You begin with 50 cards. Each card has a picture of a different person on them. The people are varied , different weights from in shape to obese, different levels of attractiveness from ugly to very good looking, different races, different genders, differently groomed from some wearing suits to others with piercings and flip flops etc. Basically a large cross section of our culture. The person in the experiment sits down at table and has 5 different groupings of 10 cards each.
They are told the follow these groupings represent different divisions of a company.
All of the candidates on this table have earned five star rating on their last performance review.
We are starting a division that will oversee these five and we need to promote two candidates from each of the five groups to run the new division.
Who do they pick? Well dressed or sloppy? In shape or obese? What ethnicity? How old? Short or Tall? Male or female?
What does that new selected group of ten look like?
Does it matter who is doing the picking?
Remember they all had the same exemplary performance in the beginning.
Let’s say that we had to keep playing this game that we started with 10 decks of cards and had to select a division of line managers, then from the people that were selected for that we selected regional managers, then from the people that were selected from that the executive council.
Would the bias get more and more pronounced with each iteration?
What do you think?
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Compromise
Tea Party : “We didn’t get elected to compromise our position.”
You also were not elected by a 100% of the electorate. You are supposed to govern for the people you represent I can understand leaning one way or a next but remember 40% of the people in your district want something else if you cant seem to find the logic in looking for the middle somewhere in there I think your position will be short lived and for good reason.
You also were not elected by a 100% of the electorate. You are supposed to govern for the people you represent I can understand leaning one way or a next but remember 40% of the people in your district want something else if you cant seem to find the logic in looking for the middle somewhere in there I think your position will be short lived and for good reason.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Answering Machines
I remember when answering machines first came out and people went all nuts thinking up the most creative messages they could put on them. There were even companies that would get paid to create them for you and auctions where you could outbid others to have a famous person create one for you. That was the 80's and early 90's for you.
May years later I don’t know one person who personalizes their message beyond date and time. Most people stick with the factory one.
I wonder if social network status updates will wear out just like the novelty of personalized answering machines?
May years later I don’t know one person who personalizes their message beyond date and time. Most people stick with the factory one.
I wonder if social network status updates will wear out just like the novelty of personalized answering machines?
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Happy ~ Exhausted~ Hopeful
Random:
Humidity above 70, with temps above 95 = a feeling like you are drowning on the very air you breathe it is a horrible feeling and it just like sucks the will right out of you.
People who always talk about how screwed up others are, are usually the most screwed up themselves.
My family for the most part are really good people, despite that I still don’t have an overwhelming drive to spend more time with them.
I am really glad I made some of the changes in my life when I did, even if I struggle with how I did it.
I am happy although I could use a nap:)
Humidity above 70, with temps above 95 = a feeling like you are drowning on the very air you breathe it is a horrible feeling and it just like sucks the will right out of you.
People who always talk about how screwed up others are, are usually the most screwed up themselves.
My family for the most part are really good people, despite that I still don’t have an overwhelming drive to spend more time with them.
I am really glad I made some of the changes in my life when I did, even if I struggle with how I did it.
I am happy although I could use a nap:)
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Article from 2008
Interesting considering the republicans are holding the conutry hostage to raising the debt ceiling.
They did it for Bush without blinking an eye? Article
On the day President Bush took office, the national debt stood at $5.727 trillion. The latest number from the Treasury Department shows the national debt now stands at more than $9.849 trillion. That's a 71.9 percent increase on Mr. Bush's watch.
The bailout plan now pending in Congress could add hundreds of billions of dollars to the national debt – though President Bush said this morning he expects that over time, "much if not all" of the bailout money "will be paid back."
But the government is taking no chances. Buried deep in the hundred pages of bailout legislation is a provision that would raise the statutory ceiling on the national debt to $11.315 trillion. It'll be the 7th time the debt limit has been raised during this administration. In fact it was just two months ago, on July 30, that President Bush signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, which contained a provision raising the debt ceiling to $10.615 trillion.
Now all of sudden they have a problem with it?
They did it for Bush without blinking an eye? Article
On the day President Bush took office, the national debt stood at $5.727 trillion. The latest number from the Treasury Department shows the national debt now stands at more than $9.849 trillion. That's a 71.9 percent increase on Mr. Bush's watch.
The bailout plan now pending in Congress could add hundreds of billions of dollars to the national debt – though President Bush said this morning he expects that over time, "much if not all" of the bailout money "will be paid back."
But the government is taking no chances. Buried deep in the hundred pages of bailout legislation is a provision that would raise the statutory ceiling on the national debt to $11.315 trillion. It'll be the 7th time the debt limit has been raised during this administration. In fact it was just two months ago, on July 30, that President Bush signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, which contained a provision raising the debt ceiling to $10.615 trillion.
Now all of sudden they have a problem with it?
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Rabbits Foot and Random Chances
I am all for individuality. If you want to dress up like Peter Pan and think that your rabbits foot and troll doll collection have anything to do with the reason that you are winning at bingo I have no objection.
I know that people can be fooled by random chance and inference. I know that we can incorrectly assign the reason for an event happening to something arbitrary. We as humans have a tendency to try to determine how and why events happen incorrectly. Which is why I don’t laugh at your rabbit’s foot and troll dolls.
