Coincidences

[brownmane]

You are absolutely right. I wrote it in a hurry, and I habitually think in terms of dice problems (for games design) where it is usually multiplication. I should have been alerted to my mistake by the scale of the answer I calculated. I hang my head in shame. However, as you say, it doesn't affect the argument, just changes the numbers. Genuinely, thanks for pointing it out.

I wouldn't know that there was a calculation error. I never learned statistics. Any number larger than a million is meaningless to me. Million doesn't mean much to me either except it is used as a marker often. My response to astronomical numbers is "oooh, so, a lot."

 

[Steven]

My response to astronomical numbers is "oooh, so, a lot."

 

[Floyd]

I'm sorry if I have irritated you.

It can't be done - I've tried to do it many times. Heaven knows I've tried.

 

[charliebrown]

My wife is better at remembering her dreams.

She had a dream that someone fell and hurt themselves, only to find out that someone in her book club fell and had a minor injury.

 

[Stormkhan]

Participating in an online discussion/tutorial today for my degree, I noticed that ...
1) Another student shares the name with my sons stepsister (not as complex as it sounds) and I know for a fact it isn't my (near) relation.
2) In the same tutorial, the lecturer just happens to be the sister of an old school colleague and I was at the same school at the same time as both! I've attended a lecture, giving me good education, with someone educated at the same time!

Co-inkidence? Strange but true.

 

[Mikefule]

After many years without a serious near miss or accident when driving, I was involved in 2 incidents yesterday. They were on separate journeys, and roughly 10 hours and 30 miles apart.

1st incident: I'm on the main road approaching a junction, within the speed limit, lights on, and with right of way, when a BMW estate car pulled out from my right. It was too close for me to stop in time so I hooted and "breathed in" to make the car as narrow as I could. She stopped just in time and I missed her by inches.

2nd incident: I'm on the main road approaching a junction, within the speed limit, lights on, and with right of way, when a BMW estate car pulled out from my right. It was too close for me to stop in time so I hooted and "breathed in" to make the car as narrow as I could. She stopped in time and I missed her by a somewhat wider margin than in the first incident.

 

[RaM]

Was she still pissed from 10 hours ago

 

[Mythopoeika]

After many years without a serious near miss or accident when driving, I was involved in 2 incidents yesterday. They were on separate journeys, and roughly 10 hours and 30 miles apart.

1st incident: I'm on the main road approaching a junction, within the speed limit, lights on, and with right of way, when a BMW estate car pulled out from my right. It was too close for me to stop in time so I hooted and "breathed in" to make the car as narrow as I could. She stopped just in time and I missed her by inches.

2nd incident: I'm on the main road approaching a junction, within the speed limit, lights on, and with right of way, when a BMW estate car pulled out from my right. It was too close for me to stop in time so I hooted and "breathed in" to make the car as narrow as I could. She stopped in time and I missed her by a somewhat wider margin than in the first incident.

It's always a BMW, Audi or a Mercedes, isn't it?
People who think that buying an expensive German car will somehow improve their driving.

 

[RaM]

Perceived risk, tell someone they are driving the safest car on the road that
will get them out of all sorts of trouble and they will drive it like a prat,
Now stick a 12 inch spike in the middle of the steering wheel they will
be a bit more circumspect.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Perceived risk, tell someone they are driving the safest car on the road that
will get them out of all sorts of trouble and they will drive it like a prat,
Now stick a 12 inch spike in the middle of the steering wheel they will
be a bit more circumspect.

That reminds me of the time when Orange County Choppers built a bike with a huge spike facing the rider.

 

[Floyd]

Perceived risk, tell someone they are driving the safest car on the road that
will get them out of all sorts of trouble and they will drive it like a prat,
Now stick a 12 inch spike in the middle of the steering wheel they will
be a bit more circumspect.

I saw a prog years ago about the guy who brought in safety measures for cars (in the USA I think it was) and up until then they did have spikes that the steering wheel was attached to and razor sharp dashboards covered in just a thin veneer of plastic.
Not to mention petrol tanks at the back.

