Comment How helpful? (Score 1) 137
Can they say:
Does A cause B? Probably not.
Does B cause A? Probably not.
So there's probably a C causing A and B.
There's a lot of probablys in that.
Can they say:
Does A cause B? Probably not.
Does B cause A? Probably not.
So there's probably a C causing A and B.
There's a lot of probablys in that.
To drift even more off-topic, I used to work on an "Expert System" where BOOLEAN variables had one of FOUR possible values:
It's not quite as daft as it sounds - It populated variables by asking users a question, to which they could answer yes/no/don't know. The fourth value was the case where it hadn't asked the user yet.
Proof that you should read the comments before the article!
We've no odd family history, we just thought the potential uses of stem cells in the future might be worth having a stock of them guaranteed not to be rejected.
We had to arrange for an outside contractor to come in to the NHS hospital to collect the samples. The NHS staff wouldn't do it. That means that part way through labour you've got to decide it's a good time to phone the agency and have them send someone over in time for delivery.
Then when they do arrive, they're all businesslike, and trying to explain stuff. "Good morning, I'm from the agency." and of course they're met with "I don't care. I'm in the middle of f**king labour, just shut up and get on with it."
I don't think the phlebotomist had done it before, and in the end it failed. We left our baby attached for a while, because it seemed a good idea for other reasons. Sadly, that meant that by the time the phlebotomist tried to collect the blood, there wasn't really any left - the sample was too small/clogged/dried to be serviceable, so there was nothing for us to bank.
I really hope I don't end up regretting that.
Everybody likes a kidder, but nobody lends him money. -- Arthur Miller