Interesting Links for 07-07-2014

[andrewducker]

• I agree with Robert Peston about how important financial matters are to Scottish Independence
  (tags: Scotland independence economics )
• Cash no longer accepted on London buses as of today
  (tags: buses transport London money )
• On a scale of Luke Skywalker to Jaime Lannister...
  (tags: gameofthrones starwars funny )
• Uncharged phones, laptops to be

Comments

[ckd]

IIRC they stopped letting you pay on board on the high traffic routes around then, but this is extending that to the entire system.

[steer]

They stopped letting you pay for central london buses using cash more than seven years ago (when I moved to London) so it's never been an option on any bus I use. Buses are crazy slow if people start to pay cash.

[andrewducker]

Oddly, they don't seem to in Edinburgh.

Possibly "a single fare to everywhere" and "no change given" is what makes a difference here.

You get on, drop money in the slot, grab your ticket from the machine, and you're done. All the driver has to is press a button.

(Admittedly that's still four fares - child single, adult single, child all-day and adult all-day, but the main point of slowness seems to be making change.)

[alitheapipkin]

Statistical understanding is appalling. I don't agree with violence but there are times when Gove comes out with utter tosh like 'I want all schools to be above average' when I think I would happily shoot the moron if someone gave me a gun :(

[quirkytizzy]

Wouldn't that mean that "above average" would become the new "average", since that would be the baseline???

And yeah, that article with the doctors is frightening. OH DEAR GOD.

[alitheapipkin]

EXACTLY! The idea that everyone can be 'above average' shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what an average is. And averages are about the most basic form of stats going.

(it has been pointed out to me that he probably meant 'above the current average level' but the fact remains, that is not what he actually said and inaccuracies like that are exactly how we get into the mess of no lay people understanding any science at all. Not that I at all have a personal bug bear about this or anything...)

[a_pawson]

The actual exchange went:

Q98 Chair: if "good" requires pupil performance to exceed the national average, and if all schools must be good, how is this mathematically possible?

Michael Gove: By getting better all the time.

Q99 Chair: So it is possible, is it?

Michael Gove: It is possible to get better all the time.

Q100 Chair: Were you better at literacy than numeracy, Secretary of State?

Michael Gove: I cannot remember.

[anton_p_nym]

Wow, I'm chagrined to note that I flunked the statistics test in that article... and it took me a good 10 minutes to figure out where I'd taken the wrong step. Yikes.

-- Steve'll have to turn in his gloating license for the day. That, or up today's coffee dosage.

[naath]

I had to go look up Bayes' theorem; I think I'm too snoozy this morning. Stats aren't very well taught.

[witchwestphalia]

Here in the USA statistical education for physicians is limited & separated from other material. That presentation almost makes it seem like it's not important. It would be better if it were integrated into other material. And most medical students haven't been exposed to this sort of math prior to medical school. They've studied the calculations needed to get high grades in physics & chemistry. They're not innumerate; they could learn statistics if it was presented in a context that made it seem important.

Here in the USA defensive medicine is very important too. Failing to do everything that might prevent a bad outcome is punishable with a long painful lawsuit. Loss of chance of a cure is a valid lawsuit claim in at least some states in the USA. So physicians recommend screenings that probably don't change mortality for most people to avoid the risk of that legal outcome. Being sued is hugely traumatic for physicians. It goes in their public record for the rest of their lives even if they prevail. Often their malpractice

[skreidle]

Related: http://www.newstatesman.com/2014/05/how-mistakes-can-save-lives

[witchwestphalia]

I'd seen that article. The guy is amazing. Instead of getting revenge he's trying to make things better. Aviation is exactly the model physicians should be looking to in an effort to improve safety. He's in a unique position to bring that model to bear. Dr Atul Gawande's The Checklist Manifesto is also very relevant.