Chester Draws
957 posts
@neos__id @charlesmurray Neither Taleb nor Popper say the Normal distribution is useless, which is your position. There are times it fits well, and times it fits badly.
You are just playing to the "see how awesome I am, I have that humans actually have averages" crowd.
But some averages are meaningful
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I like to imagine the expressions on the faces of previous generations of SciAm editors upon read this.
gen0m1cs@gen0m1cs
My absolute favorite popsci moment is when Scientific American published this. "the so-called normal distribution"
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@neos__id @charlesmurray The Normal distribution is a model. Sometimes useful, sometimes not.
If you throw it out for not being perfect, then what are you left with? Because *no* real world distribution is perfect.
Then you can't do much of anything statistical. Which isn't hugely helpful.
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@charlesmurray The normal distribution is not from god it’s from gauss and there is no reason to believe it fits all domains
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@AwldSossige @SalomeSibonex Not at all. The US is not the only place in the world.
The rest of the countries with capitalism don't have the excessive therapy culture the US has.
I don't know anyone who regularly goes to therapy. I only know a few that take regular medication.
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@SalomeSibonex Agreed.
It's too bad, because you could make a good case for capitalism being at least partially responsible for how over theapized and over medicated people are now.
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When you understand that “capitalism” has become a modern pseudo-religious catch-all symbol for suffering and evil, you understand how people can blame every single problem on economic freedom.
✧@northstardoll
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@georgedarroch @AlecStapp Watch as it continues to rise, and thereby disprove your assertion.
Every European country moving to renewables is suffering this.
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@AlecStapp so almost of the increase there is due to the price of gas, and the sharp uptick is the 2022 gas / Russia crisis
renewables are actually the cheapest new supply
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The only thing not stagnating in the UK is the cost of electricity
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@7Bluerabbits @AlecStapp It literally says "inflation adjusted"
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@TomHoefling @elonmusk The President doesn't have authority to get rid of programs set up by a previous president.
Interesting theory.
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@elonmusk Even if I trusted your judgment and honesty, which I don't, neither you nor the guy you're working for have lawful authority to be feeding programs into 'the wood chipper." Your caprice is no substitute for constitutional, orderly, legitimate self-government.
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We spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper.
Could gone to some great parties.
Did that instead.
Mike Benz@MikeBenzCyber
it ain’t dead yet, but already, and for the very first time, a hole has been put in the Terror Titanic
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@wani_rishi2761 @libsoftiktok "Generally" doing a LOT of work there.
Like as in playing a round of Russian roulette generally does not involve dying.
And in any case, no-one says this is unsafe. Just very much unwanted.
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“Take the subway. It will help with congestion. It’s super safe and good. Oh you don’t want to? Ok I will tax you to drive and force you to endure this.” - Kathy Hochul basically
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@reelistreview @BobWeaver6388 @justin_hart @ProfTimNoakes The south pole has to be the edges of a flat disc. Such a revolving sun really doesn't work with regard to that.
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Flat Eartheres (flerfers?) are dying today because of fellow comrades who flew to Antarctica only to witness that the sun does indeed rotate all around the horizon as if Earth was (shocker) round!
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@TimLloydArts @BjornLomborg Norway has a low population with lots of hydro. It's also why NZ is quite cheap.
That's a very different "green" to what the Brits are getting.
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@BjornLomborg While Norway has some of the lowest cost electricity. Going green means different things to different people.
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Congrats on going green!
The UK is leading the world in decarbonizing and switching to renewables
Quite predictably, this means:
The UK now has some of the highest household electricity prices (36p or 46¢/kWh)
gov.uk/government/sta…
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@judecambridge @Southpawpunch @BeckettUnite So a banana republic where the government gets to steal anything it fancies?
Nothing kills a country faster than that, because the only way to protect any investment is to have politicians in your pocket, who can then demand protection money.
So corruption on top of theft!
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@Southpawpunch @BeckettUnite Why should they be paid? They've ready been paid!
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Bringing the National Grid back into public ownership would save £3.7bn a year presently paid to shareholders.
Using those savings, after 5 years we could have enough wind turbines to power 1.25 million homes, without an extra penny of investment.
Nationalise the National Grid.
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@LisaTeMorenga @ASHNZ2025 @HealthCoA The kids I know don't exactly think $20 is a problem. They'd spend it on food if it wasn't vapes (and I don't know rich kids).
