Posted inStatistics
EPA’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan
The EPA has asked for my advice.1 They will not listen to, or harken, or act on this advice, but asking for it gives them a sense that they have…
Posted inCulture
7-Year-Old Suspended For Carrying Unlicensed Pop Tart: Update
Did you feel it? The latest lurch towards insanity happened in Baltimore, where seven-year-old Josh Welch was suspended from school for eating a Pop Tart. Turns out he bit off…
What Day Most Changed History?
Such was the title of The Atlantic's "The Big Question" column of March, 2013. This is the sort of piece one finds uppermost in the toilet's magazine rack. So now…
Posted inFun Statistics
On Dowsing—Guest Post by Ray Kidd
I dug a one-meter square test pit outside an 18th century ruined cottage. A "dowser" invited to test his powers stood beside the pit dangling a bob on a string.…
Posted inStatistics
Science Can Tell If You’re A Racist Just By Looking At You
George Carlin used to advise those who wanted to avoid jury duty to tell the judge, "Don't worry about me, your honor. I can tell guilty people---<snap!>---just like that!" We…
Posted inStatistics
The Second & Third Most Depressing Graphs: The Encroachment Of Government
Update This stays top for today because we're still waiting for some regulars to chime in and because I'm busy. Here is federal government spending as a fraction of the…
Posted inCulture Statistics
The Most Depressing Graph: Per Capita Federal Spending Rises Alarmingly: Update
There is no more saddening picture of the progress of government than this one (the second & third most depressing graphs are here): This is the amount of money the…
Posted inFun Statistics
Best Movie Oscar Prediction Via Statistical Modeling: Update, The Model Wins
Update I humbly accept your congratulations. Argo will win Oscar for Best Picture, according to our non-patented, statistically significant almost-mathematical computer model. The key reasons for its victory will be:…