I feel like I'm totally behind the 8-ball here, having just discovered this gem of website, fivethirtyeight.com. Despite the fact that it's not a fitness or health website, the content, analytics and breadth of coverage provide a mighty-fine workout for the grey matter between your ears!
Fivethirtyeight.com is, according to Wikipedia, a "'polling aggregation website' with a blog." The Editor-in-Chief is one Nate Silver, a statistician who analyzes baseball and elections, and used his expertise to create a statistical system to project the future performance of hitters and pitchers. It was through this system that Silver initially gained public recognition, but it was his analyses and predictions during the 2008 elections that catapulted him into the media spotlight. Silver correctly predicted which candidate would take 49 of 50 states, and he predicted the winner of all 35 Senate races in 2008.
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| Courtesy of Michael Consentino |
Phew! Yes, this site is quite a departure from what I'm used to reading, but I enjoy it nonetheless. The site is a unique blend of analysis, statistics, pop culture, sports, and economics, paired with easily-navigable and attractive design. Even though the site was acquired by ESPN in Summer 2013, it's not slanted in favor of sports and the articles about the topic are very accessible to the sports-illiterate among us ;-)
The site covers a lot of ground that one would not immediately think to view through such a statistical lens, but the beauty of the site is that it uncovers the "Freakonomic" nature of our culture in the cleverest possible way.
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