bdpatterson.bsky.social

bdpatterson.bsky.social

@bdpatterson.bsky.social

Curious book lover who isn't sure of much, but has some definite ideas.

301 followers276 following145 posts

bdpatterson.bsky.social
@bdpatterson.bsky.social

Two recent reads that I would recommend: The Art of Statistics by Sir David Spiegelhalter - and Easy Money by Ben Mackenzie - andersonsbookshop.com/book/9781541... andersonsbookshop.com/book/9781419... #booksky, #indiebooks

andersonsbookshop.comThe Art of Statistics: How to Learn from DataIn this "important and comprehensive" (New Yorker) guide to statistical thinking, discover how you can use data and mathematics to gain a better understanding of life’s biggest problems. The age of bi...
bdpatterson.bsky.social
@bdpatterson.bsky.social

I'm not saying that I sing 'It's meatball time' to the tune of 'Hammer Time' when we feed our dogs, but I'm also not saying that I don't sing 'It's meatball time' to the tune of Hammer Time' when we feed our dogs.

bdpatterson.bsky.social
@bdpatterson.bsky.social

Book Review - Science Fictions by Stuart Ritchie. A well written book that gets to the heart of the crisis in modern science and how it can be addressed. An urgent plea to address an uncomfortable truth. #booksky bookwormomaha.com/book/9781250...

bookwormomaha.comScience Fictions: How Fraud, Bias, Negligence, and Hype Undermine the Search for TruthAn insider’s view of science reveals why many scientific results cannot be relied upon – and how the system can be reformed.Science is how we understand the world. Yet failures in peer review and mistakes in statistics have rendered a shocking number of scientific studies useless – or, worse, badly misleading. Such errors have distorted our knowledge in fields as wide-ranging as medicine, physics, nutrition, education, genetics, economics, and the search for extraterrestrial life. As Science Fictions makes clear, the current system of research funding and publication not only fails to safeguard us from blunders but actively encourages bad science – with sometimes deadly consequences.Stuart Ritchie’s own work challenging an infamous psychology experiment helped spark what is now widely known as the “replication crisis,” the realization that supposed scientific truths are often just plain wrong. Now, he reveals the very human biases, misunderstandings, and deceptions that undermine the scientific endeavor: from contamination in science labs to the secret vaults of failed studies that nobody gets to see; from outright cheating with fake data to the more common, but still ruinous, temptation to exaggerate mediocre results for a shot at scientific fame.Yet Science Fictions is far from a counsel of despair. Rather, it’s a defense of the scientific method against the pressures and perverse incentives that lead scientists to bend the rules. By illustrating the many ways that scientists go wrong, Ritchie gives us the knowledge we need to spot dubious research and points the way to reforms that could make science trustworthy once again.
bdpatterson.bsky.social
@bdpatterson.bsky.social

Book Review - 'Golden Age Locked Room Mysteries' edited by Otto Penzler. Overall, a 'Meh' experience. Some of the stories were clever and engaging - 'The Third Bullet' for example - but many were either flimsy - 'Elsewhen' - or convoluted for the sake of being convoluted - 'The Exact Opposite'.

bdpatterson.bsky.social reposted

Drew Magary
@drewmagary.bsky.social

Tide might be turning. Keep pushing. Keep calling, donating, protesting, all of it. Don’t stop, especially if Trump starts throwing them overboard. Don’t stop until they’re all gone

bdpatterson.bsky.social
@bdpatterson.bsky.social

"The Crying of Lot 49" by Thomas Pynchon is a great example of literary stylings and flash over story telling. I get it's appeal for some people. I found the puns tedious and often forced. Also, the inability to say simple things simply was also annoying. Did not keep. #booksky #bookreview

bdpatterson.bsky.social reposted

MeidasTouch
@meidastouch.com

RONALD REAGAN (1988): We should be aware of the demagogues who are ready to declare a trade war against our friends, weakening our economy, our national security, and the entire free world—all while cynically waving the American flag.

bdpatterson.bsky.social
@bdpatterson.bsky.social

Probably a good time to remember that for three straight elections a voting majority of Americans have said "Not Trump." There is no mandate. He is a widely unpopular man elected because of a flawed system (2016) and a series of bad decisions by Democrats (2024).

bdpatterson.bsky.social
@bdpatterson.bsky.social

As a father, I 100% understand why Joe Biden pardoned his son. As someone who believes in the rule of law, I think this was the wrong decision. As someone who has studied history, I know full well this isn't the first time a President has pardoned someone for purely personal reasons.

bdpatterson.bsky.social
@bdpatterson.bsky.social

As someone who has paid attention for 8 years I know that the notion that this will "empower" Trump is complete and utter nonsense. He's shown zero regard for precedent prior to this and has already used this power to benefit himself and has promised to do so again.

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