Author Archives: F. E. Guerra-Pujol

John Conway (pictured below) is one of my mathematical heroes, along with Martin Gardner and John Nash. Among other things, Conway invented a simple zero-player game called “The Game of Life,” for which he will always be remembered by generations … Continue reading →

Updated 4/16: Hey, where is my mask? In the mail? If the Mayor of Los Angeles or the Governor of New York is going to make the wearing of masks compulsory (see here and here), then shouldn’t City Hall or … Continue reading →

If you are looking for a concise and well-written introduction to Bayesian probability, check out this beautiful essay in the Times Literary Supplement (TLS), which recently appeared in my Twitter feed. (Thank you, Twitter!) This excellent essay was written by … Continue reading →

Sure, why not! Although I am not a big fan of Bill Gates or billionaire philanthropists generally, like a good Bayesian I will update my priors and give credit where credit is due. Like the great Sir Winston Churchill, who … Continue reading →

Hat tip: Prof Steven Landsburg

Sortition refers to the random selection of n persons from a larger pool of eligible persons. For my part, I sincerely doubt whether any of these literary groups were randomly created, but (to paraphrase one of the authors in House … Continue reading →