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Comment p-value research is misleading almost always (Score 5, Interesting) 208

I studied and tutored experimental design and this use of inferential statistics. I even came up with a formula for 1/5 the calculator keystrokes when learning to calculate the p-value manually. Take the standard deviation and mean for each group, then calculate the standard deviation of these means (how different the groups are) divided by the mean of these standard deviations (how wide the groups of data are) and multiply by the square root of n (sample size for each group). But that's off the point. We had 5 papers in our class for psychology majors (I almost graduated in that instead of engineering) that discussed why controlled experiments (using the p-value) should not be published. In each case my knee-jerk reaction was that they didn't like math or didn't understand math and just wanted to 'suppose' answers. But each article attacked the math abuse, by proficient academics at universities who did this sort of research. I came around too. The math is established for random environments but the scientists control every bit of the environment, not to get better results but to detect thing so tiny that they really don't matter. The math lets them misuse the word 'significant' as though there is a strong connection between cause and effect. Yet every environmental restriction (same living arrangements, same diets, same genetic strain of rats, etc) invalidates the result. It's called intrinsic validity (finding it in the experiment) vs. extrinsic validity (applying in real life). You can also find things that are weaker (by the square root of n) by using larger groups. A study can be set up in a way so as to likely find 'something' tiny and get the research prestige, but another study can be set up with different controls that turn out an opposite result. And none apply to real life like reading the results of an entire population living normal lives. You have to study and think quite a while, as I did (even walking the streets around Berkeley to find books on the subject up to 40 years prior) to see that the words "99 percentage significance level" means not a strong effect but more likely one that is so tiny, maybe a part in a million, that you'd never see it in real life.

Privacy

When It Comes To Spy Gear, Many Police Ignore Public Records Laws 78

v3rgEz writes What should take precedence: State public records laws, or contractual agreements between local police, the FBI, and the privately owned Harris Corporation? That's the question being played out across the country, as agencies are strongly divided on releasing much information, if any, on how they're using Stingray technology to collect and monitor phone metadata without judicial oversight.

Comment timing - which year (Score 2) 72

I travel a ton and stay in dozens of different hotels every year. Domestically, and in maybe 50% of the foreign cases, the high priced hotels had worse and slower internet up until a couple of years ago. For the last 2 years they have gotten better, on the average. Oh, I was in a 5-star Vegas resort last night that had horrible bandwidth. In the past, my joke was accurate that the difference between a Four Seasons (just an example) and a Super 8 is that at the Super 8 the internet worked and was free. The most important thing to me in a hotel is computer use. The fancy suites in major hotels are often set up for entertaining friends and DON'T even have a computer desk. I ask my wife to book me into Super 8's whenever possible.

Comment Re:The question to me seems to be... (Score 1) 148

End goal: change the constitution. We need a start. It's easy to see how hard this will be and to give up early, but some of us feel the imperative to fight for it. We can change things. The vast will of the masses (corporation political donations are not equivalent to the free speech we enjoy as individuals) needs to be strategically gathered. Critical mass could take decades, as with things like gay marriage.

Comment Each jurisdition is different (Score 1) 208

The laws of each State are different. This is true in other countries. I suggest you consult a local attorney at law in your jurisdiction, with a knowledge of Intellectual Property law. I suspect you MAY be looking for a "durable" power of attorney. (That means the power of attorney survives your death.) The power would instruct the person you chose "At the time of my death, please do X, Y and Z." Then the power dies, and is of no further effect. If there are huge financial implications, you might consider having the holder of the power post a bond to insure full performance. But please, get a professional to help with this. I don't try and fix my computer, because.... well.... I'm clueless. As far as I'm concerned it's all magic and that's the end of it. It took me three tries to get this posted, how's that for clueless? Just my humble opinion.

Submission + - Asl Slashdot

trialjudge writes: The other day "Rachel from Credit Services" called for the 81st time this week. I just happened to be practicing blowing on my whistle, and I'm afraid the sound greatly annoyed whoever I was talking to.

For those of you who don't know Rachel, see http://business.time.com/2012/...

I would never intentionally damage "Rachel from Card Services"'s equipment, but I was just idly wondering if there is something low tech I can do better than a whistle.

An M-80 would be great, but it leaves a stinky residue in the house. Slam a book on the table? Do any of you tech geniuses know anything that might persuade them to stop calling, while not hurting my cheap telephone?

Thanks!!!!

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