[geeks] Stuff fo' sale

[Dan Duncan]

On Wed, 16 Aug 2006, Charles Shannon Hendrix wrote:
> > > > Simple answer:  YOU DON'T KNOW.  Your eyes can't tell you this.
> > >
> > > Yes, they can.
> >
> > You can tell WHY someone is driving poorly?  Wow, you're good.
>
> No, you are just good at putting words in people's mouths.  Nice try.

Then what were you saying?  Further down in this message you claim that
not only can you do this, but MOST people can do this and I've somehow
missed out on this particular ability.

> > > When people talk, even hands free, their is unique body language.
> >
> > Talking to whom?  Themselves, a passenger, someone on the phone, someone
> > on the radio?  You can tell that?
>
> Oh come on... you either have missed out on what most other people see
> all your life, or you are just being deliberately obtuse.

Perhaps I should have phrased it better:  Can you tell in the brief instant it might
be prudent to spend observing another driver instead of the road who they're
actually speaking to?  I don't spend that much of my attention peering into
vehicles.  (That's for late at night when I have my video camera and appropriate
dark clothing.)  I try to improve my visibility by looking through vehicles (dang
panel vans!) but I don't fixate too closely on why another driver is distracted.
My initial assumption is that they're incompetent and going to change lanes
in front of me suddenly which has the added advantage that I get to be pleasantly
surprised most of the time.

> > > Besides, there are also accident reports.
> >
> > You're psychic?  You can see the accident report of someone who hasn't had
> > an accident yet?
>
> That's not what I said and you know it.  Any special reason you are
> playing games like this?

Lionel was lumping statistics in with Lies and Damned Lies so looking
at accident reports didn't seem appropriate.  I was trying to put into
an observation perspective.  I have far better places to play games.  :)

> > > Back to eyes: I can also observe people on cell phones while they are
> > > shopping.  They run into people, run their buggies into displays, stop
> > > in doorways, and forget the business they are supposed to be doing.
> >
> > Right.  They don't have the mental aptitude to handle two things at once.
>
> Again, putting words in my mouth.  You said that, not me.

My explanation for the phenomena.  I'm not putting words in anyone's mouth.
(But you stripped out the gum thing.  Dang!)

> I said when they are communicating they focus almost entirely on that at
> the expense of whatever else they are doing.
>
> I said nothing about doing N things at one time.

I never said you did.

> > When you keep in mind that legislators are generally morons, it's a good
> > idea to keep an eye on them.
>
> True, but few people do.

They still vote though.  Grrrr.

-DanD

-- 
#  Dan Duncan (kd4igw)  dand at pcisys.net  http://pcisys.net/~dand
# "Government that governs least governs best."  Thomas Jefferson