Omar, Micah, Logically (literally) the statement is nonesense whether the possible set is finite or infinite - it's a tautology, a statement that can only ever be true; you are never gong to find something before or after you find it.
When you say Omar, "It just laments the fact that you had to go through all 4 OTHER drawers first..." You are of course correct, but that's the idiomatic reason why someone would say it, but not what the sentence says literally. Ian On 6/13/07, Omar Kamel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Well, no - that's what I'm saying - that it's ONLY nonsensical when the set > of possible locations is infinite as in "it might be ANYWHERE!" - but when > you're limiting your set to a finite amount of locations (the 5 drawers I > mentioned, for example) - then the statement isn't nonsensical at all. It > just laments the fact that you had to go through all 4 OTHER drawers > first... > > As for fact and fiction - well, until I've worked out what all the facts are > - I'll leave that question open :) > > And no, I don't think the set is always infinite until the object is found - > for example - there are cases where I'm looking for a book among a limited > set of shelved on which I might've put it (cause I do sort of categorize my > books) - so I KNOW that if it's not inside that limited set - that I've lent > it out to a friend, and in that case my search is over, despite the fact > that I've exhausted the limited set of searchable shelves. > > Omar > > On 6/13/07, Micah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Omar, > > > > The statement is valid, the object found is always in the last placed you > > looked, because the search ends with the object, further searching makes > > no > > sense. The statement "it was in the last place I looked" an overstatement > > of > > the obvious. Just a statement that is odd, not inaccurate like "fact is > > stranger than fiction", which is only true if you have no imagination. > > > > Wouldn't a set of possible locations for a lost item always be infinite > > until the item is found? How many possible locations would render an item > > lost? > > > > Micah > > > > > > > > > > > > Actually, 'it was in the last place I looked' can be a perfectly valid > > statement when the possible locations for an object form a finite and > > closed > > set. For example - if you're searching for something in a set of 5 > > drawers, > > then if you search 4 drawers and find it in the 'last' one, then yes, it > > was > > indeed in the 'last place'. > > > > It's only nonsensical when the set of possible locations is either > > infinite > > or open (in the sense that if you don't find it in the drawers you might > > assume it might be, for example, in the fridge...)... > > > > :) > > > > > > > > On 6/13/07, Micah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > No, only an idiot would argue with my statement. That line "fact is > > > stranger > > > than fiction" is one of my pet peeves, and is listed in the manual as > > one > > > of > > > the idiotic statements I am required to correct. > > > > > > Another example is "it was in the last place I looked" as if anyone > > > continues looking after finding a lost item. Check the manual. > > > > > > Micah > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > [Krimel] > > > Did you really just try to pick a fight with Dave's refrigerator magnet? > > > > > > > > > > > > Fact is stranger than fiction...if you have no imagination. > > > Micah > > > > > > > > > > > > dmb says: > > > "the difference between fact and fiction is that it is required that > > > fiction > > > has to be plausible." > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > moq_discuss mailing list > > > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > > > Archives: > > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > > > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > > > > > moq_discuss mailing list > > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > > Archives: > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > > > > moq_discuss mailing list > > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > > Archives: > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > > > moq_discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > moq_discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
