One of the noteworthy aspects of our current coronavirus moment is the rapid proliferation of self-appointed data analysts. These armchair epidemiologists seem to believe they can project the trajectory of COVID-19 better than actual epidemiologists who have spent their whole careers studying the spread of disease.

You know who I'm talking about: It's not just the guy on Medium whose post gets 35 million page views. It's your uncle and your co-worker (funnily enough, many of them are men) who are trying their hand at beating the pros.

And of course, it includes the U.S. president. Donald Trump has said in his daily news conferences that he's "a smart guy" who "feel(s) good about" his own predictions and has "been right a lot."