Parents who have books in the home increase the level of education their children will attain, according to a 20-year study conducted by sociologists from the University of Nevada, Reno and UCLA. For…

The Nation magazine is in a pickle.  It spends $1 million more than it makes and Chris Hayes, The Nation's Washington editor, was asked to send out an email to readers to bridge the gap.  …

It's been several months since Michael White invited me to blog here at Scientific Blogging.  I think the immediate occasion for his invitation was a conversation we had about Douglas Hofstadter…

Scum Causes Outrage In U.K. A recent case in a British Magistrates Court has caused outrage in more ways than one. Two 16-year-old boys from Darwen had performed an act of wanton vandalism and…

Equations of Basic Seldon or Prime Radiant Equations of Section 42R254 Equations of Section 33A2D17 or Terminus Equation Psychohistory Psychohistory, a science in Isaac Asimov's Foundation…

Lance Armstrong will be in my neighborhood tomorrow but he won't be coming by for coffee.  It's the first stage of the Amgen Tour of California, starting in Nevada City and ending in Sacramento…

A new study has found that cities with the largest increases in immigration between 1990 and 2000 experienced the largest decreases in rates of homicide and robbery. The findings suggest that…

I had a sore throat this afternoon so I came home early to rest (translation: be babied by the wife; she gave birth and it's dismissed as part of a natural cycle but if I get a cold I expect to be…

So I'm a couple of weeks late, but it's worth noting that NY Times science blogger John Tierney is quitting his blog: After three years of experiments, TierneyLab is shutting down. I’ll still be…

A Simple Quiz This diagram illustrates a general principle applicable to processing systems having multiple inputs. The principle is a broader application of a scientific law. The question is - which…