Bay 12 Games Forum

Well, if you have to choose a cliffhanger to die on...

The point is, all this information is still being collected from the mouths or pencils of human beings, and the only thing that makes it more objective than a conversation is the scale and method.  The statistic has 10,000 conversations for me, and distills them down to a set of data points.  If I personally had 10,000 conversations and were an honest, self-reflecting person, I would still come away from it with those same data points.

... that scale and method kinda' make the difference, SG. That statistic is going to have 10k fairly specific conversations you're not going to manage in person, regardless of how honest or self-reflecting you are, and "it" is going to do so on a scale that, for you, is going to blur together into a half-meaningless mush unless you're some kind of incredible cognitive anomaly. If you personally had those tens of thousands of conversations, the chances of you actually coming away with the same data points is pretty bloody small -- you'd almost certainly come out with a significantly different set of data (also, the data set could easily change before you finished 'em all, but eh). That doesn't really have anything to do with the character of the people on either side of the conversations, it has to do with the nature of the beasts having them. We're really kinda' freaking terrible on a mechanical level with dealing with processing that sort and that scale of information on our own.

I'd largely kinda' agree with the other stuff y'mentioned in that quoted post, but... well, that scale and that method is actually what makes the difference. Human error, misinterpretation, miscommunication, and all the et ceteras and so forths and so ons are still going to be there with statistical analysis, but... well, at least when it's actually done correctly, the methodology involved corrects for human error in a way that we're just not really capable of on a personal level, or at least very, very few of us are.

I guess what I'm saying is that you actually nailed it. What makes it more objective is the scale and the method. That is exactly what makes it more objective than thousands of anecdotes.

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As to that question, well, I know my six neighbors and the surrounding area. If they say the creek is going to flood, I'm going to (almost certainly accurately) assume they're drunk or drugged and calmly ignore them :V

The mitigating factors are an issue, there, though. If the area I'm in flooded enough for it to reach where I'm at, sandbags and leaving for a week wouldn't help because most of the state would have sunk.

What's the point you're trying to make, T?

Also, despite the permabans, there hasn't been a balance or content patch in, like, ever. Graphics and related gimmickry are incredibly high fidelity and the UI is pretty slick (though it has its issues), but let's be honest, that's about all it has going for it.

It's also full loot PvP with a lot of arbitrary death traps. Some people don't even make it out of character creation. Which was fine for, like, Traveler or somethin', but an MMO... not so much. 1/10, would not play if had choice of better alternative.

... and now you know why some people commit misdemeanors and whatnot to get put in jail for the winter, poh.

But yeah, I've actually seen worse off around here, a few times. Much less of an issue since it's florida and cold is not the problem, but...

... yeah, I'll qualify the no-table thing with noting I have a strong predisposition towards, like, making impromptu ones with books and stuff. Bending over the floor is bad, that's what book/pillow/box/whatever piles are for. Maybe one or two of those breakfast table thingjiggers. I could totally see how doing the floor thing without having access to proper cushioning and support and whatnot would lead to an affection for chairs and tables and suchlike. That would be fairly painful and probably pretty ruddy awkward.*

Spending a lot of time in chairs and such is actually what's pushed me in the other direction, heh. Soooo much more comfortable when you can construct your own personally fitting accouterments out of nearby materials and rearrange as situation demands. Really well fitted chairs would probably be in the same category, but those are a helluva' lot more expensive than a buncha' pillows or whatev'.

*E: Sweet bloody hell I just noticed the other context for that. Actually not intentional, for once. Freaking headache.

Had no idea what that was until I checked. Now somewhat saddened my first thought was vague curiosity if that was a racist dig.* Been in this area way too long.

*For those fortunately unknowing, the common diminution of raccoon in this area doubles as a racial slur. Mixed with sleeping on the floor being a common sign of poverty...

Reading this Shokugeki no Soma.

All I can really say right now* is that more imposing declarations of challenge need to be given by people wearing the naked apron thing. It is delightfully absurd.

*Except that A: This is porn, and B: This is also food porn. And fairly amusing so far.