August 2016 – William M. Briggs

Gonorrhea, Wee P-values, and Tax Increases

Adventurous reader Ted Poppke discovered a peer-reviewed paper that, according to the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), proved that increasing sales tax on booze "caused a 24% decrease in gonorrhea cases…

Statistics

On The Severe (And Unrecognized) Limitations Of fMRI

So this 44-year-old Frenchman---let's call him Jacques---presented for a "mild left leg weakness". The leg bone being connected to the hip bone, etc., it was eventually discovered that Jacques's "skull…

Book review Statistics

Uncertainty Reviewed In The New Criterion

"William Briggs, the civilized world's most amusing statistician." Roger Kimball, author of The Fortunes of Permanence: Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia, The Rape of the Masters: How…

Philosophy SAMT

Summary Against Modern Thought: Our Intellects Are Not Material

See the first post in this series for an explanation and guide of our tour of Summa Contra Gentiles. All posts are under the category SAMT. Previous post. Our intellects…

Culture Statistics

Reader Query & Assist Request: Health Data In India

Busy Saturday, so a plea from reader Aman Rastogi: Sir, I am a student from Lucknow University, INDIA, pursuing my Masters in Public Health there. Few days back I have…

Culture

Islam vs. The West vs. Russia — Guest Post by Ianto Watt

I've been asked to share 'my notes' regarding my previous posts about Islam vs. The West (Part I, II, III). Especially where I've said that the only way out for…

Philosophy Statistics

Stream: Global Warming Alarmists Plead: Save the Children By Not Having Them

Today's post is at The Stream: Global Warming Alarmists Plead: Save the Children By Not Having Them. Global warming will, of course, doom us all. That is, if the models…

Statistics

Showdown At The National Academy of Sciences Corral

I've been asked by pals to promote this event, which happens today. This is a repost from this site. Steve Milloy, Dr. John Dunn & and Dr. Stan Young versus…

Tracy Platt on The Loss of Ephemera — Guest Post by The Blonde BombshellFebruary 26, 2026
What I miss even more than the ticket is a day skiing at Brighton for $1.10. Carumba! O.K, i dont…
hudbwu on The Loss of Ephemera — Guest Post by The Blonde BombshellFebruary 25, 2026
P.S. And don't for a moment think we've escaped from the crutches of oblivion that ate all those books! A…
hudbwu on The Loss of Ephemera — Guest Post by The Blonde BombshellFebruary 25, 2026
Here's a video that talks about all the books you will never, ever read. Watch and weep. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcb2oLSb7Cs
Johnno on Scientists Seeking To Escape Criticism Run To The Warmth & Comfort Of BlueskyFebruary 24, 2026
Not only must we Follow THE SCIENCE (tm), but we must LIKE and hit the Notification Bell to be updated…
Johnno on The Loss of Ephemera — Guest Post by The Blonde BombshellFebruary 24, 2026
NLR - My favorite pet peeve are restaurants where there are no printed menus, just QR codes to the menu…