🚀 go-pugleaf

Robert Cote wrote:
 
> In article <3B83F362.B6858B08@but.us.chickens>,
>  David Nebenzahl <nobody@but.us.chickens> wrote:
> 
> > Robert Cote wrote:
> >
> > > In article <3B83940C.33E37CF3@erols.com>,
> > >  Larry Gross <lcgross@erols.com> wrote:
> >
> > [snippola]
> >
> > > > And yes.. most cars are SOV
> > >
> > > Oh? Really?  Most?  Not.
> >
> > This just in: empirical evidence (mainly from observations from 101 & 280
> > in Bay Area) confirms that yes, most cars are SOV: my guess would be 80%.
> 
> There's a difference between empirical and anecdotal.  Not suprising
> that you'd mistake anecdote (which has value as anecdote) for
> empirical (which delineates criteria for observations).  For instance,
> in this case a few factors that need to be considered:
> 
> Is there only one person in the car just because you only saw one?
> 
> Are you observing part of a trip after a drop off?
> 
> Is the 101/280 in any way representative?
> 
> Is your guess of 80% actually what you saw or was there abservational
> bias or perhaps misrepresentation of the actual data?
> 
> Is time of day representative?
> 
> Since you were observing did you affect the local conditions?  I know
> for one that I'd get my SUV full of kids as far away from you as
> possible for instance.
> 
> Learn scientific process and stop guessing and stop mischaracterizing
> anecdote as empirical evidence.
> 
> How's your Price-Anderson analysis coming along?

More massive missing-the-point on Cote's part.

Nowhere did I claim this was a rigorous research project. It ain't
peer-reviewed research, for chrissakes; it's what I've observed with my own
2 eyes, guesstimated to the best of my ability. Accurate to zero decimal
places. And I'm sticking by it.

Since you've brought it up umpteen times, yes, what about that 20 lbs. of
CO2? My take on that tempest in a catalytic converter is this: so fucking
what if the actual amount turned out to be 18.2 lbs, or whatever it was:
that, too, was not a rigorous scientific research project. Under those
conditions, I have no problem with asserting that burning a gallon of gas
releases /nearly/ 20 lbs. of CO2.

If you feel compelled to quibble with that, you surely must be one of those
nerds from high school, slide rule in pocket, sniggering "what a dork--he
had the nerve to say that pi is 3.14. Everyone knows it's
3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510!".

(If it makes you feel any better, though, I'll let you call my observations
"anecdotal" rather than "empirical".)

Oh, and one more thing: who the /hell/ is "Leroy Baxter", anyway?
(Groan: I'm sure I'll live to regret asking that.)

-- 
August 10, 2001:

  The World Wildlife Fund (www.wwf.org) sues the World Wrestling
  Federation (www.wwf.com) over the use of the initials "WWF"--
  and wins!