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Author	Message
Phillip Blanchard	Post subject: It just doesn't seem right Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2002 1:36 am
Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2002 1:01 am Posts: 8342 Location: Bethesda, Md.	A Go-playing computer would take about 30,000 years to look as far ahead as Deep Blue can with chess in three seconds, said Michael Reiss, a computer scientist in London. (New York Times)<p>***As with most such numbers in news stories, my gut tells me this is either wrong or oversimplified, but I can't say why. Every desk needs a math and statistics whiz.***
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rumymommy	Post subject: Re: It just doesn't seem right Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2002 3:53 pm
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2002 12:01 am Posts: 138	I don't know how common this term is, but a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill would call that number a SCAG -- Sophisticated Crazy-ass Guess.<p>He said SCAGs often pop up in damage estimates in fire storys (which invariably read, "Anytown Fire Chief Ima Hack said the fire caused about $250,000 damage to the building").
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Phillip Blanchard	Post subject: Re: It just doesn't seem right Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2002 4:40 pm
Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2002 1:01 am Posts: 8342 Location: Bethesda, Md.	<blockquote><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica ,sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by 4Jfan: I don't know how common this term is, but a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill would call that number a SCAG -- Sophisticated Crazy-ass Guess. <hr></blockquote><p>I rather like that. Can you identify that professor so we may credit him or her properly?
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Phillip Blanchard	Post subject: Re: It just doesn't seem right Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 9:13 am
Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2002 1:01 am Posts: 8342 Location: Bethesda, Md.	From cats to camels, feral mammals cost Australia hundreds of millions of dollars each year in lost agricultural production and environmental damage, and have driven some native mammals and birds to extinction. <p>"Australia has lost more mammal species than the rest of the world combined in the past 400 years," says project director Tony Peacock. (New Scientist News Service)<p>***Looks like another one.***
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rumymommy	Post subject: Re: It just doesn't seem right Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 10:20 am
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2002 12:01 am Posts: 138	<blockquote><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica ,sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by blanp: <p>I rather like that. Can you identify that professor so we may credit him or her properly?<hr></blockquote><p>It was either Bill Cloud or Frank Fee.
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KfitzR	Post subject: Re: It just doesn't seem right Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 3:31 pm
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 12:01 am Posts: 836 Location: New Brunswick, Canada	Feral camels?
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rumymommy	Post subject: Re: It just doesn't seem right Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 4:46 pm
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2002 12:01 am Posts: 138	Not to mention that intuitive range from cats to camels. Not sure what else fits in there, but I'm sure it's costly. You can't even use the alphabetical range excuse.
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