2013/10/27

Trouble at the lab



A 2013 oct 19 ECONOMIST article reviews problems with scientific research - i've summarized and reordered them:
1.    most scientists are not statisticians
2.    statistical mistakes are common
3.    pressure to publish incomplete results is strong
4.    a lot of research is poorly designed and executed
5.    many models are ‘overfitted’
6.    bias to publish positive results leads to bias in overall knowledge
7.    peer review is unreliable
8.    amounts of data are often overwhelming
9.    intellectual property rights restrict the use of code or methods
10.  replication is often difficult and unrewarding
11.  fraud is more common than realized

2013/06/22

fear

by their dependence on lawyers and doctors Americans regularly prove their fear of real and imagined threats; no wonder they also lean on spooks...

trees, dead and killed

yesterday i witnessed the killing and disposal of a live tree by 4 machines powered by dead trees: chain saw, chipper, blower, and truck. is this what technology wants?

2013/05/31

what's next?

two institutions seem to have facilitated human progress but now constrain it: the nation-state, and the corporation.

bird songs

are a variation of 2 themes: 'i'm ready for love' and 'if you can hear this, you're too close!'

NGC 3190

do you suppose there are any computers there that use the Milky Way as wallpaper?