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  • Credible vs. non-credible dissent

    Rosenbaum fails to mention that journalists also have a responsibility to distinguish credible dissent from non-credible dissent. Admittedly, Einstein's theories were initially considered wacko...but they were based on a new way of looking at the world, examining results that scientists had previously discounted or not paid attention to, such as ...
    Posted to The Spectator by Tocqueville on August 9, 2008

  • Sex evidence and Statistics

    I read both ''The Normalization of Oral Sex'' and ''Open-mouthed wonder,'' and I think that when responding to criticisms of the prevalence of oral sex in the past, William Saletan, you could have been more explicit about the scope and nature of your evidence. The evidence to which you refer is no older than 1970, and you do not explicitly cite ...
    Posted to Human Nature by textguru44 on June 12, 2008

  • Concise explanation of statistical errors

    Given a response variable (y) and two control variables (x1, x2). Assume the following model: y = a1*x1 + a2*x2 + a3*(x1*x2) Suppose your statistical test show that a1, a2, and a3 all significantly different than zero. The next appropriate step is to test for differences between x1 at a constant value of x2. That way one can determine if a ...
    Posted to The Undercover Economist by Adam on November 23, 2007

  • Discrimination, Grocery stores and Nubile Baggirls

    I'm outraged. After an exhaustive statistical study, I've uncovered a corporate prejudice which suggests systemic sexual discrimination the likes of which could be nationwide!!!!! As a frequent customer to a regional grocery store deemed superior to the Walmarts and Safeways in service (which naturally translates into higher prices), I have ...
    Posted to The Undercover Economist by Usama2 on November 22, 2007

  • must KNOW SELF to know desired

    At twenty suttin, I've been with and around many different ages and races, which exposes a wide range of preferences and dating desires. I conclude and still discuss with many singles, that most women don't ''find'' the men they are looking for because they don't know what they want; they don't know what they want because they don't know ...
    Posted to The Dismal Science by In Charge on November 12, 2007

  • Poor research method

    I read the original article that tries to draw this conclusion, and I'm more than a little disappointed in the quality of the methodology. This was a pilot study at best. There are problems with sample selection, sample size, data collection, and data analysis -- basically all aspects of the study. The coffee shops were admittedly not selected ...
    Posted to The Undercover Economist by flora8 on November 11, 2007

  • A Slate editor solves the mysteries of headline writing.

    I think it's safe to say that those of us who saw the caption ''The Myth of the Asian Fetish'' on the front page (which will be gone in a few days or less) have been had. It's worth noting here that titles in Slate often (always?) contain puns, offensive references, or misleading nonsense designed to draw you in rather than accurately describe ...
    Posted to The Dismal Science by haulinsacs on November 9, 2007

  • short term vs long term in the healthcare biz

    i didn't realize this was news; it's considered a truism in the healthcare insurance industry that you get about 50% turnover every two years. with those kind of numbers, it's in fact to the benefit of the companies that they Do the Right Thing and spend money on disease management programs for patients who will not be members of the same company ...
    Posted to The Dismal Science by gzuckier on September 7, 2007

  • The data is irrelevant.

    If you'd included some statistics comparing admission rates to giving rates, your claim might have a chance at legitimacy. Perhaps alumni give when their children approach college because they hope that the improvements made to the school with their money will make the school a better place for their kids. And to say that schools need money is ...
    Posted to The Dismal Science by Verily on July 9, 2007