Statistics // Current

Personal Injury in the Wild

Every year, thousands of people across the world are seriously injured and even killed... more

digitalfever
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1 day ago
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Statistics reject global cooling

"The recent Internet chatter about cooling led NOAA's climate data center to... more

dancore
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17 days ago
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2 comments

Statisticians reject global cooling; trend points to warming

Have you heard that the world is now cooling instead of warming? You may have seen some news reports on the Internet or heard about it from a provocative new book. Only one problem: It's not true, according to an analysis of the numbers done by several independent statisticians for The Associated Press.

The case that the Earth might be cooling partly stems from recent weather. Last year was cooler than previous years. It's been a while since the super-hot years of 1998 and 2005. So is this a longer climate trend or just weather's normal ups and downs?

In a blind test, the AP gave temperature data to four independent statisticians and asked them to look for trends, without telling them what the numbers represented. The experts found no true temperature declines over time.

"If you look at the data and sort of cherry-pick a micro-trend within a bigger trend, that technique is particularly suspect," said John Grego, a professor of statistics at the University of South Carolina.

Yet the idea that things are cooling has been repeated in opinion columns, a BBC news story posted on the Drudge Report and in a new book by the authors of the best-seller "Freakonomics." Last week, a poll by the Pew Research Center found that only 57 percent of Americans now believe there is strong scientific evidence for global warming, down from 77 percent in 2006.

Global warming skeptics base their claims on an unusually hot year in 1998. Since then, they say, temperatures have dropped — thus, a cooling trend. But it's not that simple.

Since 1998, temperatures have dipped, soared, fallen again and are now rising once more. Records kept by the British meteorological office and satellite data used by climate skeptics still show 1998 as the hottest year. However, data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA show 2005 has topped 1998. Published peer-reviewed scientific research generally cites temperatures measured by ground sensors, which are from NOAA, NASA and the British, more than the satellite data.

The recent Internet chatter about cooling led NOAA's climate data center to re-examine its temperature data. It found no cooling trend.

"The last 10 years are the warmest 10-year period of the modern record," said NOAA climate monitoring chief Deke Arndt. "Even if you analyze the trend during that 10 years, the trend is actually positive, which means warming."

The AP sent expert statisticians NOAA's year-to-year ground temperature changes over 130 years and the 30 years of satellite-measured temperatures preferred by skeptics and gathered by scientists at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Statisticians who analyzed the data found a distinct decades-long upward trend in the numbers, but could not find a significant drop in the past 10 years in either data set. The ups and downs during the last decade repeat random variability in data as far back as 1880.

Saying there's a downward trend since 1998 is not scientifically legitimate, said David Peterson, a retired Duke University statistics professor and one of those analyzing the numbers.Have you heard that the world is now cooling instead of warming? You may have seen... more

JanforGore
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17 days ago
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8 comments

Mental Illness Statistics

Statistics Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An... more

Roseann_Schutz
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22 days ago
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New Oklahoma law will publicy post details of women’s abortions online.

On Nov. 1, a law in Oklahoma will go into effect that will collect personal details... more

AndreaKnoll
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1 month ago
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64 comments

China's First H1N1 Death

The stats from Monday were: 13,262 cases of A(H1N1) flu, according to the latest... more

S3th
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1 month ago
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Why Study the Tree of Life? [video]

What can scientists learn about the world by knowing how all living things are related... more

GrrlScientist
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1 month ago
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Discovering the Great Tree of Life [video]

This video presents a very brief glimpse into what I do as a professional researcher... more

GrrlScientist
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1 month ago
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McDonalds Density

If you go to northwest South Dakota, between Meadow and Glad Valley, there you will... more

pjacobs51
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1 month ago
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48 comments

A Breakdown of Internet Comments From 7 Sites

If you think Al Gore invented the internet so people could share information, you are... more

poojam
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1 month ago
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6 comments

Where the most divorced people live

It's easy to see why bookkeeper Linda Mortimer moved to the Florida Keys 20 years ago:... more

pandaman2105
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1 month ago
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Google Insights for Search - "let you finish"

The statistics show that this Kanye West meme is supposedly still alive as of 9.21.

joshuaheller
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1 month ago
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2 comments

What Do You Know About Your City?

