Books
Books that I have written.
Media Appearances
Podcasts and Videos in which I have appeared or which I have created.
pyndamics3
Dynamical systems simulation in Python. Includes both continuous and stochastic simulation.
Stats for Everyone
An introductory stats book from a Bayesian perspective, including Python software.
I am a Scientist, Skeptic, and Professor at Bryant University. My goal is to make technical subject matters widely accessible and to use my analytical and computational skills to assist anyone with their science-related problems.
Blog
Getting the Definitions Right
I posted before about 3 Reasons Why Belief in God Makes Sense from the Unbelievable Podcast. In another article, Justin Brierley comments on some of his observations as the moderator …
#religion
The Truth of a Story
In Part 1 of this post I walk through a powerful, but false, story of a vindicated math prodigy. When the article stated…
”No. I gave you that option already …
#critical thinking
Your Lack of Imagination Can Kill You — But You Can Be Saved by Math TEDx Bryant
Here I present how our cognitive biases -- confirmation bias, innumeracy, either-or bias -- can lead to significant problems, but also can be solved with the proper use of probability theory. Essentially …
#media
The Power of a Story …especially when it's wrong
Stories are a powerful influence on thinking. It is pretty clear that humans communicate best in narratives, and the more that you can use stories to explain a concept the …
#critical thinking
Sea Slug Brains …delicious or no?
I learned a somewhat disturbing fact about sea squirts recently - once they find their permanent home they eat their own brain because they don’t need it anymore - their brain …
#science
3 Reasons Why Belief In God Makes Sense …or not
In a new book, Justin Brierley of the very good Unbelievable Podcast writes about 3 Reasons Why Belief in God Makes Sense. These reasons aren’t particularly compelling to me …
#religion
Facts are Not Enough
In the October issue of Significance magazine, an article called “Why facts are not enough in the fight against fake news” by Brian Tarran resonated with some of the things …
#critical thinking
More than Enough Time
Here are some notes about time management that I found useful from this article:
- If you're with your friends, be with your friends. If you're doing the dishes, do the …
#productivity
Happy Groundhog Day!
Happy Groundhog Day, tomorrow! Hope Phil's predictions are as good as ever! The data are summarized as:
- Sees his shadow - 103 (79.23%)
- Does not see his shadow - 18 (13 …
#articles
Matter, Energy, and the Spirit
Theists seem to critique naturalism with the claim that there is more to the universe than just "matter and energy". However, even physicists have in their models certain entities which …
#religion
Cool theorem - angle bisector
I was helping my daughter with geometry the other day and this cute theorem popped up in the examples. For some reason I don't recall ever seeing it before, and …
#math
Naturalism Defined
The question of supernatural vs. natural has come up a lot in discussions with Christians. Such quotes as "Naturalism is ambiguous. What is nature and what isn't nature?", "Naturalism is …
#religion
Lessons from Jon Acuff's book Finish
Here are the lessons I learned from Jon Acuff's book Finish.
- Cut Your Goal in Half
- half done is better than none, psychologically
- Choose what to bomb
- what gives? something …
#productivity
How to be productive - Part 2 - Methods
In Part 1 of this series I describe some of the apps I've used. Here I speak about some of the methods I have tried to be productive.
The List …
#productivity
How to be productive - Part 1 - Apps
I am a to-do list app junkie, unfortunately. Actually, beyond that, I am a productivity method junkie. Of course, I recognize that in doing so I often make myself less …
#productivity
I'm not a Denier, I'm a Skeptic And yes, there is a difference
In this tumultuous time, it is important to not demonize people who disagree with you. It is also important to recognize that people can have nuanced views on complex subjects …
#science
Art, Scientific Reductionism, and the New Neuroscience
Introduction
In an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Alva Noë challenges the neuroscience paradigm, summarized as
The momentous proposition is this: Every thought, feeling, experience, impression, value, argument …
#science
Where probabilities and theology meet
We start with the article Why the resurrection data can be evidence for theism, and why arguments for resurrection need not presuppose theism – formal demonstrations.
#religion
Happy New Year (again)! A Time for New Beginnings (again)
As I have written before, I love the idea of New Year’s Day. It’s a time for reflection, contemplation, self improvement. I realize that it is technically just …
#articles
Push Back Against Bayes
In his blog post about Bayes' theorem part 1 and part 2, John Loftus wrestles with the notion of prior probability and the application of Bayes' Theorem. His concern seems …
#articles
Not all Extraordinary Claims are Equal
Although we may believe that a chick can be born inside a hen on weak testimonial evidence, we are not therefore justified to believe all other extraordinary claims on weak testimonial evidence.
#articles
