On 16/10/19 1:55 PM, duncan smith wrote:
On 15/10/2019 21:36, DL Neil wrote:
On 16/10/19 12:38 AM, Rhodri James wrote:
On 14/10/2019 21:55, DL Neil via Python-list wrote:
...
So, yes, the "label" is unimportant - except to politicians and
statisticians, who want precise answers from vague collections of
data... (sigh!)
[snip]
No not (real) statisticians. People often want us to provide precise
answers, but they don't often get them.
"It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you
know for sure that just ain’t so." (Mark Twain - perhaps)
+1
Although, you've undoubtedly heard people attempt to make claims of
having 'accurate figures' (even, "that came from Stats") when you told
them that the limitations and variations rendered the exercise laughable...
My favorite (of the moment) is a local computer store who regularly
offer such gems as: (underneath the sales (web-) page for an upmarket
*desktop* computer) "people who bought this also bought" followed by at
least two portable PC carry cases. They must be rather large carry-bags!
(along with such surprises as keyboard, mouse, ...)
This morning I turned-down a study for a political group. One study has
already been completed and presented. The antagonist wanted an A/B
comparison (backing his 'side', of course). I mildly suggested that I
would do it, if he'd also pay me to do an A/B/C study, where 'C' was a
costing - the economic opportunity cost of 'the people' waiting for 'the
government' to make a decision - (and delaying that decision by waiting
for "study" after "study" - The UK and their (MPs') inability to decide
"Brexit" a particularly disastrous illustration of such)
Sorry, don't want to incur the anger of the list-gods - such
calculations would be performed in Python (of course)
--
Regards =dn
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