Monthly Archives: August 2012

Why are so many Harvard students first-borns?

The noted political philosopher Michael Sandel has taught the wildly popular course “Justice” at Harvard University for many years.  The course can be viewed online, and in Episode 8 there was an amazing moment when Professor Sandel asked his students … Continue reading

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Statistical Pattern in Music: Predictability and Surprise

Audio engineers have known for a long time that music generated by computers sometimes sounds unnatural.  One reason for this phenomenon is the absence of small imperfections that are part of every human activity.  In a recent Physics Today article … Continue reading

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