The Washington Post Second Annual Wonky Awards are out. Wow, there I am for Best Election Modeler. Thank you! (Mental note: If I ever meet the Worst Modeler recipient, Dick Morris, remember to avoid shaking hands. The whole particle-antiparticle thing. We’d annihilate or get stuck together. Either outcome is bad.) >>> As current negotiations over [...]
Entries from December 30th, 2012
Gerrymanders, Part 1: Busting the both-sides-do-it myth
December 30th, 2012, 12:29pm by Sam Wang
Tags: 2012 Election · House · Politics
In search of the nerd/poet gene
December 26th, 2012, 11:00pm by Sam Wang
Today, I ask for your help with my laboratory research. It will only take a few minutes. The concept of a “physics gene” or “poetry gene” might not be a joke. Intellectual predispositions are likely to be driven in part by genes – including those that drive autism, mood disorders, and substance abuse. My students and [...]
Tags: Uncategorized
Happy holidays!
December 24th, 2012, 12:00pm by Sam Wang
At the start of the year this community was small. Four million views later…thank you. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege. For the new breed of quants: For the old-school: Travel safely. Watch out for enormous poodles.
Tags: Uncategorized
Scientific American’s gun error
December 22nd, 2012, 10:43pm by Sam Wang
Update: A reader has pointed out that a substantial fraction of gun deaths are suicides (homicide data are here), raising a complication. However, this point is well-established in peer-reviewed literature (PDF): gun ownership increases death rates across the board: suicides, homicides, accidents… For more discussion of the relationship between guns and homicide, see the work [...]
Tags: Politics
What’s your favorite chart of 2012?
December 20th, 2012, 10:45pm by Sam Wang
Nerds around the blogosphere seem to be collecting their favorite charts of the year. Obviously, I can’t pick my own. But to recall the Woody Allen joke… …I can pick my second-favorite.
Tags: 2012 Election · Politics
Did the federal ban on assault weapons matter?
December 14th, 2012, 11:49pm by Sam Wang
After the mass shooting of 20 children and 7 adults in Connecticut, I asked: (1) Are such shootings on the rise? and (2) Would a gun control law make a difference in such events? In a situation like this, it is common to hear that the weapons used were acquired legally (for instance, see Ezra [...]
Tags: Politics
We’re back!
December 5th, 2012, 9:40am by Sam Wang
After a rest, I cautiously re-enter the fray. Analysis of polls is far less interesting when there’s no horserace. Let’s just say that I don’t expect NPR to drop by today. Other themes from this summer remain important, including filibuster reform and gerrymandering. Gerrymandering lends itself well to what we do here. Stay tuned! Filibuster reform: [...]
Tags: Politics
