At 5:52 AM -0500 3/24/03, Alan DeKok wrote:
However, by measuring data from from biased systems, we can get a
good indication of what those biases may be, how extensive they are,
and even discover the shape of the non-biased systems.
If an ISP is not filtering for spam, they can't even answer the
question, "how much spam do you get". If they are filtering for spam
and 20% gets through, they their numbers will be 20% off. How are
you--looking at the aggregate information--going to figure that out?
Pollsters use these methods all the time. They call people, collect
precise, accurate data about personal biases. The people may lie, but
with enough data, that bias may be accounted for.
This isn't bias. This is missing data.
What amazes me is the number of people who would rather do nothing
than use an imperfect system, and the number of people who fight
against something they agree with, because they think it doesn't go
far enough.
I did not say do nothing. I simply pointed out that you should
realize that there is going to be a lot of error in some of those
numbers. Trust me. If I had meant "do nothing" I would have said
"do nothing."
--
Kee Hinckley
http://www.puremessaging.com/ Junk-Free Email Filtering
http://commons.somewhere.com/buzz/ Writings on Technology and Society
I'm not sure which upsets me more: that people are so unwilling to accept
responsibility for their own actions, or that they are so eager to regulate
everyone else's.
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