Twenty Candies and a Proof by Induction
A puzzle about two jars of candy looks like a probability problem, but mathematical induction shows that randomness has nothing to do with the answer.
Read the essay
A Mathematician A Different Kind
of Mathematician And a Statistician
Mathematics, software, public policy—and the occasional strange project.
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Notes from the Working Archive
From the Blog
More Recent Writing
What the Hell Does Temperature Actually Measure?
A thermometer tells us which object is hotter, but explaining what temperature actually measures takes us through molecular motion, thermal equilibrium, entropy, and the laws of thermodynamics.
ReadThe Trouble with Zero
The four levels of measurement are useful, but their familiar classroom explanations obscure the difference between what numbers represent and what we can meaningfully do with them.
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Independent Sites & Ongoing Work
Selected Projects
Public history
1812 The Whole Story
The War of 1812 told as one connected story, with maps, evidence, timelines, and interactive historical systems.
Begin the story
Virtual exhibition
Judith &
Holofernes
The Fatal Image
A virtual exhibition following Judith and Holofernes through art, text, time, and place.
Enter the exhibitionHeraldry & education
The Heraldry Project
A freely accessible school of heraldry, with illustrated lessons, interactive shield design, national traditions, and primary sources.
Public history
The Manor of the Dungeon in Kent
A public-history project tracing a Canterbury manor, its people, its documents, and the limits of a modern claim.
Research & advocacy
The Count of Krigsvold
Polar education, research support, and evidence-led advocacy focused on Antarctica and its global consequences.
Books with a Life Beyond the Page
Methods You Can Put to Work
Book companion Two editions
Teaching and Learning Mathematics Online
Co-editor with John F. Beyers
2nd edition 2025
Explore both editions, their chapters and contributors, and resources for teaching mathematics online.
Book companion
Computational Methods for Numerical Analysis
Author · 1st edition
The living companion to Computational Methods for Numerical Analysis with R, with methods, code, laboratories, and teaching material.
Explore the companion
Book companion
Handbook of Military & Defense Operations Research
Co-editor with Natalie M. Scala · 2nd edition
The companion site for Handbook of Military & Defense Operations Research, bringing the book, its authors, and supporting material together.
Explore the companion
People, Symbols & the Documentary Record
The Personal Archive
Ancestry
Documented lineages, people, places, and the evidence connecting them.
Coat of Arms
The grant, insignia, emblazonments, tartan, and documentary record.
Honors
Awards, appointments, decorations, and other recognition.
Media Archive
Interviews, quotations, profiles, and appearances collected over the years.