On 17 Dec 2004, Paul Smith wrote: > Okay, this has nothing whatsoever to do with Teaching of > Psychology, but I wonder if TIPSters can make anything of this > letter to the editor in today's NYTimes, about the recent test of > part of the "missile defense system" we're trying to build (copied > below). It seems to me as though they're saying that "success" is > defined solely by the survival _of the interceptor missile_ (?!). > Either I'm misreading this, or the letter was edited so that > important content was deleted, or "missile defense" falls FAR > short of my already meager expectations.
My guess is that the writer is arguing that the failure to launch is not the main focus of the test, which is to see whether the guidance system is up to the difficult task of intercepting a misssile in flight. Presumably, they know how to make a non-launching missile launch (that's the easy part, even if they messed up this time). The hard part is whether, once launched, it can shoot down a missile from thousands of miles away. It's sort of like Carl Lewis not showing up for a race with Ben Johnson. Carl loses, but we still don't know who's fastest (bad example, I know, but it's all I can do on short notice). Note on my other post, as I still seem to be receiving replies to it: Because of the poor wording of my question, I'll now never know whether people thought that Gerald Koocher would be APA pres in 2005 (incorrect) or in 2006 (correct), an error I made myself before stumbling on the truth. I think I can bear up under the disappointment. But thank you for your responses, and please stop sending them. Stephen ___________________________________________________ Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Dept web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy TIPS discussion list for psychology teachers at http://faculty.frostburg.edu/psyc/southerly/tips/index.htm _______________________________________________ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
