Most Boring Thread Ever

Nice try! Do you really think I would give out genuine UK phone numbers? What kind of a fool do you take me for?

artfizz wrote:

ArtFizz wrote:

ArtFizz wrote:

Ok... so we have the best thread ever and the most annoying thread ever - both created by yours trully ;)

Now... we've been blessed with the most boring thread ever... Can you spell P L A G I A R I S M? No seriously, I don't know how to spell it

 I would like to help you but reading a dictionary would be far to exciting for me at the moment.  Ooh the very thought!  I'm going to sit down over here in this dark corner for the weekend to calm down.

 would be plagiarism: "the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work." [Wikipedia]

What we have here - in so far as we have anything at all - is parody: "A literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule" [The Free Dictionary] and an investigation into the nature of being boring. Many achieve it seemingly without effort. Others strive for it - yet it eludes them.

Have you tried the phonebook? : Smith A., 234565  Smith A.A., 563245  Smith A.B. 876763   Smith A.A.A. 276875

 I took your advice and tried the phonebook.  It seemed reasonable to check it's accuracy so I phoned each person listed.  Statistically it takes six rings for a person to answer and 8 seconds for them to hang up.  Racey stuff!

I've had to stop after 4 days of calling.  There's a terrific noise coming from police cars outside and also a helicopter.  Now who is that banging on the door...

Oops! I guess I was hoping that you would merely have READ the phonebook - not used it as a phonebook. I hope you reversed the charges, but even if you didn't, you were only phoning UK numbers from the UK, right? Did you get through to anyone on chess.com?

Probably BT.

What about posting each country's phone book on this thread?

I'll Start:

Acúrsio Amaral: 227134567

Acúrsio António: 445434567

I'll finish this later on

Central Limit Theorem

---

Sampling Distribution of the Sample Means

Instead of working with individual scores, statisticians often work with means. What happens is that several samples are taken, the mean is computed for each sample, and then the means are used as the data, rather than individual scores being used. The sample is a sampling distribution of the sample means.

Examples

Example 1: Sampling Distribution of Values (x)

Consider the case where a single, fair die is rolled.

Here are the values that are possible and their probabilities.

Here are the mean, variance, and standard deviation of this probability distribution.

Mean, mu = sum [ x * p(x) ] = 3.5
Variance, sigma^2 = sum [ x^2 * p(x) ] - mu^2 = 35/12
Standard deviation, sigma = sqrt ( variance ) = sqrt ( 35/12 )

Example 2: Sampling Distribution of Sample Means (x-bar)

Consider the case where two fair dice are rolled instead of one.

Here are the sums that are possible and their probabilities.

But, we're not interested in the sum of the dice, we're interested in the sample mean. We find the sample mean by dividing the sum by the sample size.

Computing the mean, variance, and standard deviation, we get ...

Mean, mu = sum [ x * p(x) ] = 3.5
Variance, sigma^2 = sum [ x^2 * p(x) ] - mu^2 = 35/24
Standard deviation, sigma = sqrt ( variance ) = sqrt ( 35/24 )

Properties of the Sampling Distribution of the Sample Means

When all of the possible sample means are computed, then the following properties are true:

• The mean of the sample means will be the mean of the population
• The variance of the sample means will be the variance of the population divided by the sample size.
• The standard deviation of the sample means (known as the standard error of the mean) will be smaller than the population mean and will be equal to the standard deviation of the population divided by the square root of the sample size.
• If the population has a normal distribution, then the sample means will have a normal distribution.
• If the population is not normally distributed, but the sample size is sufficiently large, then the sample means will have an approximately normal distribution. Some books define sufficiently large as at least 30 and others as at least 31.

The formula for a z-score when working with the sample means is:

Finite Population Correction Factor

If the sample size is more than 5% of the population size and the sampling is done without replacement, then a correction needs to be made to the standard error of the means.

