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By Professor Doom      The recent kerfluffle with the math EDUCATION professor claiming mathematics is now �white privilege� reminds me I�ve been amiss in discussion of the insanity of Education departments.      Now, it�s no secret that Education classes have minimal requirements and ridiculously easy grading : Education students face easier coursework than do their peers in other departments, according to the study, and they�re more likely to graduate with honors.      When I was at a fake school, every year some clown with a Ph.D. in Education would come and lecture me (and all the other faculty) for 2 hours or more on how to be a better teacher. Since it was for all faculty, the advice was of no relevance to any particular course, so nothing useful like a good mnemonic for remembering a formula.       No, it was always idiotic advice, like �assign more papers in the math classes (because it�s easier...

By Professor Doom      It seems every week we learn another thing is racist, from milk , to showing up on time , or�whatever.       The latest assertion is that mathematics, the ultimate measure of every civilization, does, in fact, have a racist component to it. As always I can�t make this stuff up: Professor Claims Math, Algebra And Geometry Promote �White Privilege�      There�s been plenty of outrage over this idiocy, quite justified of course, but the true outrage has been missed by the smokescreen of stupidity. First, let me present her ludicrous claims by quoting from the above: A University of Illinois math professor believes that algebra and geometry perpetuate �white privilege� because Greek terms give Caucasians unearned credit for the subject. -- emphasis added , as this needs clarification, being the real outrage here.         Most �college� math is basically algebra. The word �a...

By Professor Doom      Allow me to start by discussion of a gambling strategy that is, mathematically, guaranteed to win. Yes, I�m using �mathematically� as a weasel word, but let me explain the basics of it.      Suppose you go to a casino, and you can make a $5 wager on a single die roll. If a 1 or 2 comes up, you are handed $10 (i.e., you win a net of $5) and if anything else comes up (i.e., a 3, 4, 5, or 6) you lose your bet.      Now, this isn�t a fair game, right? You double your money less than half the time, and lose everything the rest, so it�s a game a casino would be happy to have you play.       The way how mathematicians and rational people consider these situations is with �expected value,� weighing the payoff and probability of winning against the amount and probability of losses. Every time you play this particular game, for example, you mathematically expect to lose $1.67�a terrible gam...

By Professor Doom      Ah the fragile college �snowflake.� These precious students are so delicate that they must be protected from shock at all times, must be provided safe spaces filled with puppies and Play-Doh. If you check alternative news, you can find endless videos of these creatures, as well as campuses eager to protect their genteel sensibilities from exposure to new ideas.       But surely the alternative media exaggerates, right? Surely these mythical creatures, if they exist at all, are only at loopy private colleges? I mean, we do have a few �real� schools left in higher education, and those schools take knowledge seriously, laughing at the mere idea that students shouldn�t be exposed to concepts they don�t like?       Welcome to Cambridge, a tip-toppiest top tier university: Cambridge University slammed over Shakespeare 'trigger warnings' --Egads, I�m citing Fox News.      The lunacy...

By Professor Doom      For a solid 20 years of my career, I�ve dealt with admin drooling to �get into the online education market.� Every college, every university, has infinite interest in the hot fad of online education. From an admin�s point of view, online classes are great: minimal overhead and maximum profit.      I actually thought there was something to it, even created one of the first online courses (in the previous millennium), but I had reservations about how to do it�admin politely listened to my concerns, and ignored anything that would dampen their sales model of growth, growth, and growth.       My opinion of online education, insofar as it�s offered at the university level, dropped sharply and quickly for two reasons:      First, online courses have a potential for cheating that is simply unmatched in �traditional� classes. It was completely obvious, very early on, that cheating would b...

By Professor Doom      Every day I read another poll that says something or other. Now, the last election showed that pollsters (or at least the media) can outright lie about the results, but even if pollsters were honest (stop laughing!) about the results of their polls, they can still be dishonest about what they are doing. �Three out of four people prefer flame broiled burgers to open gas!�      A fast food chain used the above line to say their burgers tasted better, but it was dishonest. The �open gas� referred to the flame coming from burning natural gas�meat cooked by flame is meat cooked by flame, for the most part. The simple phrasing of the poll created the desired result�the chain�s burgers were indistinguishable from any other chain, but people were just turned off by the phrase �open gas.� You can easily manipulate poll results by using the right phrasing.      So, we have polls on higher ed that show Republicans d...