October 20, 2010

At the Statistics Tree Café...

P1040250

... you can celebrate World Statistics Day.

21 comments:

Synova said...

What percentage of people automatically assume that Palin is soooo stupid that she'd give a big speech about the Tea Party at a Tea Party and then say "Party like it's 1773" when she meant something different... I don't know *what*, but obviously a boo boo... cuz she's Stooooopid.

traditionalguy said...

Statistics are magnificent tools. But they must be used correctly or the results of a study become worthless, or even worse, the results become insignificant. We need statistics that will show from real data that when a nail was lost, a shoe was lost, and for the shoe a horse was lost, and for the horse a battle was lost, and for the battle a kingdom was lost. That has something to do with the War in Afghanistan. And I can confidently state that no causation for losing any Kingdom is contained in O'Donnell's reading of the Constitution. Good night.

chickelit said...

Statists are bad enough--I don't want to celebrate their adjectival forms: link

Fred4Pres said...

Nice tree. Red maple? Certainly red leaves. Yet it looks kind of sugar maple in shape.

Fred4Pres said...

This is really funny.

H/T: Southern Appeal.

Methadras said...

Fractals defy statistics.

Clyde said...

As the percentage of leaves left on the tree approaches the unemployment rate, it indicates that Recovery Summer is well and truly over.

Unknown said...

Better put Meade on guard around that tree, Ann. The Blonde has a very mean streak where statistics are concerned.

(I can hear her now, "It's not normal thinking")

Nice pic, though. The stately old building (I'm thinking campus, not splendiferous manse) gives an off-beat look.

PS Good point, Synova.

rhhardin said...

The application of Bayes' Theorem to the uselessness of the UN has been overlooked.

Fen said...

"...been tweaked more than a CRU database"

garage mahal said...

Obama has spent 13 quadragigatrillion dollars! More than every past, [and future!] presidents combined. I read that stat at Jammie Wearing Fool or something.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Great. Now the Lies and Damned Lies will want days of their own too.

Joe said...

(The Crypto Jew)
No, Garage, the TURTH of Obama's spending is bad enough....

I did read 1 in 4 womon on campus will be raped and that Super Bowl Sunday was a peak day for domestic violence...both lies, FROM YOUR SIDE.

I'd be a little cautious about snark on statistics, were I you...because we haven't touched the great landfill shortage, acid rain, global warming, and the like...all that science-y stuff you'se guyz like to employ to advance your agendas, but turn out to be terribly false.

Ann Althouse said...

The building in the picture houses the Statistics Department at UW-Madison.

And today really is World Statistics Day.

(Links show this.)

ndspinelli said...

You are statistically more @ risk if you walk drunk, then if you drive drunk[Freakonomics]. Remember this statistic all you Stat Street Halloween revelers!

Original Mike said...

What are the odds the loud, obnoxious Ohio State fan in front of us at the game stayed till the end?
hee hee hee

former law student said...

I did read 1 in 4 womon on campus will be raped

Not manifestly absurd, considering that rape = sex - consent. In California drunk people cannot give effective consent, and having sex while drunk is far from uncommon. Further, since In re John Z, if a woman originally validly consented, yet changes her mind in mid thrust, the guy is guilty of rape if he doesn't pull out immediately.

Unknown said...

Ann Althouse said...

The building in the picture houses the Statistics Department at UW-Madison.

And today really is World Statistics Day.

(Links show this.)


I trust you, Ann.

MadisonMan said...

I wonder why there are blank spots in the leaves near the base of the tree. Did someone clear a spot on the grass?

The probability of the leaves falling so as to create a region devoid of leaves on the ground must be very small.

MamaM said...

Wind is one of the causes of blank spots when it comes to leaf distribution.

Joe said...

(The Crypto Jew)
No, Garage, it's from the mis-read of a poor survey of campus sexual habits....

Nice try though.