Comments on: The Category Mistake at the Heart of College Football http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/ Sat, 20 Apr 2013 10:44:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Brian Mingus http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47751 Brian Mingus Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:35:49 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47751 Sean, I look forward to your physics-related posts because they make me feel like I understand physics, whether or not I actually do. I prefer your medium-long posts. I hate football. Cheers :) Sean, I look forward to your physics-related posts because they make me feel like I understand physics, whether or not I actually do. I prefer your medium-long posts. I hate football.

Cheers :)

]]> By: mr paul http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47750 mr paul Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:40:01 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47750 I don't see how shorter posts leads to more posts. Do you assume short posts take less time? I don't think that is necessarily true. See http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=84 Perhaps you meant to say "If I could just train myself to make posts that are that devoid of much thought all the time, I’d blog twice as often. Maybe five times as often. Are more/less thoughtful posts better?" 1. Short, thoughtful posts are good. 2. Long, thoughtful posts are good. 3. Off-topic posts that still relate to things many (but not all) of us have in common (eg, an interest in sports) are good, in moderation. 4. More != good. (Note that this is not the same a "more is not good". Subtle but important diffference.) I don’t see how shorter posts leads to more posts. Do you assume short posts take less time? I don’t think that is necessarily true. See http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=84

Perhaps you meant to say “If I could just train myself to make posts that are that devoid of much thought all the time, I’d blog twice as often. Maybe five times as often. Are more/less thoughtful posts better?”

1. Short, thoughtful posts are good.
2. Long, thoughtful posts are good.
3. Off-topic posts that still relate to things many (but not all) of us have in common (eg, an interest in sports) are good, in moderation.
4. More != good. (Note that this is not the same a “more is not good”. Subtle but important diffference.)

]]> By: Serge http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47749 Serge Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:33:02 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47749 I don't think I completely agree. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_algorithms" rel="nofollow">Genetic algorithms</a> are all about getting best, or fittest "solution", and tournaments or duels are the way to estimate fitness. Sure duels impose only partial order, but who say that the "best" should mean "globally bes"t ? There could be several locally "best". There is even the expression "one of the best" ... I don’t think I completely agree. Genetic algorithms are all about getting best, or fittest “solution”, and tournaments or duels are the way to estimate fitness. Sure duels impose only partial order, but who say that the “best” should mean “globally bes”t ? There could be several locally “best”. There is even the expression “one of the best” …

]]> By: Peter Morgan http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47748 Peter Morgan Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:22:26 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47748 “Are more/shorter posts better?” You don't post about a dog, therefore you don't have a dog? Get a dog. Get the best of a hundred dogs at the pound. Maybe get an office plant, but I fear there's no best and worst between plants and dogs. But quality Physics stuff for preference. “Are more/shorter posts better?”

You don’t post about a dog, therefore you don’t have a dog? Get a dog. Get the best of a hundred dogs at the pound. Maybe get an office plant, but I fear there’s no best and worst between plants and dogs.

But quality Physics stuff for preference.

]]> By: astromcnaught http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47747 astromcnaught Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:12:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47747 As far as posting policy goes: I like to see the quality physics stuff. I fear that more and shorter posts may end up revealing how your office plants are faring. As far as posting policy goes: I like to see the quality physics stuff.
I fear that more and shorter posts may end up revealing how your office plants are faring.

]]> By: Elliot http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47746 Elliot Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:18:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47746 whoa... he should be the poster person for ADD.... does somebody actually pay him to write the column or does he pay ESPN to run it. e. whoa… he should be the poster person for ADD….

does somebody actually pay him to write the column or does he pay ESPN to run it.

e.

]]> By: SI http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47745 SI Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:12:07 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47745 OK, anti-physicist. He puts in a lot of non-sports news into his column (understandable since he's not a sports journalist), and there's about one piece of physics/astro news along with his commentary per column. His comments about academic physicists/astronomers are often not very kind. I'll let you read it and decide. (This is now completely off topic, so I won't discuss this here further) OK, anti-physicist.

He puts in a lot of non-sports news into his column (understandable since he’s not a sports journalist), and there’s about one piece of physics/astro news along with his commentary per column. His comments about academic physicists/astronomers are often not very kind. I’ll let you read it and decide. (This is now completely off topic, so I won’t discuss this here further)

]]> By: Elliot http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47744 Elliot Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:41:04 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47744 anti-physics???? that needs some type of explanation. I'm sure he'd be pretty unhappy if physics were to simply go away.... e. anti-physics????

that needs some type of explanation. I’m sure he’d be pretty unhappy if physics were to simply go away….

e.

]]> By: SI http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47743 SI Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:14:05 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47743 Sean, not to be elitist, but unlike the professional physicists you spend a lot of time with, college football fans have an average IQ that is (gasp) average. Fabian, I think you mistook Sean's words there. He's not saying that every team has (or should have) an equal chance of winning and losing. His point is that, ultimately, all the arguments should be done on the field. I think you'll agree with that one. Patriots fans may want to claim that they had the 'best' team in the NFL last year because they had the best record or the most talent*. But having the best record or the most talent is not what the NFL is about. It's about winning the games you need to win in order to claim the championship. Yes, it's kind of a tautology. This goes a little off topic, and I think I'm closer now to getting on the posted link, but USC didn't get to choose 9 of their 12 opponents. Only opponents that they can be 'faulted' for are Virginia, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. I wouldn't call that weak. *I just saw Gregg Easterbrook write in his ESPN.com column that the talent differential between the best team and the worst team in the NFL is 'maybe ten percent'. How do you quantify 'talent'? Now THAT is a category mistake. He's also very anti-physics for some reason. Sean, not to be elitist, but unlike the professional physicists you spend a lot of time with, college football fans have an average IQ that is (gasp) average.

Fabian, I think you mistook Sean’s words there. He’s not saying that every team has (or should have) an equal chance of winning and losing. His point is that, ultimately, all the arguments should be done on the field. I think you’ll agree with that one.

Patriots fans may want to claim that they had the ‘best’ team in the NFL last year because they had the best record or the most talent*. But having the best record or the most talent is not what the NFL is about. It’s about winning the games you need to win in order to claim the championship. Yes, it’s kind of a tautology.

This goes a little off topic, and I think I’m closer now to getting on the posted link, but USC didn’t get to choose 9 of their 12 opponents. Only opponents that they can be ‘faulted’ for are Virginia, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. I wouldn’t call that weak.

*I just saw Gregg Easterbrook write in his ESPN.com column that the talent differential between the best team and the worst team in the NFL is ‘maybe ten percent’. How do you quantify ‘talent’? Now THAT is a category mistake. He’s also very anti-physics for some reason.

]]> By: Joseph Brant http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47742 Joseph Brant Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:03:21 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/12/16/the-category-mistake-at-the-heart-of-college-football/#comment-47742 The top four thing is something I've wanted. It wouldn't be perfect, but it'd be a step up from where we are now. The top four thing is something I’ve wanted. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it’d be a step up from where we are now.

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