 

[RaM]

Cant remember his name but does "Unsafe at any speed" ring a bell?

 

[Mythopoeika]

Cant remember his name but does "Unsafe at ant speed" ring a bell?

That would be very slow.

 

[RaM]

Or Ralph Nader,

 

[Floyd]

Or Ralph Nader,

Could well have been RaM.
It certainly sounds like it was about him.

 

[IbisNibs]

Cant remember his name but does "Unsafe at any speed" ring a bell?

Wasn't that the Ford Pinto?

 

[maximus otter]

It's always a BMW, Audi or a Mercedes, isn't it?

- Or a firm’s van. Or an HGV. Or a “mummymobile”, with a flustered woman trying to resolve the squabble over the iPad on the back seat at 30mph in a residential area. Or the sales rep in the Corsa with deadlines to meet. Or…

maximus otter

 

[RaM]

Was it the Ford Edsel ? and a bit closer to home don't think he was keen on the Hillman imp.

 

[escargot]

I saw a prog years ago about the guy who brought in safety measures for cars (in the USA I think it was) and up until then they did have spikes that the steering wheel was attached to and razor sharp dashboards covered in just a thin veneer of plastic.
Not to mention petrol tanks at the back.

I saw that. Sobering stuff.
Lots of reconstructions of horrific deaths and maimings.

The images of small children bouncing around an estate car boot in a rear-end collision stayed with me: can remember remonstrating with my brother about letting his toddlers play in the boot on long journeys.

 

[Floyd]

I saw that. Sobering stuff.
Lots of reconstructions of horrific deaths and maimings.

The images of small children bouncing around an estate car boot in a rear-end collision stayed with me: can remember remonstrating with my brother about letting his toddlers play in the boot on long journeys.

I really can't remember much about it other than the aforementioned spikes, razor sharp dashboards and petrol tanks that were at the back and often blew up in accidents to be honest.

 

[escargot]

I really can't remember much about it other than the aforementioned spikes, razor sharp dashboards and petrol tanks that were at the back and often blew up in accidents to be honest.

I had very young children at the time so that aspect would have stuck in my mind.

 

[Ermintruder]

A while ago I stumbled across a Facebook private members-only page, appearing to consist of a huge collection of multiple school yeargroup photographs and scanned newspaper clippings of class activities, all relating to the education board district in Scotland where I first grew up.

Not surprisingly these have tended to be more-recent photos from the 1980s and 90s, with a small amount from even the 1930s and 40s: but very few from my era (mid/late 1960s to early 1970s). And that, I thought, was very much that.

Within the last few days I suddenly felt motivated to have another leisurely look through these unfamilar-but-almost-familiar images, and was immediately intrigued to see that the inspired moderator/curator had recently added a whole pile of 'new' old photographs! I tried to curb my optimism, and started to plough through them, hoping/praying that I would find an actual class photograph of me, and my old classmates.

And suddenly there it was: not a formal class picture, but something strange and much better!! A newspaper cutting of me, and my *entire* year group, on a huge school visit to a zoo park!! I was able to see myself clearly looking back at me from an entirely-forgotten image taken over half a century ago in my first year at primary school : surrounded by other tiny faces (to which I could only put a couple of names) but many of whom seemed so deeply and strangely familiar. It was (and is) still wonderful to see, and has been disproportionately-inspiring for me to have found this vision from my past.

Then...I noticed the date of the newspaper, wonderfully-legible and uncut from the cutting, above the miraculous photo. It looked like a familiar date....except it wasn't quite as familiar as I thought. I re-read it twice, and (on the not-unreasonable basis that newspapers in the 1960s tended to publish photographs the day after they were taken)...this wonderful press picture was taken of me (probably the first-ever public/group picture I ever had taken of me) on the day my wife was born.

So there are all sorts of curious interwoven coincidences in the above rambling tale: and they've rather inspired me, in some strange sense.

