Recently Texas' Republican Primary featured three potential Republican candidates: Rick Perry, Kay Hutchison and Debrah Medina.
The polls predicted that Medina would play spoiler, with a runoff election later between Rick Perry and Kay Hutchison. To my surprise, Rick Perry won with 51%. I don't know if this was within the margin of error of the Polls. Conspiracy theorists can cry foul: either the winner or an outside influence "fixed" the election.
Iraq had a recent election too. It is more subject to accusations of tampering than Texas. To ratify the election a statistical study with a statistically significant sample size that is truly random, should yield results that agree with the vote - again with a small margin of error. If differences are statistically significant, then the election should be ruled invalid and re-done. This is only theoretical, because of secret ballot provisions. If only volunteers are polled, the sample cannot be random. However, since 30 -120 is a statistically large sample for one variable, statistics ARE worthwhile.
I don't seriously think Texas' election was fixed, but we could profit from more Scantron ballots, and a paper trail for early voting. Iraq could profit from hand held counter clickers for the ballot counters.
If we go to electronic voting, we should do so in context of a discussion of Direct Democracy, and bear in mind that shipping a 12 B_illion count ballot box around the internet with utter electronic security fails to accomplish the goal.
Post Script: Another application of the statistical study of votes is that of the extant batch of ballots. A random study of ballots should agree with the total count. If it does not, the count is faulty.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Deficit spending or highway robbery?
I personally haven't had anything original AND substantive to report since June 09, hence a long silence. Here goes nuthin :-)
The 2010 Obama Federal Budget projects 1.3 T_rillion in pure deficit. The DEBT now exceeds 12 T_rillion. I did the following on my calculator:
1.3 [exp] 12 / 300 [exp] 6 =
It faithfully blinked back 5000, informing me that 536 Washington Politicians are borrowing $5,000, for each and every man, woman and child living in the country, above and beyond that which we payed them in taxes for ONE YEAR to successfully Govern us!
Friends: That's not government, it's TELEVANGELISM!
CAVEAT\Warning: Obama's not crying too much about it, but he inherited a lot of obligations from a lame duck Bush. Anybody care to tell me where to look to see a W. deficit report?
The 2010 Obama Federal Budget projects 1.3 T_rillion in pure deficit. The DEBT now exceeds 12 T_rillion. I did the following on my calculator:
1.3 [exp] 12 / 300 [exp] 6 =
It faithfully blinked back 5000, informing me that 536 Washington Politicians are borrowing $5,000, for each and every man, woman and child living in the country, above and beyond that which we payed them in taxes for ONE YEAR to successfully Govern us!
Friends: That's not government, it's TELEVANGELISM!
CAVEAT\Warning: Obama's not crying too much about it, but he inherited a lot of obligations from a lame duck Bush. Anybody care to tell me where to look to see a W. deficit report?
Sunday, June 7, 2009
What influences certain movies to "get made?"
Screenwriters pour heart and soul into their product.
The market "demands," offerings with mercurial predictability.
The task of the studio appears to answer:
The market "demands," offerings with mercurial predictability.
The task of the studio appears to answer:
- What is the market asking for?
- What screenplay answers this demand?
- Does this meet my studio agenda?
Friday, June 5, 2009
Principle of a hash explicated;
To understand the principle of a hash, consider taking a Bible or a Quaran and, from start to finish, collecting only the 3rd letter of every word three letters long or longer.
It should be expected that every time you perform this operation you will get the same characteristic grouping of letters. The same operation on another copy of the same book will give the same value, but you could choose Forbes magazine for your source instead.
Reversing a hash is comparable to taking just the hash file and a dictionary and attempting to recreate the original volume without hints or clues. It is more legitimately illustrated by limiting the input to one page, and including all Forbes magazines of all months ever issued as potential sources.
Good hashes have been devised that yield specific lengths exactly - MD5 yields exactly 128 bits or 16 ASCII characters.
An example of a use for a hash is in ATM pin numbers. When you enter your pin at the Point of Sale device, instead of sending the PIN value, a good banker hashes it before transmitting. If the hash matches the hash in the database, your pin is good.
The reason this is an improvement on encryption is that if the bank's table is compromised, a hash table does not yield a list of valid pins with account numbers.
It should be expected that every time you perform this operation you will get the same characteristic grouping of letters. The same operation on another copy of the same book will give the same value, but you could choose Forbes magazine for your source instead.
Reversing a hash is comparable to taking just the hash file and a dictionary and attempting to recreate the original volume without hints or clues. It is more legitimately illustrated by limiting the input to one page, and including all Forbes magazines of all months ever issued as potential sources.
Good hashes have been devised that yield specific lengths exactly - MD5 yields exactly 128 bits or 16 ASCII characters.
An example of a use for a hash is in ATM pin numbers. When you enter your pin at the Point of Sale device, instead of sending the PIN value, a good banker hashes it before transmitting. If the hash matches the hash in the database, your pin is good.
The reason this is an improvement on encryption is that if the bank's table is compromised, a hash table does not yield a list of valid pins with account numbers.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
A mode of communication;
We have many means of communication, and many mediums. We also have much to say. This blog provides for anonymous moderated comment, for example.
I am referring to persuasive speech when I use the word "mode." The method I am fumbling into words is one I first observed in "The Da Vinci Code." The fiction lays claim to so many inaccuracies from trivia to epic catalog that books have been written in commentary.