The cost is a minor issue relative to health.
The cure to cost, of course, is to make vaping cheaper. But I don't imagine that will float your boat.
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@ChesterDraws9 @ASHNZ2025 @HealthCoA Young people are telling us they don't like feeling out of control and they've got to have a vape and spending $10-20 a week on vapes. That's a good enough reason to take this seriously
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Health Coalition Aotearoa (HCA) welcomes Labour’s stronger proposed measures to address the serious problem of vaping among our tamariki and rangatahi.
Read our full statement here: healthcoalition.org.nz/stronger-youth…
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@LisaTeMorenga @ASHNZ2025 @HealthCoA Vapers are often addicted. We all know that.
But nicotine is a very mild drug, barely worse than caffeine. Nor is vaping a particularly dangerous activity.
Unlike smoking.
Demonising vaping will drive people from a relatively safe activity to a dangerous one.
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@ChesterDraws9 @ASHNZ2025 @HealthCoA The ASH Year 10 Snapshot Survey collects data on smoking and vaping attitudes and behaviours.
ASH is welcome to provide their survey data on vape nicotine content susceptibility to vaping.
But daily vaping is an accepted proxy for addiction or transitioning to addiction.
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@HydeJonathan @SamRamani2 So? What was the population of Borodino in 1812?
Battles are fought where they are fought. The size of the village doesn't matter.
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BREAKING: Ukrainian commander "Kombat" says his forces have breached the most difficult Russian defensive line in southern Ukraine
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@johnnyhitandrun @Kasparov63 If Biden were to shoot down Trump's plane, I suspect that much of the US would grind to a very quick halt.
The reaction would be quick, and likely violent.
If Biden was not immediately impeached, I suspect several states would secede.
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@Kasparov63 Do you think the US would ground to a halt if Erik Prince perished? Of course not. Russia has a lot of talent
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No. When a dictator is reduced to murdering members of his inner circle and fighting with and replacing his own generals, the situation is very dangerous. There is no trust among those who remain, and therefore no loyalty. The knives are out and must taste blood.
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@LisaTeMorenga @ASHNZ2025 @HealthCoA Because the evidence doesn't exist.
Typical of the wowsers to put the cart before the horse. They don't like it, therefore it must be dangerous!
The actual evidence for the dangers of commercial vapes is exceedingly low. Because vaping just isn't particularly dangerous.
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@ASHNZ2025 @HealthCoA Why haven't you been collecting the evidence you think is needed to make this "inference" (not a conclusion as you state)? ASH has a big government contract to monitor this situation after all? You're too busy pushing your pro-vape agenda I think.
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@Lookinupatstars @grahambsi Why do you think that using non-physical money is what matters?
It's about exchange rates, interest rates etc. Which will be imposed by Germany.
Ask the Greeks if using cards helped them when the Germans decided to ruin their economy.
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@grahambsi Totally agree. I hardly ever touch physical money anymore, it’s all done by card. Don’t care if it’s £ or €; a shared EU currency would be more stable. Bring it on!
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@ErnestScribblr @roddreher Yeah, the US never had looting before Trump. Never!
Note there are Rs that repudiate Trump and J6.
But how many Ds actively criticise the BLM protests that turned into looting?
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@roddreher So is this, when we have irresponsible politicians in power that validate lies and violence.
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@tradetime4money @simonjhix @jburnmurdoch Maybe that's because : 1) the UK helped pay to make it so, while in the EU, but mainly 2) they *hate* socialism.
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@simonjhix @jburnmurdoch Imagine that Romania (on average) is now richer than Britain if you remove London. Never thought I'd see this realized
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Great graphic by @jburnmurdoch. In other words, Britain is a poor country, with 1 moderately wealthy region.
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@GeorgeDavies4 @putey_pute @alan_h_stone @afneil @Conservatives That's not how PR works. You vote for a party *knowing* that they will likely be in a coalition.
If you vote Labour in NZ, you *know* that means a coalition with the Greens.
In FPTP you get the far left inside Labour instead. With PR you get to pick which wing of the party.
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East, England 🇬🇧 English
Spanish election result very instructive on the electoral fate awaiting the Tories if UK ever moves to proportional representation. Emerge from an election night largest party but without overall majority. Unable to form government because no allies with which to form coalition. But Labour able to do so, even if it’s come second, because it has enough potential allies to cobble together a majority. Simples!
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