 

[Floyd]

A while ago I stumbled across a Facebook private members-only page, appearing to consist of a huge collection of multiple school yeargroup photographs and scanned newspaper clippings of class activities, all relating to the education board district in Scotland where I first grew up.

Not surprisingly these have tended to be more-recent photos from the 1980s and 90s, with a small amount from even the 1930s and 40s: but very few from my era (mid/late 1960s to early 1970s). And that, I thought, was very much that.

Within the last few days I suddenly felt motivated to have another leisurely look through these unfamilar-but-almost-familiar images, and was immediately intrigued to see that the inspired moderator/curator had recently added a whole pile of 'new' old photographs! I tried to curb my optimism, and started to plough through them, hoping/praying that I would find an actual class photograph of me, and my old classmates.

And suddenly there it was: not a formal class picture, but something strange and much better!! A newspaper cutting of me, and my *entire* year group, on a huge school visit to a zoo park!! I was able to see myself clearly looking back at me from an entirely-forgotten image taken over half a century ago in my first year at primary school : surrounded by other tiny faces (to which I could only put a couple of names) but many of whom seemed so deeply and strangely familiar. It was (and is) still wonderful to see, and has been disproportionately-inspiring for me to have found this vision from my past.

Then...I noticed the date of the newspaper, wonderfully-legible and uncut from the cutting, above the miraculous photo. It looked like a familiar date....except it wasn't quite as familiar as I thought. I re-read it twice, and (on the not-unreasonable basis that newspapers in the 1960s tended to publish photographs the day after they were taken)...this wonderful press picture was taken of me (probably the first-ever public/group picture I ever had taken of me) on the day my wife was born.

So there are all sorts of curious interwoven coincidences in the above rambling tale: and they've rather inspired me, in some strange sense.

Great story Erms.

(On a similar note- I often wonder how many photographs we must be in that other people have taken and we know nothing about).

 

[Stormkhan]

1) Last night, our doorbell rang at 3.30 am. When we looked, no one was there - but male voices were heard moving away. Sure - twits either playing knock-down-ginger or checking out a house that looks like it might be empty. Our dogs let us know we didn't imagine the bell.
2) This time and date last year, our neighbour upstairs died. Dunno the time he'd had a cardiac arrest but ...
3) This time last year (but in the heatwave summer), my son died. My wife pointed out that we'd had a similar mysterious door-bell ring the day before we were told he'd died.

You can imagine we're asking around diplomatically after the health of people we've not heard from.

 

[Peripart]

Or Ralph Nader,

Wasn't that the Ford Pinto?

Yes, the fuel tank on the Pinto was notorious for its susceptibility to damage in a rear-end shunt, but I seem to remember that a major target of Nader's writing was the rear suspension on the early Chevrolet Corvair. It had a tendency to tuck under during aggressive steering, and could cause the car to flip.

 

[escargot]

Today a colleague brought his young daughter in to say hello.

I asked her what she's gong to be when she grows up, as you do, and the answer was 'A marine biologist!'
Seems her ambition is to go to Aberystwyth University to study for this.

After they left I started a Kindle book. One of the first pages mentions a girl's short-lived ambition to be a marine biologist.
Weird!

I sent the Dad a screenshot.

 

[Sollywos]

Seems her ambition is to go to Aberystwyth University to study for this.

Good choice excellent place to study!

 

[bugmum]

Today a colleague brought his young daughter in to say hello.

I asked her what she's gong to be when she grows up, as you do, and the answer was 'A marine biologist!'
Seems her ambition is to go to Aberystwyth University to study for this.

After they left I started a Kindle book. One of the first pages mentions a girl's short-lived ambition to be a marine biologist.
Weird!

I sent the Dad a screenshot.

My niece visited there with the aspiration to do parasitology. Dunno how that's working out for her...

 

[maximus otter]

My niece visited there with the aspiration to do parasitology. Dunno how that's working out for her...

Going among the Welsh to study fleas, ticks and lice? Sounds ideal.

maximus otter

 

[Stormkhan]

Until it comes to dipping time.