> On 20 Nov 2001, J. Peter Leeds wrote:
> > The problem actually breaks down to a rather simple analogy:
> >
> > Imagine that a man has been sentenced by court to run a gauntlet
> > composed of four club-wielding executioners.
(ill-defined, and thus insoluble, problem omitted)
and Donald Burrill responded:
> Easier it may be, but one can't help suspecting that some aspects of the
> inanities evident are not paralleled by structures or relationships in
> whatever your "real" problem is...
I agree with Donald...reading EDSTAT-L, I am continually reminded of
the cliche about the patient at the doctor's clinic who "has a friend
who thinks (s)he might have VD".
It seems as if many correspondents posting "real" (non-homework)
problems go to great lengths to "anonymize" their problems, usually to
the extent of making sensible advice impossible. Some possible
explanations:
10) They don't want their colleagues to know they've consulted EDSTAT-L.
9) We might steal their data.
8) Statisticians are like mushrooms - they do best when kept in the dark
and fed well-composted BS.
7) EDSTAT-L is the favorite consulting service for researchers on
witness protection programs.
6) There is actually no research project as described; rather, this is
part of an elaborate psychological study of mailing list subscribers.
5) They know that editors don't like putting the entire list of EDSTAT-L
posters as coauthors.
4) They reckon we wouldn't understand the difficult stuff they're
working on & don't have time to explain it.
3) Some researchers realize that they are working on subjects of truly
embarrassing stupidity, but they need the grant money.
2) They want to do as much of the work as they can for us and think that
this is the first step.
And the top reason:
1) These posters are from the NSA: they could tell us but then they
would have to kill us.
Robert Dawson
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