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
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
Dualism, Naturalism, and other Isms The Link between the Brain and the Mind
Haven't had a post in too long, and I hope to get back into things.
I was reading an article about dualism where they point out 6 reasons that naturalism …
#articles
Noah and the Flood - did it happen? - 16 February 2008
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
How to Dodge the Consequences of Belief Alister McGrath vs Richard Dawkins
So I was recently reminded of an old interview of Alister McGrath by Richard Dawkins. When I first listened to this, quite some time ago, I recall feeling that McGrath …
#articles
A Foreshadowing of the End of the World? Another Close Shave
From time to time we see a headline like The end of the world IS nigh: Huge asteroid 'will hit earth in 2032' claim astronomers or a more modest one …
#articles
Is Astrology Scientific? On the Possible Meanings of "Scientific"
In a recent article bemoaning the pseudoscientific attitudes of the public, I was struck by the following result: When given the question...
Astrology is
- scientific
- sort of scientific
- not at …
#articles
Scientific Knowledge Do We Really Have Faith?
In a comment on my Wordpress site (a site I am replacing with this one) on a post about "Creationist Math", the commenter says:
I believe we all choose to …
#articles
Creationism Laid Bare
Seems as if everyone is talking about the recent Ken Ham vs Bill Nye debate on evolution and creation, so I figured I'd put in my two cents.
-
I couldn't …
#articles
Anyone using the term "scientific proof" doesn't know science
In my introduction to probability in class this week, I was asked if proof and evidence really meant the same thing. They don't. To summarize,
Proof does not exist in …
#articles
Did Christians steal Christmas? - 22 December 2007
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
Unbelievable Project: Did Jesus Exist? Bart Ehrman Q&A - 18 August 2012
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
Properly Basic Obscurantism
I was listening to a debate about the irrationality of theism, and the theist, Randall Rauser introduced me to a concept in philosophy that I had not heard of: properly …
#articles
Physics and the Flash Mind Reader
While preparing for physics class, I found this gem: the Flash Mind Reader! So, here is a simple website which claims to read your mind. This is a pretty extraordinary …
#articles
Philosophy and Science - What's the Difference?
In a discussion on The Limits Of Science with Lawrence Krass, Dan Dennett, and Massimo Pigliucci, there is much haggling over the relationship between science and philosophy. Although I think …
#articles
Chess, Morality, and Well-Being
In a discussion on The Limits Of Science with Lawrence Krass, Dan Dennett, and Massimo Pigliucci, Dan Dennett makes an analogy with chess (and its rules) to morality. The analogy …
#articles
The Cover Art for Statistical Inference for Everyone (sie)
The cover art for my book, Statistical Inference for Everyone, is something created by me and I'd like to explain my design. We have a picture of Saturn, taken by …
#projects
Statistical Inference for Everyone - Book Announcement
For anyone interested in statistical inference or probability, you should check out my new book (released under the Creative Commons license). You can download it here:
#wordpress_migration
New Year and New Website
I've completely redone my website, http://web.bryant.edu/~bblais! I may be moving my blog over there at some point, depending on how it goes. For right now I …
#wordpress_migration
Why the new website?
I completely changed the framework that I use for my website, changing it from Rapidweaver (a mac-based, GUI website editor) to pelican, a Python-based framework for making static websites. Why …
#articles
