The best abstract ever?

By way of my advisor, concerning the recently found anomaly in the neutrino speed measurement at CERN:

http://arxiv.org/abs/1110.2832.

As far as abstracts go, it does succinctly summarize their findings ;)

Why I like Dr. Ben Goldacre

I've been trying to keep my posts to once a week on Wednesdays, but sometimes I simply just want to share something interesting. In a recent Bad Science post, Dr. Ben Goldacre discussed sampling error in relation to unemployment figures in the UK. The article itself is interesting, but I found the description of systematic sampling error especially amusing:

Firstly, you’ll be familiar with the idea that a sample can be systematically unrepresentative: if you want to know about the health of the population as a whole, but you survey people in a GP waiting room, then you’re an idiot.