It can’t just be me who posts their point/pithy remark, then exists stage left. As I am 100% in the knowledge I will not be changing anyone’s mind on the internet.

Anything more just seems like…

You are clearly either evil or brainless.

Yeah, but that’s half the fun – as you say no one, ever read anythign on a public forum which made them change their mind – you can add your opinion if you want to, or you can join in the fight – but especially at the moment you can’t have a rational discussion.

Might as well drop a slightly inflamatory post into a ‘just about on the simmer’ thread and leave before the fur starts to fly 😉

Can I just say that this is the only time I shall be posting in this thread?

It can’t just be me who posts their point/pithy remark, then exists stage left.

Pithy remark? Moi?

My work here is done…..

Post once and never read any of the other contributions for me. What’s the point I’m right and everyone else is wrong. Unless they agree with me in which case they may be mostly right but be sure in some tiny way they won’t quite see it my way and therefore they can also be dismissed as wrong

Anyway enjoy the rest of the thread without me.

It’s impossible to join in when a thread gets to 150 pages anyway. Who’s going to read all that to check something hasn’t been posted before. You’d just be going around in circles forever. They must mostly end up with a handful of people arguing against each other.

Internet argument resolved

Politics? Don’t read, don’t post. That’s my usual method. From past visits I get the feeling there are 2 or 3 posters going round in circles trying to prove who is the cleverest. I doubt it’s changed.

Can I just say that this is the only time I shall be posting in this thread?

This is a meta thread, so you’re allowed to post more than once.

The following people I might have to place restrictions on

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[Redacted – Mods]

Might as well drop a slightly inflamatory post into a ‘just about on the simmer’ thread and leave before the fur starts to fly

I like the cut of your jib, young man. The feeling you get knowing that someone has just posted a retort to your one and only post, and they’re just salivating while they wait for a reply that’s never going to come 😀

Can I just say that this is the only time I shall be posting in this thread?

No there isn’t time for that.

Plenty of topics I don’t GAS about yet I somehow manage to not open them nor start threads about them nor name call those who are interested in /contribute to these threads

I do so admire the way every other thread on STW breaks into unanimity and ends with a group hug as I am sure this one will.

PS you need a new pithy comment as posting the same one every few days is a bit pointless

I do so admire the way every other thread on STW breaks into unanimity and ends with a group hug as I am sure this one will

You’re wrong. Fact.

Plenty of topics I don’t GAS about yet I somehow manage to not open them nor start threads about them nor name call those who are interested in /contribute to these threads

…and yet here we are.

We band of sisters, Junkyard.

I do so admire the way every other thread on STW breaks into unanimity and ends with a group hug as I am sure this one will.

Can you see that happening in the current EU threads? Like really, really?

band of brothers

Sexist pig.

Unfortunately, by definition we live in a country where half the population are of below average intelligence and the Sun newspaper is still the biggest selling.

Can you see that happening in the current EU threads? Like really, really?

I cannot see it happening in any STW thread – not sure why my point was unclear

With that sort of insight please do stay away from politics threads *

You’re wrong. Fact.

Almost certainly not true…in this case if not in general.

* decides to derail your thread with pithy remarks no offence meant etc

What you’re all getting wrong, is that you appear to be wanting to change the minds of posters with opposing views. As has been noted, this won’t happen.

The art is to understand that you’re in front of a bigger audience of people just scanning the thread, who will notice the occasional shaft of wisdom, like this, and possibly see some truth they’d not seen before. These are my people, and I type on in confidence there is a now sea of nodding heads across the world…

And that’s regardless of any replies from you lot, or general ignoral…

Unfortunately, by definition we live in a country where half the population are of below average intelligence and the Sun newspaper is still the biggest selling.

Wrong on both counts, albeit on a technicality for one of them.

It is very very likely that half the population of any group will be below the average of the variable that is being measured.

I feel I have upset you, Junkyard. I didn’t know that your right to argue on the internet meant so much to you. I apologise unreservedly.

I just didn’t think…I JUST DIDN’T THINK!

Now go get ’em, tiger!

Although…

* decides to derail your thread with pithy remarks no offence meant etc

You may struggle to derail that which never left the station.

What you’re all getting wrong, is that you appear to be wanting to change the minds of posters with opposing views. As has been noted, this won’t happen.

The art is to understand that you’re in front of a bigger audience of people just scanning the thread, who will notice the occasional shaft of wisdom, like this, and possibly see some truth they’d not seen before. These are my people, and I type on in confidence there is a now sea of nodding heads across the world…

And that’s regardless of any replies from you lot, or general ignoral…

Well…this is awkward. Why did you have to go and ruin things by posting a pertinent and fairly insightful post?

I’m going to play the man here and not the ball, by pointing out Flashy’s public and highly embarrassing U-turn, regarding multiple posts in threads.

As if changing ones mind is a show of weakness and not an ability to reconsider ones opinion after further learning…

I was going to join in this thread but I haven’t found any loosely related enough to cut and paste here.

