[geeks] Professional. Do Not Attempt.

[Phil Stracchino]

Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
> If you want some good science based entertainment watch CSI,

Funny you should say that.  New Scientist a couple of issues back had an
article talking about CSI, in which forensic investigators were
complaining that CSI verges on science fiction, and saying that it's
costing them cases because juries expect them to be able to step up with
a Sherlock Holmes gleam in their eye and say, "A, therefore B, therefore
C, which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the butler did it."
Which simply is not the case.  They do their best, they talk about
probabilities and degrees of certainty, and the jury fails to convict
because they couldn't tell how many times the accused sneezed during the
commission of the crime.



-- 
 Phil Stracchino       phil.stracchino at speakeasy.net
    Renaissance Man, Unix generalist, Perl hacker
 Mobile: 603-216-7037         Landline: 603-886-3518