August 2009 – Page 2 – William M. Briggs

Fads and Fallacies in the Social Sciences by Steven Goldberg: Part II

Part I We now discuss the first two of Goldberg's main claims. Both of them are contentious, are bitterly contested, and passion inducing. Try to keep a cool head; certainly…

Book review Culture

Fads and Fallacies in the Social Sciences by Steven Goldberg: Part I

Fads and Fallacies in the Social Sciences by Steven Goldberg Recommendation: Buy one copy for yourself, another for mother. If Sally is over six feet tall and Bill is over…

Statistics

DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: III of III

Part I Part II PDF DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: I of III Part III of III The climb was steep at times, but I managed to haul my carcass to the…

Statistics

DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: II of III

Part I Part III PDF DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: Part II of III Now before you accuse me of anything, I like ballet. Not to watch it, that's as dull as…

Statistics

DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: I of III

In celebration of my having work, I present something that requires no thinking (on my part). Part II Part III PDF DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS Part I of III Kick...two,…

Statistics

At ASA/ISM Joint Statistical Meetings

Link. Watch this space for stories. (Updates to comments on other posts will be slow.) Update: Tuesday night. This story, sent in by Jim D., is a must read. Statistical…

Culture

The Sad Decline in Music: Benny Goodman vs. House Music

Part I: Cole Porter vs. The Beatles Part II: Billy Strayhorn vs. Drake I apologize for the slowness in the appearance of this third battle, but I have just been…

Philosophy Statistics

Models, theories, consistency, and truth

Ready? Put on your best straight face, recall that global temperatures have not increased for a decade, and that it's actually been getting cooler, then repeat with Brenda Ekwurzel, of…

Another “Curate’s Egg?” Comments on Magnifica Humanitas – The American Catholic on Laudato Si: “The Curate’s Egg.” The Not So Excellent Parts. Guest Post by Bob KurlandJune 15, 2026
[…] If ever one wanted an analogy to show that a flawed work had good parts, it would be the…
Truly Random Numbers Found? – William M. Briggs on Quantum Potency & ProbabilityJune 15, 2026
[…] Which leaves open the possibility we might gain at least some knowledge of non-local causes. This article gives one…
Brian (bulaoren) on Truly Random Numbers Found?June 15, 2026
Wait...Does this mean that all those non-winning lottery tickets, I've bought over the years, were drawn from non-randomly-generated numbers? I…
McChuck on Truly Random Numbers Found?June 15, 2026
What QM leaves out of their "randomness is fundamental" picture is the state of the entire rest of the universe.…
John M on Climate Change Increases Risk of Even Slower World Cup Games!June 15, 2026
LarryG, I appreciate that sport and game participants can enjoy their favorite activity but that doesn't make the activity entertaining.