2024 – Page 26 – William M. Briggs

The True Story of Juan Diego & the Conversion of Mexico — Guest Post by Ianto Watt

I have a problem. Two, actually. The first is numeric. The second, chronologic. Both relate to an epochal series of historic events occurring nearly 500 years ago, in Mesoamerica. My…

Culture

Google Knew Exactly What They Were Doing: Models Only Do What They Are Told

So Google tried to get away with its "AI" named Gemini, which is to say its hard-coded dumb (in the medical sense) model named Gemini, substituting blacks and the occasional…

Statistics

Stats Challenge Answered: Study Of PFAS & Vaccine Antibodies

I trust you have read the original post (Blog, Substack). If not, do so, because I won't repeat any of it here. However, even if you haven't, you might still…

Culture Philosophy

What The Psychic Theory Of Sheep & Goats Tells Us About Our Most Cherished Belief

Here is a true story. See if it rings any bells. Not in the story itself, which you likely won't know. I mean see if it sounds like anything you…

Culture

France’s Confusing New Law Criminalizing Criticizing The Science

My knowledge of French law rivals that of Fifteenth Century Congolese poetry. So I know I am on risky ground commenting on a newly passed law that many are saying,…

Statistics

New Zealand Forced To Release New Vax Data: Here’s The Analysis

There's been an update on the New Zealand vax data. The government ponied up some official numbers. Some are excited about this. Alas, like the previous leaked data, I don't…

Statistics

Statistical Challenge: Can You Rate How Good This Study Was?

I will lose many of you today. But for those up for an intellectual challenge, this post is for you. This will not be easy. Let's play a game. I'm…

Culture

Academics Blame Lower Trust In Scientists On Everything But Bad Scientists

The second sentence of the abstract of a new paper about trust in scientists, which is generally high but in some places low, provides the very reason for distrust: "Public…

Milton Hathaway on Even The Woke Say Science Is Petering OutJune 4, 2025
I seem to be missing something here. The "Average CD" chart shows a marked decline, while the "Total Papers" chart…
Uncle Mike on Even The Woke Say Science Is Petering OutJune 4, 2025
The problem, in a nutshell, is the trending longitudinal bibliometrics of stochastic heuristics. Vouchsafe the imperative and quotidian drivel perpetuates.
Milton Hathaway on Expert Nathan Confas: Experts Know BestJune 4, 2025
There is a well-known phenomenon in my occupation (engineering), and, I assume, in many other occupations. By nature, engineers love…
brad.tittle on Even The Woke Say Science Is Petering OutJune 4, 2025
I take umbrage with that attack on being nice... Then I look in the mirror and realize that I haven't…
Leonard on Even The Woke Say Science Is Petering OutJune 4, 2025
I wonder what percentage of “papers” are AI-generated in the last 5 years. For that matter, I wonder how many…