Emma Pierson on how likely is someone accused of assault by multiple people to be innocent?
A simulation of Buffon’s needle by Eric Wika, writing for Significance magazine.
David Mumford and John Tate wrote an obituary of Grothendieck that Nature wouldn’t accept.
Ben Blatt at Slate complains that dreidel is too slow a game (and shows just how slow), and suggests some ways to speed it up.
Alex Bellos wrote a beginner’s guide to the Game of Life
Ben Schmidt on fundamental plot arcs, seen through multidimensional analysis of thousands of TV and movie scripts.
600613, Brian Hayes on hit frequencies of numbers at Google.
American is much more interracial than it thinks, from Quartz.
Matt Parker for Slate (excerpted from his new book) on the secretary problem.
Ben Blatt on optimizing Santa’s travel. (Traveling salesman, basically, but with the added wrinkle that Santa has to come in the dark.)
God plays dice 