Created by Kevin Clay Priceless. More from Kevin Clay  here Aside: I am so, so pleased to now have Snoop Dogg as a label for my blog.

I like the following examples because they are accessible, potentially life-saving, and demonstrate statistics that disprove convention (and saves lives!), and provide a good argument for program evaluation. For decades, prevailing wisdom stated that we should put babies to sleep on their stomachs so that they wouldn't choke on their own spit-up in their sleep. Then, lo-and-behold, data suggested that putting babies to sleep on their back reduced deaths due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). BY HALF. Data disproved convention AND improved public health dramatically and cheaply as the American Academy of Pediatrics rolled out the Back To Sleep campaign to inform parents about this research and best practices for bedtime. Now, the law of unintended consequences: Wee little babies are developing flat heads! My own son did (he is the cutie in the helmet), and required a helmet and physical therapy to correct the condition. More on the flat head (technical name: plagioenc...

This isn't the first time this issue has been broached. However, this time, it has an awesome graphic to summarize the issue. The io9 article also has links to various citations regarding the issue. Here is an accessible, short reading on the same topic writting by Sharon Begley.

Hey, nerds- Here is a PPT that I use to review t-tests with my students.  All of the examples are rooted in The Hunger Games. My students get a kick out of it and this particular presentation (along with my Harry Potter themed ANOVA review) is oft-cited as an answer to the question "What did you like the most about this class?" in my end of the semester reviews. Essentially, I have found various psychological scales, applied them to THG, and present my students with "data" from the characters. For example, the students perform a one-sample t-test comparing Machvellianism in Capital leadership versus Rebellion leadership (in keeping with the final book of the series, the difference between the two groups is non-significant). So, as a psychologist, I can introduce my students to various psychological concepts in addition to review t-tests. Note: I teach in a computer lab using SPSS, which would be a necessity for using exercises. Caveat: I would recommend usi...

According to this data from the National Weather Service , lightning is a big, man-hating jerk!   From NWS/NOAA   And Might Thor lives to be your weekend's buzz kill! Or not. Play "Spot the Third Variable" with your students.

I guess "The Longevity Game" sounds better than The Death Calculator. Which is what Northwestern Mutual has created and shared with us. Essentially, you answer questions about yourself (weight, exercise, stress management, driving habits, drug and alcohol habits, etc.) and the Game will give you an estimation for how long you should live based on the data you provide. The Longevity Game, from Northwestern Mutual I use this in class to demonstrate how data and statistics influence certain aspects of our lives (like whether or not an insurer is willing to provide us with insurance coverage). This can also be used to introduce multiple regression, since multiple factors are taken into account when predicting the outcome measure of life expectancy. I also make sure to emphasize to my students that this calculator was created by an insurance company that was founded in 1857 and that this calculator isn't just some random interwebz quiz. Warning: I wouldn't ask...