#science
12 posts
2026 - July
1 post2016 - November
1 post2013 - October
1 post2013 - March
1 post2013 - January
1 post2009 - July
1 post2008 - December
1 post2008 - October
1 post2008 - April
1 post2008 - March
1 post2007 - August
2 posts2026 - July
1 postQuantum News: Majorana 2 and Understanding Shor
Microsoft announced Majorana 2 with 20-second qubits and physicists answering that nothing was resolved. I take the chance to properly explain Shor's algorithm, why factoring becomes period finding, and what quantum computers are actually good at.
2016 - November
1 post[Off-Topic] Learning Statistics
While studying statistics with R and Daniel Navarro’s book, the author uses Simpson’s paradox to show how aggregated data can hide patterns and why statistics demands care.
2013 - October
1 post[Off-Topic] Math, Trolls, Haters, and Internet Discussions
A mathematical foundation against self-help's magic formulas: with no defined domain they just split opinions, correlation isn't causation, and isolated cases like Lean Startup prove nothing. Consensus doesn't make truth.
2013 - March
1 post[Off-Topic] Most people said they'd use my product. Will it work? No!
An online survey with 70% favorable responses doesn’t validate a product: a biased sample, leading questions, and shallow analysis can turn numbers into meaningless conclusions.
2013 - January
1 post[Off-Topic] The World Today Is Very Good! Happy 2013!
Using data from Gapminder, Hans Rosling, and Steven Pinker, the author argues that the world has improved in longevity, poverty, and violence, while criticizing alarmism and guilt tied to donations.
2009 - July
1 post[Off-Topic] Agility, Chaos, Self-Organization
The text connects Agile with complex systems, chaos, emergence, and power laws. The thesis is that organizations learn and innovate best at the edge of chaos, though provoking disorder carries risks.
2008 - December
1 postOff-Topic: Scientific Method vs Cargo Cult
Cargo culting is repeating structures without understanding why. The fix is testing hypotheses with throwaway prototypes. At YellowPages, four months of prep kept four months of coding from becoming twenty.
2008 - October
1 postOff-Topic: Understanding the Economic Crisis
Drawing on Taleb and the financial crisis, the author explains why past data cannot prove theories. It can show an idea is false, while Black Swans expose its limits.
2008 - April
1 postOff Topic: Never Trust TIOBE
Examining TIOBE’s formula, the author shows how search-engine hits, duplicates, and noise distort the measurement. The index therefore cannot support reliable conclusions about language growth.
2008 - March
1 postOff Topic: We Are Mathematically Illiterate
While translating Bruce Martin, the author uses birthdays, presidents, sports, cards, and π’s digits to show that patterns naturally emerge in random data and do not prove supernatural causes.
2007 - August
2 postsOff Topic: Pale Blue Dot
An image of Earth captured by Voyager 1 inspires Carl Sagan to reflect on our fragility and responsibility, while the author recommends Cosmos as a legacy for raising curious children.
Off Topic: Enemies of Reason
Inspired by Richard Dawkins and Carl Sagan, the author argues for evidence, skepticism, and personal responsibility against dogma, superstition, and irrational disputes between technologies.