Category Archives: Science

Thinking like a machine (part 2 of 3)

Posted on August 17, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

In our previous post, we mentioned John Danaher’s excellent review of Brett Frischmann’s 2014 paper exploring the possibility of a Reverse Turing Test. One of the insightful contributions Frischmann makes to this voluminous literature is his idea of a Turing … Continue reading →

Posted in Bayesian Reasoning, Philosophy, Science | 4 Comments

Reverse Turing Tests and Ethical Machines (part 1 of 3)

Posted on August 16, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

Our colleague John Danaher recently pondered the possibility of a “Reverse Turing Test” in this intriguing blog post dated 21 July 2016. That is, instead of testing for a machine’s ability to think like a human, what if we tested for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bayesian Reasoning, Philosophy, Science, Science Fiction | 1 Comment

Anatomy of a shot block

Posted on June 22, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol
Posted in Games, Probability, Science, Sports | Leave a comment

Science stamps

Posted on May 12, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

The Royal Mail (U.K.) has launched a special stamp set in honor of British inventors. The stamps pictured above depict a wide variety of British inventions (moving clockwise, from top-left to bottom-left): the World Wide Web, the world’s first digital computer … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Science | Leave a comment

Traffic Jam Paradox

Posted on May 10, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

Notice how a single car in the video below creates a chain-reaction leading to a traffic jam. Thus the paradox: given driver behavior, what if building more highways (or expanding existing ones) doesn’t result in reductions of traffic jams? Instead, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bayesian Reasoning, Science, Traffic | Leave a comment

Geological timeline

Posted on February 23, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol
Posted in Art, Science | Leave a comment

XY/XX lavatory signs

Posted on February 7, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol
Posted in Culture, Science | Leave a comment

Review of Trivers (2016)

Posted on January 16, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

We’ve just finished reading Robert Trivers’s strange memoir “Wild Life: Adventures of an Evolutionary Biologist.” But before proceeding with our short review, we must disclose up front that Dr Trivers is one of our intellectual heroes–along with Thomas Schelling, Gordon … Continue reading →

Posted in Law, Science | 2 Comments

Satellite Traffic (1957-2015)

Posted on January 1, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol
Posted in History, Probability, Science | Leave a comment

True or False?

Posted on November 25, 2015 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

"Science is what you know. Philosophy is what you don't know." ~Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) pic.twitter.com/la7cjUQjsJ — Cliff Pickover (@pickover) November 24, 2015

Posted in Philosophy, Science, Truth | Leave a comment