However, when you think your superstitious believes should protect you from criticism or give you favored tax treatment and rights you are mistaken.
I know that people can be fooled by random chance and inference. I know that we can incorrectly assign the reason for an event happening to something arbitrary. We as humans have a tendency to try to determine how and why events happen incorrectly. Which is why I don’t laugh at your rabbit’s foot and troll dolls.
However, when you think your superstitious believes should protect you from criticism or give you favored tax treatment and rights you are mistaken.
Saturday, July 09, 2011
The Difference Between Possible and Reasonable
I think there is a problem in our judicial sense that people fail to grasp and unfortunately it is a math problem that will most likely go unsolved. In criminal cases one has to prove someone did something beyond a reasonable doubt. Not a possible doubt.
For example there exists a possibility that alien life exists and they came down to this planet and stole my lunch out of the fridge at work. It is possible that my lunch fell into a spontaneously created worm hole and ended up in some other dimension.
Because anything is possible in theory…. An event that has a .000000000000000000000000000000001 probability of happening is still possible but it is not reasonable. The uncomprehending of this mathematical situation has some weird consequences especially when it comes to the judicial system.
For example there exists a possibility that alien life exists and they came down to this planet and stole my lunch out of the fridge at work. It is possible that my lunch fell into a spontaneously created worm hole and ended up in some other dimension.
Because anything is possible in theory…. An event that has a .000000000000000000000000000000001 probability of happening is still possible but it is not reasonable. The uncomprehending of this mathematical situation has some weird consequences especially when it comes to the judicial system.
Friday, July 08, 2011
Arab Spring
Get into an interesting discussion about this yesterday. My premise was that the so called Arab winter has been going on for thousands of years how can the spring be expected to bring vitality to the land in a matter of weeks. A co-worker from Egypt looked at me and said you won’t believe how fast things thaw when there is enough heat. Alluding to the heat of desert and the passions involved in bringing change to that part of the world.
Impressed be the notion and what can I say I am a sucker for creative word play I thought about the assumption that duration of solving the problem has to have any relation to the duration of creating the problem.
Really there is no correlation.
The amount of time a problem takes depends on the acknowledgement of the problem and the evaluation and unraveling of the assumptions the problem and the solution. So the swiftness of the solution is dependent upon the individuals involved in making the decisions and their ability to logically and rationally challenge assumptions.
Which brings me back to my original time table..lol
Impressed be the notion and what can I say I am a sucker for creative word play I thought about the assumption that duration of solving the problem has to have any relation to the duration of creating the problem.
Really there is no correlation.
The amount of time a problem takes depends on the acknowledgement of the problem and the evaluation and unraveling of the assumptions the problem and the solution. So the swiftness of the solution is dependent upon the individuals involved in making the decisions and their ability to logically and rationally challenge assumptions.
Which brings me back to my original time table..lol
Thursday, July 07, 2011
The Unforgiving Minute
Dear Brian,
When you got 20 minutes to spare instead of mixing a cocktail or watching some stupid reality show here are a few things you can do that will help you feel better. Your goal from now until December is to do at least two of these every day. One workout and one mind sprint.
20 Minute – Spanish Lesson – www.queondaspanish.com
20 Minute – Listen to a TED Talk www.ted.com
20 Minute – Khan Lesson http://www.khanacademy.org/
20 Minute – Read
20 Minute – Idea from the Aspen Festival http://www.aifestival.org/
20 Minute – Walk
20 Minute – Row
20 Minute – Bike
20 Minute - Weights
You will thank yourself later.
Be good
Yourself
When you got 20 minutes to spare instead of mixing a cocktail or watching some stupid reality show here are a few things you can do that will help you feel better. Your goal from now until December is to do at least two of these every day. One workout and one mind sprint.
20 Minute – Spanish Lesson – www.queondaspanish.com
20 Minute – Listen to a TED Talk www.ted.com
20 Minute – Khan Lesson http://www.khanacademy.org/
20 Minute – Read
20 Minute – Idea from the Aspen Festival http://www.aifestival.org/
20 Minute – Walk
20 Minute – Row
20 Minute – Bike
20 Minute - Weights
You will thank yourself later.
Be good
Yourself
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Immigration Issue a Real Non-Issue
The data just does not support all the rhetoric going around about needed to build bigger fences to protect America jobs.
While we have been pouring billions of dollars into patrolling the desert for people who are trying to make a better life for themselves Mexico has quietly been investing in skills and high tech education. Follow this through to conclusion and they are going to have an army of engineering and a population of cheap labor. They will be in a dominating position in years to come. I wonder how high they will build their fence to keep us out?
Interesting Article from the Tribune: Mexican Migration Near Zero
Stop wasting billions on border control - funny how Republicans tend not to be supportive of Government cuts even when the data says it is so.
While we have been pouring billions of dollars into patrolling the desert for people who are trying to make a better life for themselves Mexico has quietly been investing in skills and high tech education. Follow this through to conclusion and they are going to have an army of engineering and a population of cheap labor. They will be in a dominating position in years to come. I wonder how high they will build their fence to keep us out?
Interesting Article from the Tribune: Mexican Migration Near Zero
Stop wasting billions on border control - funny how Republicans tend not to be supportive of Government cuts even when the data says it is so.
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