In the following, N is the population size and n is the sample size. The adjustment is to multiply the standard error by the square root of the quotient of the difference between the population and sample sizes and one less than the population size.

For the most part, we will be ignoring this in class.

It shouldn't have been BT - unless you were using another PSTN. Is BT your ISP BTW?

artfizz wrote:

Nice try! Do you really think I would give out genuine UK phone numbers? What kind of a fool do you take me for?

Judging by most of your posts ZZZzzzzzzzzzz.

Sorry lost my train of (yawn) thought.

Eventually, somewhere within your home, a crack is going to appear on a wall. House settling is probably the main culprit, but walls can also receive abuse from furniture moves and from people.

First, we should understand that our walls are made of drywall. Other names for drywall are gypsum board, plasterboard, and wallboard. Drywall is comprised of two heavy pieces of paper that sandwich gypsum plaster in between. Drywall typically comes in 4-foot widths. Eight-foot and twelve-foot heights are most readily available. Thickness varies with ½-inch being the most common. Types of drywall include greenboard, which is designed specifically for use in bathrooms, and backerboard, which is very hardy and can even be used on floors.

The boards connect at the studs with nails. Then a tape and bedding procedure covers the seams and fasteners. Tape straddles the seam followed by layers of joint compound. Each compound layer dries and is then sanded smooth. Texture or stucco and paint are then applied. You can also place wallpaper directly over drywall.

When the sheetrock moves, cracks begin to form. Nails can pop up and tape may loosen, which will expose cracking or separation at the seams. If a house is undergoing major settling, cracks can occur elsewhere as well: angling from interior doorways or at ceiling seams. Cracks can also occur because of application defects; for instance, the compound did not dry thoroughly before painting.

The size of the crack and its location will determine which procedure to use.

If you are dealing with an angling crack that is 1/8 inch or less in size, then try these steps. Note that this method is for hairline cracks only. If the house continues to settle, chances are that the crack will reappear. This method is a quick, temporary fix.

Purchase joint compound, fine grit sandpaper, and a putty knife. Joint compound is available in small quantities at your local home improvement or discount store. Some types are fast-drying and some are labeled flexible, which is a good choice if you expect continued movement in the walls. For home users, premixed is best, although powder forms that mix with water are available. Use water resistant compound in bathrooms or high humidity areas.

Load the putty knife with compound. Sweep the knife in a back and forth angled motion to work the putty into the crack. Keep forcing putty in so it will fill as far into the crack as possible. Allow plenty of time for drying as this step is critical to the final appearance of the wall. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for drying time. Sand the area smooth and until you can detect no ridges or bumps. Apply a second layer of compound if needed, let dry, and re-sand. Retexture this portion of the wall, if required. Aerosol cans of texture work well. Now you can paint over the repairs.

Larger random cracks and those exposed at seams require a little more time. Use mesh tape for angling cracks and paper tape designed specifically for sheetrock to use on seams, along with compound and the putty knife.

Clean the area around the crack. Remove all old tape, texturing, or stucco. If the crack is at a seam and nails have begun to pop, you will want to remove old nails and add new ones. Do not sink the nails as that will damage the sheetrock further.

Use the putty knife and make several swipes to press the compound deeply into the crack. Allow to dry. Take the mesh or paper tape and center over the crack. Cover with a thin layer of compound and smooth out. Allow to dry and begin sanding until the area is free of ridges and bumps. With mesh tape, you may need to apply a second layer of compound, let dry, and then sand.

Keep layering, drying, and sanding until you have a smooth repair. Keeping the area flush with the rest of the wall may be difficult. One remedy is to feather out the compound gradually to the surrounding area to hide the slight rise.

If you notice any defects after the compound has dried, keep sanding and re-compounding until the area is smooth.

Remember that drying times vary based on type of compound used along with temperature and humidity.

Follow these steps and your drywall cracks should not reappear.

