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Pop Quiz #3
What fraction of players in Major League Baseball are cheating? (*) (a) Less than 10% (b) Between 10-50% (c) Between 50-90% (e) More than 90% (*) By “cheating” we mean the use of banned substances or performance-enhancing drugs. Postscript: This … Continue reading
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Tagged Cheating, Major League Baseball, Performance Enhancing Drugs
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Does anyone smell a rat?
Some communities have “neighborhood watches” to deter thieves and other criminals. So why don’t we organize a “Constitution Watch” to discourage violations of the Constitution? Some people, for example, think Edward Snowden is a criminal or public enemy for disclosing … Continue reading
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Tagged "Constitution Watch", Constitution, Edward Snowden, Neighborhood Watch, NSA, Rats, Warrantless Wiretapping
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Pop Quiz #2
What effect, on average, do traffic signal cameras have on safety? (a) Cameras have no effect on the rate of accidents. (b) Cameras decrease the rate of accidents. (c) Cameras increase the rate of accidents. The answer is here.
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Tagged Hidden Tax, Law Enforcement, Red Light Cameras, Traffic Signals
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Suckers & con artists … a symbiosis
Check out this report in yesterday’s Economist about Andrew Gradon, a con man who swindles unsuspecting suckers Good Samaritans out of their money at various European airports. Of course, there would be fewer con artists if there were fewer suckers Good … Continue reading
Civil theft
Check out this report in this week’s The New Yorker by Sarah Stillman on the use and abuse of civil forfeiture in the US. Here is one excerpt: “In general, you needn’t be found guilty to have your assets claimed … Continue reading
What would Wittgenstein say?
Philosopher Colin McGinn may not be the most popular professor in the academy these days, but his recent thoughts on “The Science of Philosophy” (which might just qualify as one of the shortest academic papers ever) have left me pondering … Continue reading
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Tagged "Philosophy of Philosophy", Colin McGinn, Philosophy, Science
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What is the fastest way to board an airplane?
You might think it’s front to back … but that is wrong. The best method is window seats first, then middle, then aisle–the “inside-out” method. Jason Steffen’s paper “Optimal boarding method for airline passengers” applies the experimental method to this … Continue reading
PhD lifestyle guilt
prior probability loved this post on PhD lifestyle guilt … yes, we know the feeling … we often feel “professor lifestyle guilt” (except when we are grading exams and papers) because we love our work … As Oliver Wendell Holmes … Continue reading
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The tyranny of the TSA
Is the Constitution just a worthless piece of paper? After all, Americans have no real legal rights at airports, since airport security checkpoints are somehow exempt from the probable cause requirement of the Constitution … and yet nobody cares. Now, … Continue reading
Happy Jamaica Independence Day!
Jamaica is one of prior probability‘s favorite countries in the world (aside: p.p.’s wife is Jamaican and we spent our last summer in St Ann Parish and plan to return next summer), and today, 6 August, the Island celebrates her … Continue reading
