7 JUL 2026

Day 188

All models are wrong, but some are useful.

George Box · Robustness in the Strategy of Scientific Model Building

A small carved altarpiece described as a tiered architectural structure, with opening triptych wings, relief scenes from the Passion, arcades and stacked panels.

I · THE OBJECT · BRITISH MUSEUM

Miniature altarpiece (WB.232)

Portable altarpiece · British Museum · British Museum

A portable altarpiece in the British Museum carries the compact number WB.232, while the supplied account opens onto a densely carved devotional object and an uncertain attribution.

Enter lesson 4 MIN

II · THE IDEA · ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Deep Double Descent: Beyond U-Shaped Risk

theory · 1912.02292 · beyond U-shaped risk

Classical theory expects test error to rise once a model is large enough to fit the training data perfectly. Empirically, error can fall again as capacity grows still further.

Enter lesson 6 MIN

Half-length figure of a young woman, bare to the waist, turned toward the viewer against a dark ground, with drapery gathered below and her hands held close to the body.

III · THE WORK · ART HISTORY

La fornarina

Raphael · 16th century · Oil on panel

A bare-breasted woman on a small Roman panel has been called a lover, a courtesan, a type, even a witch. The paint is secure; the name is not.

Enter lesson 6 MIN