Search Results for: regression mean

Cosmic and Psychological Lessons

Posted on Friday 8 March 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Phil Plait on the scale of the cosmos; Beware of pluralistic ignorance; How math education can be better taught with examples about money. – – –   Today’s cosmic lesson. Scientific American, Phil Plait, 8 Mar 2024: The Scale of … Continue reading →

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Book Censorship, Swivel-Eyed Loons, and Declining Millennial Religion

Posted on Tuesday 2 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Three items today. Why book censorship doesn’t work, and how conservatives don’t learn this. Cory Doctorow on how the objections to the “15-minute city” reflect a genuine concern about corporate influence over the government. How the current generation (unlike past … Continue reading →

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Rules of Law, and Gods, and Politicians

Posted on Wednesday 5 April 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Topics in this post: How MAGAites think their god (Trump) is above the law, with wise insights from John Scalzi; how Republicans want the dumbest parents to control school curricula; the link between white supremacy and anti-abortion politics; how owners … Continue reading →

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Mathematics

Posted on Thursday 6 October 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Ellenberg, Jordan. 2014. How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking. Penguin. **** How to apply mathematical concepts to everyday situations that are often misunderstood by ordinary “common sense.” Among the many topics: the dangers of simple linear … Continue reading →

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John Allen Paulos, ONCE UPON A NUMBER: The Hidden Mathematical Logic of Stories (1998)

Posted on Monday 31 January 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s another John Allen Paulos book, one from 1998, and one that I had not previously read. When I noticed it on the shelf a few weeks ago I realized this was now of particular interest, since in recent years … Continue reading →

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John Allen Paulos, INNUMERACY: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences (1988)

Posted on Friday 21 January 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

This slender book was first published in 1988 (I have the 1990 paperback edition) and became a bestseller. It was one of the earliest books on the very general theme of how many people don’t understand the world around them, … Continue reading →

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Steven Pinker: RATIONALITY (2021)

Posted on Sunday 12 December 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Pinker, Steven. Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters. Viking, 2021 I realize I’ve never written up a book by Steven Pinker on this blog, though I’ve read several and I think Pinker is one of … Continue reading →

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Novella et al: THE SKEPTICS’ GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE

Posted on Wednesday 8 December 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Novella, Dr. Steven, et al. The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe: How to Know What’s Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake. Grand Central, 2018. *** I read this shortly after publication, nearly three years ago now, and … Continue reading →

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Ls&Cs: The Fading of Religion, and Human Progress Despite It

Posted on Thursday 7 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Here are several links about religion I’ve captured in recent weeks mostly to the Patheos.com website, which is a collection of blogs from all points of view along the religious spectrum. The ones I tend to read, of course, are … Continue reading →

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John Allen Paulos, A MATHEMATICIAN READS THE NEWSPAPER (1995)

Posted on Monday 23 March 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

John Allen Paulos, A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper. Basic Books, 1995. Author’s Conclusion: Always be smart. Seldom be certain. Journalists should ask, in addition to Who, Where, What, etc., How Many? And How Likely? And no matter how detailed the … Continue reading →

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