Statistics - Pet Peeves 1

This guy makes really good videos about Statistics. His voice is suspiciously very similar to the voice behind many of the 3Blue1Brown videos.

For calculating 'sample' variance, we divide the sum of the squares of the difference of the values from the mean and divide by the population minus one.

I still think the sum of the absolute values divided by n (not n-1) is a more rational measure of spread than the standard deviation given in canon. The attempt to increase the variance by decreasing the denominator from n to n-1 is just pathetic and childish in my opinion. Yeah I'm a heretic and you can burn me at the stake. There seems to be some amount of intellectual bullying by the academic elites to accept the dogma just because ... we have a mythical deity called mu who we worship instead of respecting x-bar like good rational scientists.

There is some advanced mathematics and statistics based on the "degrees of freedom" derivations where this RMS (root mean square) thingy is necessary. You may recall having seen it in the early days of the gas equation derivation (PV=nRT). Well go ahead and use it there. Why burden 99% of humanity with this "square of the differences" nonsense ?

O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!

Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field — Walter Scott

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction. 

— E. F. Schumacker

Back 2o Square 1

In my earlier posts you might have noticed a desperate attempt at creationism. To find a perfect career path and a perfect plan to achieve that career plan - instead of letting serendipity do the trick. This comes from the desire to not only find the best possible path available for the best designed and manufactured ship, but also to find the best destination for my ship of (constantly changing) dreams which I am hoping will be powered by the winds of passion.

I just discovered from this video, the perspective that passion is the raw effort you put into your oars, rather than the wind beneath your wings or behind your sails.

As you can imagine I am pissed. Just when I come apparently so close to the elixir of objectivist nirvana, I discover that it may possibly never exist. There is no philosopher's stone to transform my existential angst into Csikszentmihalyi-sh flow nor are there philosophers stoned to transcend my erratic anger into cheeky glow. Woe is me.

Watch his TED talk if you have not heard of this before.

raison d'être

ˌreɪzɒ̃ ˈdɛtrə,French ʀɛzɔ̃ dɛtʀ/

The search for my Ikigai ceases. I shall make my present situation as 生き甲斐-ish as possible. Gambatte !!!