On this Groundhog Day, I should be focused on how many weeks are left in winter. Instead, I still find myself in that period of reflection spurred on by the arbitrary change of number associated with our calendar. As for many, 2020 was marked by much change in my life. I attribute much of the positive to attempts to build various mindfulness practices into my life. As a statistician, I often find myself in a tension between caring and not caring about results of research on such practices. Why the tension?
Continue reading “People are not plants … and a little meditation”Tag: Design
Would you take that vaccine?
While most state leaders worldwide are busy securing a supply of COVID-19 vaccines, almost half of the Filipinos are reluctant to get vaccinated according to Pulse Asia Survey conducted from November 23 to December 2, 2020. This is a bit higher than the September 2020 report from Social Weather Stations survey showing only about 31% of Filipinos would refuse COVID-19 vaccines.
Continue reading “Would you take that vaccine?”The important role of randomness
The secretary of state in the US state of Georgia recently announced that the state would conduct a risk-limiting audit of the presidential election votes. This means they will collect a random sample of ballots, and count them, comparing to the outcome of the original count.
The rise and fall and rise of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in international development
Gil Eyal sends along this fascinating paper coauthored with Luciana de Souza Leão, “The rise of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in international development in historical perspective.” Here’s the story:
Continue reading “The rise and fall and rise of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in international development”Being certainly uncertain
Last month, I read in a local paper: “Roughly three million Filipinos, or 2.6 percent of the national population, may have already been infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from April to June …”
Continue reading “Being certainly uncertain”