Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Coining the Phrase
Hey everybody! This is a long overdue blog. I had a 3 day holiday weekend to blog away, but somehow I managed to only get 2 emails written... no blogs. The real amazing thing is that I was mentally working on several ideas in my head. One was really shaping up nicely too... only to be totally forgotten. I remember some of the side notes, but as for the binding thread of the topic, it is lost forever.
This happens to me constantly. I have a sudden idea or two, and start writing the blog in my brain as my day continues. I used to do this with my lessons and sermons when I was a minister too. You hear a little illustration that you think is clever, or react to something you hear on the TV or radio, and start to wrap an outline around it. And, inevitably, you forget it.
This isn't only a Carl thing. It is a blogger thing. A writer thing. So I am going to coin a phrase to describe this phenomenon... "Blogger's Amnesia (or BlAm)." Look for it to be listed in the DSM IV soon. So here are a few random thoughts that are left floating about my head.
Remember how I was harping about how we need to be careful of how we interpret, or allow others to interpret statistics? If you recall, I was referring to medal counts at the Olympics, and how the sums may not be indicative of a nation's athletic dominance. Well, I saw a first-hand example of how math is misused.
On CNN, they were doing a piece on the music industry, and how CD sales are sagging (probably due to file sharing over the internet, or so they say). They were stating that the industry is optimistic for the holiday season, because the industry makes a lot of sales during this time. During the whole report, they lead the viewer to believe that the Christmas season is a significant part of the total record sales for the year. But at the end, they showed the true figures. "Over 34% of sales occur in the last 4 months of the year." This statement almost undermines any sort of intellectual journalistic authority CNN hopes to maintain.
For those of you a little too tired to do the math in your head, 4 months is 1/3 of the year. 34% is about 1/3 of the sales. So in the end, it was a wasted story. They presented it as if there was a swell of sales coming, and filled some much needed dead time on their programming. The ethical question to ask is why they presented the story at all. There may have been a subliminal push to rush out and buy CDs as presents. It is interesting to consider. If a channel like CNN is using a little psychological advertising, then who can we trust to get news from? Just a rhetorical question for you all to consider. Next time you watch Headline News, pay attention to their use of statistics, and the spin that is put on them.
Well, that's it for now! Hopefully later I will post a couple scans (I have to do that from home). That will give you something to look at for a change.
Oh, and I have to brag a bit. I got a 100% on my first real test this semester (as opposed to the 70% I got on my first quiz). Go me! And, I got to go to a concert Friday night. It was Hall and Oates! I love them! The sad thing is, I have been listening to them since the early 80's. It made me feel old, but it was a very good time. Especially since I got to hear Maneater played live! : )
See ya!
This happens to me constantly. I have a sudden idea or two, and start writing the blog in my brain as my day continues. I used to do this with my lessons and sermons when I was a minister too. You hear a little illustration that you think is clever, or react to something you hear on the TV or radio, and start to wrap an outline around it. And, inevitably, you forget it.
This isn't only a Carl thing. It is a blogger thing. A writer thing. So I am going to coin a phrase to describe this phenomenon... "Blogger's Amnesia (or BlAm)." Look for it to be listed in the DSM IV soon. So here are a few random thoughts that are left floating about my head.
Remember how I was harping about how we need to be careful of how we interpret, or allow others to interpret statistics? If you recall, I was referring to medal counts at the Olympics, and how the sums may not be indicative of a nation's athletic dominance. Well, I saw a first-hand example of how math is misused.
On CNN, they were doing a piece on the music industry, and how CD sales are sagging (probably due to file sharing over the internet, or so they say). They were stating that the industry is optimistic for the holiday season, because the industry makes a lot of sales during this time. During the whole report, they lead the viewer to believe that the Christmas season is a significant part of the total record sales for the year. But at the end, they showed the true figures. "Over 34% of sales occur in the last 4 months of the year." This statement almost undermines any sort of intellectual journalistic authority CNN hopes to maintain.
For those of you a little too tired to do the math in your head, 4 months is 1/3 of the year. 34% is about 1/3 of the sales. So in the end, it was a wasted story. They presented it as if there was a swell of sales coming, and filled some much needed dead time on their programming. The ethical question to ask is why they presented the story at all. There may have been a subliminal push to rush out and buy CDs as presents. It is interesting to consider. If a channel like CNN is using a little psychological advertising, then who can we trust to get news from? Just a rhetorical question for you all to consider. Next time you watch Headline News, pay attention to their use of statistics, and the spin that is put on them.
Well, that's it for now! Hopefully later I will post a couple scans (I have to do that from home). That will give you something to look at for a change.
Oh, and I have to brag a bit. I got a 100% on my first real test this semester (as opposed to the 70% I got on my first quiz). Go me! And, I got to go to a concert Friday night. It was Hall and Oates! I love them! The sad thing is, I have been listening to them since the early 80's. It made me feel old, but it was a very good time. Especially since I got to hear Maneater played live! : )
See ya!
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