I've always thought his writings were more allegorical than scientific; you can't rely on the standard deviation to never go against you at the worst possible t

I've always thought his writings were more allegorical than scientific; you can't rely on the standard deviation to never go against you at the worst possible time. But like anything else, it can and it (probably) will. Also, yes, his writing style is grating and he takes opportunistic character swipes at pretty much everyone.