Did you know that there are over 129,000 home owners in Seattle? There were more than... more

lockergnome
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1 month ago
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0 comments

Drug Prohibition Is A Failure – Here’s Why

The politics and policies of drug prohibition are a failure primarily because they are... more

sharprichard
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1 month ago
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0 comments

18 Million Twitter Users by End of 2009

Twitter’s traffic has grown tremendously in the past year, but how many people are... more

TheodoreSouza
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1 month ago
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1 comment

How Did New York City Become the Pot-Arrest Capital of the Country?

On the one hand, marijuana is practically legal—more mainstream, accessorized, and... more

sharprichard
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1 month ago
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9 comments

The Racism of Marijuana Prohibition

Marijuana is indeed a gateway drug; it is a feeder for the criminal justice system,... more

sharprichard
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2 months ago
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1 comment

Before he destroys everything

More and more people realize that our premier is anti-democratic and dangerous for... more

hyperion74
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2 months ago
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North Americans pay more for cell phone service

Cell phone users in the U.S., Spain, and Canada pay more for mobile phone service than cell phone users in other parts of the world, according to a survey published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The OECD surveyed mobile carriers in its 30 member countries. The report showed on average how much consumers spend over the course of a year.

For a consumer subscribing to a medium-use package that provides about 780 voice minutes, 600 short text messages, and eight multimedia messages, the survey found that the monthly price of service ranged from $11 a month for service in the Netherlands to $53 a month for service in the U.S. as of August 2008.

On a yearly basis, American cell phone users are spending about $635.85 on cell phone service. Spanish cell phone users pay about $508.26 for the year. And Canadian cell phone subscribers pay about $500.63. By contrast people in the Netherlands and Finland pay the lowest amount for cell phone service, only $131.44 per year. And cell phone users in Sweden only pay $137.94 per year.

Prices for mobile phone service have steadily been decreasing over the years. The survey indicates that between 2006 and 2008 mobile phone voice prices fell on average about 21 percent for low-usage consumers, 28 percent for medium usage, and by about 32 percent for subscribers with the highest consumption patterns. Text messaging continues to be a lucrative business for mobile operators, the report also says.

But the results of this survey also highlight the continued gap between what cell phone users in North America pay versus what they pay in other parts of the world, such as in Scandinavia. This shouldn't come as a huge shock given that Europe has typically offered cheaper domestic plans than American providers. But it's somewhat surprising that Spain ranked as the second most expensive place in the world for mobile service.

It is likely that the U.S. will continue to be the most expensive country in the world to use a cell phone. As carriers build faster 4G networks, they are likely to increase prices on higher-end services. But if the economy continues to get hammered, more consumers might turn to lower-cost prepaid services that offer flat-rate pricing.

These plans have become more popular recently. And there are signs that increased competition may drive down prices on these services. But even though they offer a good value, they are still not used by the mainstream. And most U.S. cell phone users subscribe to a post-paid plan.Cell phone users in the U.S., Spain, and Canada pay more for mobile phone service than... more

copperdragon
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3 months ago
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1 comment

Did You Know? "We are living in exponential times" (A Must Watch, Really)

A unbelievable video, one for sure you need to watch. Fantastic video on the... more

slvrGelatin
added this
3 months ago
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0 comments

tagged w/ Statistics

Personal Injury in the Wild

Statistics reject global cooling

Statisticians reject global cooling; trend points to warming

Mental Illness Statistics

New Oklahoma law will publicy post details of women’s abortions online.

China's First H1N1 Death

Why Study the Tree of Life? [video]

Discovering the Great Tree of Life [video]

McDonalds Density

A Breakdown of Internet Comments From 7 Sites

Where the most divorced people live

Google Insights for Search - "let you finish"

What Do You Know About Your City?

Drug Prohibition Is A Failure – Here’s Why

18 Million Twitter Users by End of 2009

How Did New York City Become the Pot-Arrest Capital of the Country?

The Racism of Marijuana Prohibition

Before he destroys everything

North Americans pay more for cell phone service

Did You Know? "We are living in exponential times" (A Must Watch, Really)

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