Category Archives: Uncategorized
Signaling theory (iPhone X edition)
Is iPhone X the new Blackberry? According to Square Trade, the iPhone X is not only the most breakable smartphone ever made; it’s also the most expensive to repair. So, can anyone explain to us why Apple addicts (like this one) still … Continue reading
Not again
Perhaps there is no way to prevent evil men from killing innocent people, but there is a way of making those who profit from these killings pay monetary damages to the victims. It’s called tort law. Unfortunately, however, the Protection … Continue reading
The Keepings Clause?
In our previous post, we shouted out Donald Kochan’s paper on the history of the Takings Clause, available here via SSRN. His work poses an intriguing and important question: From a consumer or marketing perspective, how should we label the … Continue reading
Loyola Chicago
Updated 11/5 (9AM): We’re attending the eighth annual constitutional law colloquium at Loyola Law School in Chicago, where we are presenting our work-in-progress on “Bayesian voting.” So far, our favorite paper presented at the colloquium is Donald Kochan’s work on the “framing” … Continue reading
Picbreeder
Picbreeder, created by University of Central Florida computer scientist Kenneth Stanley, is a computer algorithm that can create art. (More information here, via FiveThirtyEight. Hat tip: Cliff Pickover, via Twitter.)
Bayesian voting by judges (part 3)
In this post, we will explain what “Bayesian voting” and “probabilistic verdicts” are. Simply put, under Bayesian voting a judge would assign a numerical score reflecting his relative degree of belief in what the proper outcome of an issue or … Continue reading
Map of countries that ban corporal punishment of children
According to Reddit user Wolfinton, Sweden was the very first country to introduce a ban on corporal punishment of children (1979). In recent years, many other countries have followed suit. (As of today, 52 countries have banned corporal punishment of … Continue reading
Bayesian updating by judges (part 2)
In a previous post, we introduced Eric Posner and Adrian Vermeule’s paper “The Votes of Other Judges,” which was published in volume 105 of the Georgetown Law Journal. To sum up, Posner and Vermeule present a theory of interdependent judicial voting, … Continue reading
Bayesian updating by judges
In their thought-provoking paper “The Votes of Other Judges,” Eric Posner and Adrian Vermeule present a compelling argument why judges on multi-member panels should engage in informal Bayesian updating when they decide issues of law or questions of interpretation. Consider, for … Continue reading

