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
Will the Sun Rise Tomorrow? Hume, Laplace, and Bayes
On a recent Unbelievable podcast there is a discussion between Calum Miller and James Croft on the topic "is our universe more likely on atheism or theism?", where Calum introduces …
#Unbelievable Project
Theism vs Atheism An Argument from Probability
On a recent Unbelievable podcast there is a discussion between Calum Miller and James Croft on the topic "is our universe more likely on atheism or theism?", where Calum introduces …
#Unbelievable Project
What's the Harm in Alternative Medicine? An Explicit Death Toll
When challenging the bogus medical claims of herbalists, chiropractors, and homeopaths one is often countered with the question "what's the harm?" How could harm come from a treatment that, even …
#articles
What evidence would it take? Changing ones mind in science and religion
I heard over the past couple of days the question being asked "what evidence would convince you that there is a God?", and the reverse (to a believer) "what evidence …
#articles
What Sane Climate Discussion Looks Like
One of the standard climate blogs I read is Judith Curry's blog Climate Etc... I find that the topics she brings up, and the points she adds to it, are …
#articles
What is Science?
Today I gave a presentation on the general topic of "What is Science?" After some brief remarks about what science isn't and some of the factors (such as attitude) which …
#presentations
Is Faith the Same as Trust or Baseless Belief? An Empirical Question
I was listening to the Unbelievable podcast debate between Tim McGrew and Peter Boghossian on the definition of faith, and whether it is a valid way of knowing. I have …
#Unbelievable Project
Faith, Trust, and Evidence A Question of Definition
I was listening to the Unbelievable podcast debate between Tim McGrew and Peter Boghossian on the definition of faith and whether or not faith is a valid way of knowing …
#Unbelievable Project
Bayesian vs Frequentist Perspectives An Excellent Explanation
Jake VanderPlas has what I believe is the clearest, and most thorough, take-down of the frequentist approach to statistical inference. It's in four parts, so far. The third part, in …
#articles
Statistical Heresies - The Movie Coming to a YouTube Channel Near You
The moment we've been all waiting for, Statistical Heresies the movie is out! You can watch it in a couple of places:
- YouTube: You can hear me, but you might …
#presentations
Turing Test Passed Now, Perhaps, Our Robotic Overlords Are Coming
There has been an announcement that the Turing Test has finally been passed! So a computer has fooled humans into thinking that the computer is a human, as proposed in …
#articles
It's Unreasonable to Believe Some True Things A Comment about Presupossitionalism
In the frustrating debate between Matt Dillahunty and Sye Ten Bruggencate, linked below, an "argument" is put forward that belief in God is reasonable. If you are unfamiliar with presuppositional …
#articles
Free, or Not-So-Free, Will Beyond the semantics
I felt compelled to write this post, for some reason.
Reading an interesting article about free will has gotten me thinking about it again, despite the fact that doing so …
#articles
Do healing miracles happen? Unbelievable Project: Robby Dawkins & David Beebee - 15 March 2014
As part of the Unbelievable Project, I am taking notes and "arm-chair" responding to each of the Unbelievable podcast episodes satisfying a set of simple rules.
See here for a …
#Unbelievable Project
A Good Bet Lost Proper Attitudes in Science and Life
So I was sitting in the cafeteria the other day, and there was a clock which showed the wrong time and the second hand was being weird. I noted that …
#articles
Pennies! An example from Statistical Inference for Everyone
I just added an example of simple model construction to my textbook, Statistical Inference for Everyone. It's a process I don't think I've ever seen in an intro stats book …
#projects
Statistical Heresies Teaching Statistical Inference in the Bayesian Revolution
I'm giving a talk today, highlighting some of the current Bayesian/frequentist relationships as they relate to introductory statistics education. You can download the pdf here.
We live in a …
#presentations
Supporting Dualism A Profound Distortion
I just finished listening to this excellent debate. I thought the proponents of dualism were credulous, and ignored the specific requests by the opponents to rule out alternatives. I'll get …
#articles
Siblings and Astronomy Long Lost Sibling of the Sun Found
On a "science is darn cool" note, the sibling of the Sun has been found. It's a pretty straightforward idea, although technically challenging. Stars that are "born" from the same …
#articles
Spurious Correlations A funny list of strangely correlated things
I saw this list of spurious correlations, including "US spending on science, space, and technology" correlates with "Suicides by hanging, strangulation and suffocation", "Number people who drowned by falling into …
#articles
"Skeptics" vs "Realists" A proposed solution
The graphic below has circulated the internet for a while, and I think it worthy of comment. The intent of the graphic is to point out how silly those so-called …
#articles
