I’ve mentioned in the past that one of the great things about Statistics is the way it’s a very connected subject. A technique learnt for one type of application often turns out to be relevant for something completely different. But sometimes the connections are just for fun.
Here’s a case in point. A while back I wrote a post making fun of Professor Brian Cox, world renowned astrophysicist, who seemed to be struggling to get to grips with the intricacies of the Duckworth-Lewis method for adjusting runs targets in cricket matches that have been shortened due to poor weather conditions. You probably know, but I forgot to mention, that in his younger days Brian was the keyboard player for D:Ream. You’ll have heard their music even if you don’t recognise the name. Try this for example:
Anyway, shortly after preparing that earlier post, I received the following in my twitter feed:
Listening to a fab recent BBC episode of @themonkeycage on the human voice, feat @sophiescott & @beardyman. Learned that @ProfBrianCox's original lyric for D:Ream hit song was
"Things inexorably get worse, there's a statistical certainty that the universe will fall to bits & die"— Simon Fisher (@ProfSimonFisher) October 13, 2018
I very much doubt it’s true, but I love the idea that the original version of
Things can only get better
was going to be
Things inexorably get worse, there’s a statistical certainty that the universe will fall to bits and die
Might not have had the same musical finesse, but is perhaps a better statement on the times we live in. Or as Professor Cox put it in his reply:
Yes. So enjoy the Universe while you can 🙂 https://t.co/Ygx2oRrubP
— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) October 13, 2018