Unfortunately, by definition we live in a country where half the population are of below average intelligence and the Sun newspaper is still the biggest selling.

Wrong on both counts, albeit on a technicality for one of them.

More than happy to be corrected on the Sun newspaper fact. There is hope.
The first point just being a lazy statistical pun, I am also happy to be corrected on. I guess it should be below median or something.

I was going to join in this thread but I haven’t found any loosely related enough to cut and paste here.

Its Ok I have your back on this one

More than happy to be corrected on the Sun newspaper fact. There is hope.

There is no hope. Now it’s the Mail.

As for median/mean IQ, I think it’s one of those measures which is set and calculated from a fixed point (100) rather than just measured, so you’re probably right (unless we’re getting stupider as a population but they’re still using the same tests…)

One post is possible but highly unlikely ! Just being factual

There is no hope. Now it’s the Mail.

Ah, crap. The target Sun reading demographic just hit middle age.

Jef Wachowchow – Member

Unfortunately, by definition we live in a country where half the population are of below average intelligence and the Sun newspaper is still the biggest selling.

Ah only below the average for the UK, which is of course a mathematical certainty, I still think our average would be higher than the global average.

As for the Sun, highest circulation or highest sales? I only ask because 3 of the mini supermarket shops near me have been trying to give away a copy of the Sun with every purchase for 18 months or more now – I doubt they’re unique in that – printed media is dead, I wonder how their paywall is going…

I was going to join in this thread but I haven’t found any loosely related enough to cut and paste here.

@stewart see there’s your mistake, the content should be unelated !

half the population are of below average intelligence and the Sun newspaper is still the biggest selling.

[geek alert]
mean, mode, median

This statement is highly unlikely to be true if as usual “average” is taken to be “mean” – in fact I think its likely more than half the country will be below mean intelligence should that be calculated via IQ. The statement above would be true if the word average was replaced by median
[/geek alert]

[geek alert]
mean, mode, median
This statement is highly unlikely to be true if as usual “average” is taken to be “mean” – in fact I think its likely more than half the country will be below mean intelligence should that be calculated via IQ. The statement above would be true if the word average was replaced by median
[/geek alert]

Mode it can’t possibly be the case half of people are below or above average given that the value has to occur multiple times in your data set so, with certainty I can say less than half of people will be of below (our above) average intelligence.

Median the central value will occur in your dataset in any dataset with an odd number of values, so whenever you have an odd population size it can’t be true.

Given that IQ is measured from “average” (100) it should occur multiple times in roughly the centre of your dataset, so the chances are your median will be 100 with a large enough dataset (if it’s not something is wrong). so with a large enough dataset to draw a realistic conclusion your median should occur in your dataset so it should be the case that you can say with more certainty “not half the population will have a below normal IQ” than “half will…” which could only be the case if your dataset is non representative.

Mean is most likely to produce an average which doesn’t occur in your dataset as it’s likely to produce a non integer value (tending towards 100 at n=1/0) but is a 50/50 chance as to whether it will fall at <100 or >100, so you’re as likely to have a population where more people are of above average intelligence than below. (and you should have a large part of the population at 100 given they can’t have an IQ of 99.9996 or something)

*disclaimer,this is all made up and may not hold to be mathematically true, but this is the Internet so that’s how these things work.

I only post once, and I never read what is above. Politics threads on here are boring due to the number of big hitters who take to winning a debate through attrition.

Lacking a suitable Venn diagram or pie chart this will be my only post on this thread

Given that IQ is measured from “average” (100) it should occur multiple times in roughly the centre of your dataset, so the chances are your median will be 100 with a large enough dataset (if it’s not something is wrong). so with a large enough dataset to draw a realistic conclusion your median should occur in your dataset so it should be the case that you can say with more certainty “not half the population will have a below normal IQ” than “half will…” which could only be the case if your dataset is non representative.

The ‘average’ (100) is presumably set by a completely different (earlier) population. There’s a fair chance that the current median will fall on 100, but it’s still not certain, as the population has the chance to (in IQ terms) be smarter or stupider than previous generations, either through inherited changes, or more likely societal/educational changes.

I’ve seen various reports of IQ increasing over time, and decreasing. Whether the UK is getting brighter or dumber is not entirely clear.

The average thing is a red herring, it is a FACT that over 99.9% of the world’s population have more than than the mean average number of legs.
Likewise, in a room full of 5’11” people, when the 6’2″ bloke/woman/non-binary person walks in the room, everybody else is now ‘below average’ by most people’s understanding of the word average.

About two thirds of the UK population ‘earn less than the average wage’.

Can I just say that this thread is starting to sound almost serious?

Stop it. Stop it now. It’s silly. Or at least it should be.

Lying on an industrial scale, by the Prof…

… of EU law at the Pool Uni. Truth is always etc.
My only contribution

I really want to take the pith, but I’m struggling to think of anything.
Carry on.

suitable venn diagram pie chart. No comment

I dont mind a couple of posts but once the usuals get going on their wording wankathons I’m outta there.