Tag Archive | Statistics
The Power of Position
How we position our bodies says a lot to others about our confidence and our abilities, but it also says a lot to us. Thanks to Cody Wanner for pointing me toward this wonderful TED video. I would love to know more about her study techniques, and the graph with a non-zero baseline bugs me, […]
The iPhone Placebo Effect
Kudos to Jimmy Kimmel (of all people) for pointing out our silly obsession with the new. While this may be funny to those of us who don’t have every iDevice (pretty sure that isn’t really a word and I made it up) ever made, this probably isn’t too different from how we react to numerous […]
Want a Good Career? Consider Math/Stats!
Yet another ranking of top jobs has highlighted careers in Mathematics and Statistics as among the very best career options. I’m not sure exactly what to make of the ranking, since the graphic they used at the top doesn’t seem to correspond to the piece, and there seems to be a ranking on the top […]
TED on Wrongful Convictions: Part VI
In today’s final installment of TED’s wrongful conviction series, David Dow points out the uncomfortable connection between childhood environment and eventually being sentenced to the death sentence. About three quarters of death row inmates have a history in the juvenile justice system. How can we break this link and help end this link? Dow has […]
TED on Wrongful Convictions: Part V
In today’s installment of TED’s wrongful conviction series, James Lockyer gives a case study of a wrongfully convicted client of his, and the long journey to justice. Some of the thoughts from previous talks in this series (click the Wrongful Convictions category above or the Wrongful Convictions tag to see other posts in this series, […]
TED on Wrongful Convictions: Part IV
In today’s installment of TED’s wrongful conviction series, Peter Donnelly discusses how misunderstanding statistics and probability can lead to wrongful convictions. Even the “experts” can really mess this up. The problem is often experts in other disciplines attempting to apply statistics and probability, and failing miserably. However, often no one seems to notice. We would […]
TMQ Tidbits of the Week
Once again, here is the best of Gregg Easterbrook’s Tuesday Morning Quarterback column on ESPN.com. You can read the football bits here. A Cosmic Thought A generation ago “exoplanets” — beyond the solar system — had not been found. Now hundreds are known and the list grows weekly. Recently NASA’s Kepler probe, the first space device specifically designed to look […]
TED on Wrongful Convictions: Part III
In today’s installment of TED’s wrongful conviction series, Rob Warden discusses false confessions. Why would anyone admit to a crime that they did not commit? There are several reasons. Some are predictable (to make the interrogation stop), while others are more surprising (police have lied and implied they have evidence that they don’t). Warden gives example cases […]
TED on Wrongful Convictions: Part II
In today’s installment of TED’s wrongful conviction series, Bryan Stevenson talks about the issue of justice. Our criminal justice system is supposed to give every accused the same protections, but does it? Stevenson points out where it does not, and how we might be able to make a difference.
TED on Wrongful Convictions: Part I
I recently came across a series of good talks about the phenomenon of wrongful convictions. There are numerous reasons for the problem, some of which will be discussed in the videos. I’ll spread them out over six days, so that my readers can give each talk the thought that it might deserve. The speakers come […]
No Longer Normal 