Impose Your Beliefs Before They Impose Theirs

Telekinesis: Ideas In Our Reenchantment & Rectification

The Physics Of Blessings: Ideas In Our Reenchantment & Rectification