Links for 2010-07-09

Notes on how you, too, can be a social scientist. Or at least noodle around with statistics.

"We don't need more filters or better filters in scholarly communications - we don't need to block publication at all. Ever. What we need are tools for curation and annotation and re-integration of what is published. And a framework that enables discovery of the right thing at the right time. And the data that will help us to build these. The more data, the more reseach published, the better."

"Now before we get into the details of the study lets run this by the well established "Hooey Limit Test." I say to you, "hey looking to loose that last stubborn five pounds, just consume 1/3 less of a soda per day. Not a whole soda mind you, that's worth a full 15 lbs. Just leave the bottom third in the can."

Does that sound reasonable or like a bunch of Hooey to you?

If that's the world we live in then how are we to make sense of the endless struggles that millions of women (and men) go through to loose five pounds, say nothing of a greater battle against obesity.

As a side note, this is what makes me skeptical of explanations like "sugary drinks" for obesity. Wouldn't someone have noticed by now that people who don't like sugary drinks are never fat? Wouldn't that be everywhere? Its not a hard observation to make. "

"My sister was just old enough in 1979 (she was 14) to bring Gödel Escher Bach into our house and obliquely signal its importance to me and my brother by leaving it lying around and making strange coded-sounding references to it in conversation.

My brother and I subsequently read it and became infected with the GEB virus. It altered our intellectual DNA forever.

In fact I'd go so far as to suppose -- how would you prove it? -- that GEB reconfigured the brains of an entire generation of power nerds who are now grown up and doing interesting shit. As famous as it is I'm willing to bet its influence is still way underestimated. It's the secret nerd bible of my generation."