http://www.mutualinformation.org/2009/11/predictioneers-game/ Measuring the dependency of different variables Mon, 28 Jun 2010 03:30:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.mutualinformation.org/2009/11/predictioneers-game/comment-page-1/#comment-1875 oscar Wed, 06 Jan 2010 08:05:31 +0000 http://www.mutualinformation.org/?p=274#comment-1875 I'm no scientist but I do have one very cogent concern. You can make a mathematical model, but the inputs are still going to be based on vague language. One thing that I found shocking was his reference to Iraqi terrorists surprising everyone by going on the American payroll, and saying that some of them were from al qaeda. There is quite literally no such thing as "al qaeda", especially in Iraq where there are a few different movements in the insurgency. The Iraqi committees were much more like mercenaries motivated by profit, rather than "terrorists". The statment made me question his understanding of the actors and issues involved, and wonder if his findings posit similar imprecise actors and situations. I’m no scientist but I do have one very cogent concern. You can make a mathematical model, but the inputs are still going to be based on vague language. One thing that I found shocking was his reference to Iraqi terrorists surprising everyone by going on the American payroll, and saying that some of them were from al qaeda. There is quite literally no such thing as “al qaeda”, especially in Iraq where there are a few different movements in the insurgency. The Iraqi committees were much more like mercenaries motivated by profit, rather than “terrorists”. The statment made me question his understanding of the actors and issues involved, and wonder if his findings posit similar imprecise actors and situations.

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