SS asks: What makes statistical modeling different from, say, new age methods of trying to predict the future? I suppose it might be somewhat unorthodox to answer any way but "Everything!", but the more I thought about this question, the more intriguing I found it. I'll get into the answer in the coming weeks. First I'd like to explore why there's more to this question than might be immediately apparent. … [Read more...] about Science Reader Question: Never Quote Me the Odds!
science reader question
Science Reader Question: “I Could Show You the Ways of The Force.”
DJ asks: Why and when should we start mentoring and investing in those younger or at a less advanced place than we are academically? As we've discussed previously, it's really never too early to provide mentoring of one sort or another. Situations where we are complete novices, without anything to offer anyone else, are rare. We might be reluctant to help others at times, out of fear or for other reasons; at other times, we might want someone more easily controlled than a mentee. Still, mentoring opportunities of … [Read more...] about Science Reader Question: “I Could Show You the Ways of The Force.”
Science Corner: “Nobody Worries about Upsetting a Droid”
DJ asks: Why and when should we start mentoring and investing in those younger or at a less advanced place than we are academically? As a biologist, I'm always a little puzzled by public perception of clones. Going by the stories we tell, we think human clones would somehow be biologically inferior, second class, easily controlled or perhaps even nearly programmable. We think about photocopies of photocopies and imagine a similar process of degradation. Meanwhile, if duplicating DNA were really that error prone, … [Read more...] about Science Corner: “Nobody Worries about Upsetting a Droid”
Science Corner: “Fear is the path to the dark side.”
DJ asks: Why and when should we start mentoring and investing in those younger or at a less advanced place than we are academically? … [Read more...] about Science Corner: “Fear is the path to the dark side.”
Science Corner: But Which Are You–the Master or the Apprentice?
DJ asks: Why and when should we start mentoring and investing in those younger or at a less advanced place than we are academically? We're getting a new Star Wars film in a few weeks. The series has a strong focus on legacies and the training of future generations, which I'm sure will continue in Episode VII. (I have no inside information; I just get a strong 'passing the torch' vibe from trailer.) In the original trilogy, everyone wants a chance to train the last of the Jedi. Yet in The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda … [Read more...] about Science Corner: But Which Are You–the Master or the Apprentice?