Paul Davidson made the bracket for us (thanks, Paul!):
Here’s the full list:
Wits:
Oscar Wilde (seeded 1 in group)Dorothy Parker (2)David Sedaris (3)Voltaire (4)Veronica GengAlbert BrooksMel BrooksMonty Python
Creative eaters:
M. F. K. Fisher (1)Julia Child (2)Anthony Bourdain (3)Alice Waters (4)A. J. LieblingNora EphronThe Japanese dude who won the hot dog eating contestJohn Belushi
Magicians:
Harry Houdini (1)George H. W. Bush (2)Penn and Teller (3)Steve Martin (4)David BlaineEric AntoineMartin GardnerIra Glass
Mathematicians:
Carl Friedrich Gauss (1)Pierre-Simon Laplace (2)John von Neumann (3)Alan Turing (4)Leonhard EulerPaul ErdosStanislaw UlamBenoit Mandelbrot
TV personalities:
Oprah Winfrey (1)Johnny Carson (2)Ed Sullivan (3)Carol Burnett (4)Sid CaesarDavid LettermanEllen DeGeneresJohn Oliver
People from New Jersey:
Bruce Springsteen (1)Chris Christie (2)Frank Sinatra (3)Philip Roth (4)William Carlos WilliamsVirginia ApgarMeryl StreepJoe Pesci
GOATs:
Jim Thorpe (1)Babe Didrikson Zaharias (2)LeBron James (3)Bobby Fischer (4)Serena WilliamsPeleSimone BilesLance Armstrong
People whose names end in f:
Riad Sattouf (1)Ian McKellen (2)Boris Karloff (3)Darrell Huff (4)Yakov SmirnoffDJ Jazzy JeffAdam SchiffAnastasia Romanoff
The rules!
We’re trying to pick ultimate seminar speaker. I’m not asking for the most popular speaker, or the most relevant, or the best speaker, or the deepest, or even the coolest, but rather some combination of the above.
Our new list includes eight current or historical figures from each of the eight categories listed above.
I’ll post one matchup each day at noon, starting tomorrow.
Once each pairing is up, all of you can feel free (indeed, are encouraged) to comment. I’ll announce the results when posting the next day’s matchup.
I’ll decide each day’s winner not based on a popular vote but based on the strength and amusingness of the arguments given by advocates on both sides. So give it your best!
As with our previous contest four years ago, we’re continuing the regular flow of statistical modeling, causal inference, and social science posts. They’ll be in their usual 9-10am slot, alternate with these matchup postings which will appear at noon each day.
Last time we did this competition was a few years ago. See here and here for the first two contests, here for an intermediate round, and here for the conclusion of that one.
I’m stoked for this new tournament. The above bracket features some interesting pairings. Johnny Carson vs. Paul Erdos! Frank Sinatra vs. Virginia Apgar! Carl Friedrich Gauss vs. Nora Ephron! Harry Houdini vs. Yakov Smirnoff! Julia Child vs. Ira Glass! Lots of upsets are possible.