I should have taken that plagiarism [TiagoDevesa] crack [hondoham] more seriously. If Cage's [wormrose] lawyers are on alert [http://www.out-law.com/page-2978], this could mean [hondoham] trouble. If only I had cc'd [fatboyxxl] them. Too late now, a yawning [Evil_Homer] chasm opens up before me, boring [Luke_SkyWalker, fatboyxxl] into the ground. Will I be able to cheat{er-1} [bastiaan] fate this time - or is it curtains? [Tunatin] When Destiny calls[Rabid_Dog] - who will foot the bill? To think that I may have sold my sole for a handful of pizza [Exiled_Canuck]. It was all weirdly [Maradonna] accidental [dwaxe] - I didn't set out to create a cosmic fluff [Rabid_Dog] monster [dommo; Mary Shelley], or drive anyone to drink [lifted spirits: TammyKing505]. Is Acúrsio [TiagoDevesa] a first name or a second name? Are those genuine phone numbers? [TonightOnly]. Sorry! Sorrryy!! Sorrrryyyy!!!

artfizz wrote:

Oops! I guess I was hoping that you would merely have READ the phonebook - not used it as a phonebook. I hope you reversed the charges, but even if you didn't, you were only phoning UK numbers from the UK, right? Did you get through to anyone on chess.com?

 It was Interpol at the door as well as representatives of several UK police forces so some of the numbers may have been international.  It is hard to tell when so many of the people I called didn't speak English.  The nice policeman listened politely and replied that he didn't think that it was a boring matter at all.  He has asked for your details as I explained that it was your idea.  He wasn't interested in my belly button fluff collection.  Nice man but he kept hitting his palm with that big stick of his...

I'd love to contribute, but I feel that would ruin the spirit of the thread.  So I instead leave you with my version of "Silent Night", lyrics are posted below.

EngWannabe wrote:

I'd love to contribute, but I feel that would ruin the spirit of the thread.  So I instead leave you with my version of "Silent Night", lyrics are posted below.

 This is another example of plagiarism.  See link above http://www.out-law.com/page-2978.  John Cage's solicitors will be contacting you!

Other than that I enjoyed the piece. I found out that I could not sing your lyrics either in English or German equally well!

I hope you will let the paint dry before putting up the curtain rail. It may be a good idea to keep an eye on it; with paint you just never know.

Is that local time - or Mr. Wolf time?

7pm here

Tunatin: if you buy the chrome rail from the shop in Alex95's town, you'll be able to buy it this evening (assuming it's in stock) instead of tomorrow morning.

A good way of remembering how to spell certain words is the saying, ''i' before 'e' except after 'c' for example the word pieces. Did you notice how the 'i' came before the 'e'. However, the word weird has the 'e' before the 'i', did you notice that? And don't you find it weird that it so happens to be the word weird. Oh boy, I often find myself chuckling to that one in the bath.

Not as easy as it sounds - consider this http://www.watching-paint-dry.com/ or Google search for "paint drying" to unearth some of its hidden depths. May need to practice on a less challenging pastime (or "hobby-horse"). Let's play chess!

Rabid_Dog wrote:

artfizz wrote:

Oops! I guess I was hoping that you would merely have READ the phonebook - not used it as a phonebook. I hope you reversed the charges, but even if you didn't, you were only phoning UK numbers from the UK, right? Did you get through to anyone on chess.com?

 It was Interpol at the door as well as representatives of several UK police forces so some of the numbers may have been international.  It is hard to tell when so many of the people I called didn't speak English.  The nice policeman listened politely and replied that he didn't think that it was a boring matter at all.  He has asked for your details as I explained that it was your idea.  He wasn't interested in my belly button fluff collection.  Nice man but he kept hitting his palm with that big stick of his...

 Everyone is quite friendly here at the local lock-up.  I have made extensive additions to my belly button fluff collection, thanks to donations by all the big hairy men here.  I am very popular here and some of the men have been fighting each other to decide who ishould share my cell.  A man called Fat Carlos won.  He has some funny ideas.  He said I should wear eye shadow and lipstick!