July 2013 – Page 2 – William M. Briggs

California Students To Choose Genders, Bathrooms: Update

A leading academic theory is that "gender" is a construct, where by "gender" the academic means sexual behavior and by "construct" she means something we make up, a decision. If…

Philosophy

On The Probability God Exists

In order not to make the reader sick with jealously, I will not tell him that I sit on the porch on a bright summer morning mere steps away from…

Philosophy

Something From Nothing: Or, A Heavenly Fish Sandwich

So I was sitting on the porch by the lake reading a piece by Trent Horn on the first premise of the kalam cosmological argument for the existence of God,…

Fun

From Claude Shannon To Demonic Mosquitoes To Bluegill

Here's some information for you: this is a statue of Claude Shannon, tucked in-between two unfrequented buildings in tiny Gaylord, Michigan (most buildings are unfrequented here). Shannon's the guy who…

Fun

Good Gnus—PG Wodehouse Hunting Poem

A northern Michigan summer! Time to venture forth out onto the waters and kill something to eat. I'm thinking pike. Wodehouse had gnus in mind. When cares attack and life…

Fun

Happy 50th Bill & Marilyn!

We made rather merry at the party yesterday. So much so that there might not be any fresh posts for days.

Fun Statistics

Two New Dice Games: Animosity & Disdain

Summer and time for doing plenty of nothing. Like playing a rousing game of 10,000, sometimes called Farkle, Dix Mille, or "Didn't we just play that yesterday?" There are many…

Philosophy Statistics

What Regression Really Is

Bookmark this one, will you, folks? If there's one thing we get more questions about and that is more abused than regression, I don't know. So here is the world's…

Uncle Mike on Do Dogs Poop In Alignment With The Earth’s Magnetic Field?September 3, 2026
The afterstory: three of the authors are now university presidents, and one is head of NSA.
shawn marshall on Do Dogs Poop In Alignment With The Earth’s Magnetic Field?September 3, 2026
for sure you have identified a scienterrific study full of dog poop
Brian (bulaoren) on Do Dogs Poop In Alignment With The Earth’s Magnetic Field?September 3, 2026
Well, a lot of current research product orients toward the left.
McChuck on Do Dogs Poop In Alignment With The Earth’s Magnetic Field?September 3, 2026
Perhaps the dogs prefer not to stare into the morning and evening sun? How does one measure the "calmness" of…
JohnK on Lewontin’s Other Fallacy: Race & IntelligenceSeptember 2, 2026
I liked the "zinc" metaphor very much. I really appreciate the pains you took on this piece, Matt, which are…