The point is this. If you can monologue an audience long enough that your mistakes can no longer be addressed in dignified order, you may (in the end) say anything you wish without credible rebuttal.
I have no name for this mode of communication, but I cite another example here. I also see this mode of communication commonly in political commentary on television.
I am referring to persuasive speech when I use the word "mode." The method I am fumbling into words is one I first observed in "The Da Vinci Code." The fiction lays claim to so many inaccuracies from trivia to epic catalog that books have been written in commentary.
The point is this. If you can monologue an audience long enough that your mistakes can no longer be addressed in dignified order, you may (in the end) say anything you wish without credible rebuttal.
I have no name for this mode of communication, but I cite another example here. I also see this mode of communication commonly in political commentary on television.
What is a Democratic Republic;
"The Democratic People's Republic of fill-in-the-blank (Congo for example,)" appeals to all that is noblest and best in philosophies of Government.
Of the two, the Democracy of Athens is better understood than the Republic of Rome.
An Athenian could be part of a number of ecclesias, a Church a gang or a club, but entered upon (direct) Democracy only in the city gates. From recorded oratory of Socrates and Aristotle, sanity was not guaranteed... it was occasionally an oratocracy.
By contrast Plato's Republic represented all classes of society hierarchically, but not necessarily proportionately (or fairly?) To add to the confusion there was no written "Constitution," until 1786 for which the US may be justifiably proud.
Despite flaws and weaknesses, historically the tortured wheels of justice turned farther in Republics than Democracies, Kingdoms or Communes. Look no farther than Socrates' trial.
A glance at Latin Proverbs of Philosophy and Government will show that Italian Latins left many warnings behind as their civilization fell, trade ships leaving Rome empty without exception.
Here is a list, I recommend Plato, Cicero, Horace and even Juvenal.
Positive law is not addressed directly by Democracy; In a Republic the highest of the high is "under law." Positive law depends on manipulation and subversion of choice by a benevolent tyrant, and fails upon his death - see 'The education of Cyrus,' by Xenophon.
From these historic foundations I have always chosen the GOP to defend the constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. These are embarrassing times to be Republican. The party has strayed. It needs to return to the fundamentals of Republic; America under God and under law, with liberty and justice for all.
Of the two, the Democracy of Athens is better understood than the Republic of Rome.
An Athenian could be part of a number of ecclesias, a Church a gang or a club, but entered upon (direct) Democracy only in the city gates. From recorded oratory of Socrates and Aristotle, sanity was not guaranteed... it was occasionally an oratocracy.
By contrast Plato's Republic represented all classes of society hierarchically, but not necessarily proportionately (or fairly?) To add to the confusion there was no written "Constitution," until 1786 for which the US may be justifiably proud.
Despite flaws and weaknesses, historically the tortured wheels of justice turned farther in Republics than Democracies, Kingdoms or Communes. Look no farther than Socrates' trial.
A glance at Latin Proverbs of Philosophy and Government will show that Italian Latins left many warnings behind as their civilization fell, trade ships leaving Rome empty without exception.
Here is a list, I recommend Plato, Cicero, Horace and even Juvenal.
Positive law is not addressed directly by Democracy; In a Republic the highest of the high is "under law." Positive law depends on manipulation and subversion of choice by a benevolent tyrant, and fails upon his death - see 'The education of Cyrus,' by Xenophon.
From these historic foundations I have always chosen the GOP to defend the constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. These are embarrassing times to be Republican. The party has strayed. It needs to return to the fundamentals of Republic; America under God and under law, with liberty and justice for all.
There are no words;
An entry for which there are no words? Shouldn't it be blank? This entry is a call to greater articulation. Poe wrote "I have never had a thought which I could not set down in words with even more distinctness than that which I conceived it..." Tales Of Mystery and Imagination by Alan Parson's Project.
To say, "There are no words," is either to draw back from the horror of fresh injury or to simply refuse to exert the effort, depending on your vantage point in space and time.
For those for whom "there are no words..."
"You cannot imagine;" your imagination is too lazy.
"You cannot understand;" put it into words, I will attend.
"You have no idea;" globalism is based on shared ideas. Share your idea.
"You don't know;" is that such a good thing? Teach me!
There are no words? Will you attempt to write them now, or grope for them years from now when they are lost in the sands of time?
There are no words... my words are too harsh for your innocence, too rough for your tender sensibilities, too weathered for your sheltered reality.
If there truly "are no words," then I am sorry, because you are lonely for a confidant who can share them with you. I have been lonely too; I grieve your loss. I too once said, "there are no words!"
To say, "There are no words," is either to draw back from the horror of fresh injury or to simply refuse to exert the effort, depending on your vantage point in space and time.
For those for whom "there are no words..."
"You cannot imagine;" your imagination is too lazy.
"You cannot understand;" put it into words, I will attend.
"You have no idea;" globalism is based on shared ideas. Share your idea.
"You don't know;" is that such a good thing? Teach me!
There are no words? Will you attempt to write them now, or grope for them years from now when they are lost in the sands of time?
There are no words... my words are too harsh for your innocence, too rough for your tender sensibilities, too weathered for your sheltered reality.
If there truly "are no words," then I am sorry, because you are lonely for a confidant who can share them with you. I have been lonely too; I grieve your loss. I too once said, "there are no words!"
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