Posted inStatistics
A Correction: I’ve Been Misquoted
On Thursday, 3 February of this year I was called by Saginaw News reporter Deborah Brown, who asked me, among other things, about claims made by folks like Al Gore…
Posted inFun Statistics
Super Bowl Indicator Busted: A Sports/Markets Indicator for the Next Century—Guest Post by Doug Magowan
Doug Magowan spends his days poring over financial numbers. Today he offers us, tongue firmly in cheek, a new way to get rich quick. All you have to do is…
Posted inCulture
New York City Democrats Remove Yet Another Right: No Smoking In Parks
The party that ever has "Rights!" on its lips, the party with the mania about diversity, the party that is most anxious that religious fundamentalists will take over and impose…
Posted inStatistics
Are Tree Rings Low Pass Temperature Filters?
I don't know the answer to this question: I am not an expert in this area, and I haven't the time or resources to track down the data to discover…
Posted inCulture Statistics
Will The Religious Out-Breed Us All?
Thanks to long-time reader and contributer Ari Schwartz for bringing this to our attention. "It is widely agreed that religion has biological foundations---that belief in the supernatural, obedience to authority…
Posted inStatistics
The Similarities Between Psychics And Global Warming Activists
The statistical evidence series will continue after the weekend. "I see the letter G." The woman closed her eyes, cocked her head, and looked inwardly. She became grave, tense. "There's...wait…
Posted inPhilosophy Statistics
Model Selection and the Difficulty of Falsifying Probability Models: Part III
To clarify: to prove false means to demonstrate a valid argument with a certain conclusion. If a theory/model says an event is merely unlikely---make it as unlikely as you like,…
Posted inPhilosophy Statistics
Model Selection and the Difficulty of Falsifying Probability Models: Part II
I hope all understand that we are not just discussing statistics and probability models: what is true here is true for all theories/models (mathematics, physics, chemistry, climate, etc.). Read Part…