2/10/2007
Yep, it's a Saturday...
...and I'm at the office.
Joke of the Day:
What do you get when you cross Kerry and a Saturday at the office?
Answer:
A tool.
This is just a post to take a break from my push to get my current project done. I'm goin' astronaut crazy on this shit. I'm wearing diapers until it's done.
So many variables. So so many variables.
This is so much work and is STILL only going to be a poor man's version of what it should be.
Why...you ask? See, this is the kind of thing I'd actually enjoy doing. I just don't have the resources (simulation software? Yeah...right...I've got a bag of M&Ms and a TI-85). I have to make many more assumptions than I'm comfortable with. Data availability and reliability (more importantly) are sketchy as hell.
I've looked at other projects that are like the one I'm doing.
Uhhh...yeah. They're sketchy as hell too.
For example...there's a pretty pivotal piece of information included in 90% of the studies I've read...they all leave it without a reference, or decide to reference this one guy. Let's call him 'Mr. Doesn't Include Citations King' ...or Mr. DICK for short. Mr. DICK includes the parameter, and even references it to an author (Jones 1998)...but never includes the full citation at the end (and as you can imagine...more than one or two people named 'Jones' wrote papers in 1998). He's used this same parameter (a dollar amount) for reports in each of the last five years without adjusting it for anything.
So I tracked down Mr. DICK...
Dear Mr. DICK:
Who is Jones (1998)? Do you have the full citation? ...also...what was the rationale for not adjusting Jones (1998)'s parameter for inflation? A lot of people are using this number in their own research...and attributing it to you.
Word To Your Mother and Regards,
Kerry
Okay...so after the initial email and two follow-ups (written in a fairly polite and charming manner)...Mr. DICK didn't respond. Even after I finally followed-up with "if you don't have any information, then TELL ME SO, Mr.DICK so I CAN MOVE ON WITH MY LIFE!"
Surprised about his non-response?
I'm not. I'm so over professors like Mr. DICK. Or maybe it's Dr. DICK...
either way, he's just DICK.
|
Joke of the Day:
What do you get when you cross Kerry and a Saturday at the office?
Answer:
A tool.
This is just a post to take a break from my push to get my current project done. I'm goin' astronaut crazy on this shit. I'm wearing diapers until it's done.
So many variables. So so many variables.
This is so much work and is STILL only going to be a poor man's version of what it should be.
Why...you ask? See, this is the kind of thing I'd actually enjoy doing. I just don't have the resources (simulation software? Yeah...right...I've got a bag of M&Ms and a TI-85). I have to make many more assumptions than I'm comfortable with. Data availability and reliability (more importantly) are sketchy as hell.
I've looked at other projects that are like the one I'm doing.
Uhhh...yeah. They're sketchy as hell too.
For example...there's a pretty pivotal piece of information included in 90% of the studies I've read...they all leave it without a reference, or decide to reference this one guy. Let's call him 'Mr. Doesn't Include Citations King' ...or Mr. DICK for short. Mr. DICK includes the parameter, and even references it to an author (Jones 1998)...but never includes the full citation at the end (and as you can imagine...more than one or two people named 'Jones' wrote papers in 1998). He's used this same parameter (a dollar amount) for reports in each of the last five years without adjusting it for anything.
So I tracked down Mr. DICK...
Dear Mr. DICK:
Who is Jones (1998)? Do you have the full citation? ...also...what was the rationale for not adjusting Jones (1998)'s parameter for inflation? A lot of people are using this number in their own research...and attributing it to you.
Word To Your Mother and Regards,
Kerry
Okay...so after the initial email and two follow-ups (written in a fairly polite and charming manner)...Mr. DICK didn't respond. Even after I finally followed-up with "if you don't have any information, then TELL ME SO, Mr.DICK so I CAN MOVE ON WITH MY LIFE!"
Surprised about his non-response?
I'm not. I'm so over professors like Mr. DICK. Or maybe it's Dr. DICK...
either way, he's just DICK.
