William M. Briggs

Quirk’s: Telling the future from the past: predictive versus classical statistics

Today's post is at Quirk's, the well known trade journal and marketing research review. If you want to read the article on-line at Quirk's, registration is required, but free. You…

Culture Statistics

Malthus Was Wrong, But Not Why You Think

It's hard to think of a historical writer more misunderstood than Thomas Malthus. A week doesn't go by without somebody dropping his name, but only to show how wrong he…

Statistics

R Lecture 5: Reading Built-in Data

This is the fifth in a series of lectures on R. 10 minutes is a shockingly short period of time! Today, we read in some datasets that come with R.…

Statistics

2011 Per Capita Budget Highest Ever

President Obama submitted the 2011 fiscal year budget. If Congress passes it---and history shows that the approximate amount requested is usually granted---then this will be the highest the USA has…

Statistics

Why Global Warming Won’t Go Away: Inertia

Rajendra Pachauri---chairman of the IPCC, railway engineer, and the man who penned these words, "Sanjay saw a shapely dark-skinned girl lying on Vinay's bed. He was overcome by a lust…

Culture Philosophy

Tim Tebow’s Super Bowl Ad and the Washington Post Editorial

Very delicate ground, here. I want to be as precise as I know how in discussing the language used in today's Washington Post editorial about the upcoming Tim Tebow ad,…

Culture Statistics

Welcome-to-Saturday Links

My heart soared like a hawk this week after several readers sent in fascinating stories. Here are a few of them. Reader Sara C sent in a wonderful example of…

Statistics

R Lecture 4: Help & Plotting

This is the fourth in a series of lectures on R. 10 minutes is a shockingly short period of time! Today, we learn the R way to create comments: start…

Johnno on Math Is Epistemic Violence, Says Lady AcademicJune 21, 2026
That's a lot of words just to say Math is intrinsically patriarchal because statistics show boys are better than girls…
Johnno on Climate Change Increases Risk of Even Slower World Cup Games!June 21, 2026
They could host the matches in indoor arenas... but that would mean turning on the air conditioning, which means electricity,…
hudbwu on Math Is Epistemic Violence, Says Lady AcademicJune 20, 2026
We they're certainly re-inventing. Promises kept, I guess. Also, I can't escape thinking this is what the mice and rats…
hudbwu on The Ultimate IQ Test: Guessing the Author’s Mind and Escaping the Infinity of AnswersJune 20, 2026
ObvIOusLy, the correct formula for the triangles at the start is (upper_left + upper_right) * upper_left , which gives us…
Andras Kuthi on Truly Random Numbers Found?June 19, 2026
Contemplate that Epstein won the New Mexico lottery...so much for randomly generated numbers.

William M. Briggs

Class 92: Simple Optimal Decisions: PSA & Cancer Example

Math Is Epistemic Violence, Says Lady Academic

Truly Random Numbers Found?

Class 91: Try Not To Use the ROC Curve & AUC

Climate Change Increases Risk of Even Slower World Cup Games!

The Ultimate IQ Test: Guessing the Author’s Mind and Escaping the Infinity of Answers

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

Class 92: Simple Optimal Decisions: PSA & Cancer Example

Math Is Epistemic Violence, Says Lady Academic

Quirk’s: Telling the future from the past: predictive versus classical statistics

Malthus Was Wrong, But Not Why You Think

R Lecture 5: Reading Built-in Data

2011 Per Capita Budget Highest Ever

Why Global Warming Won’t Go Away: Inertia

Tim Tebow’s Super Bowl Ad and the Washington Post Editorial

Welcome-to-Saturday Links

R Lecture 4: Help & Plotting

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