[Informatics] Bad Cow Jokes (Factors that harm accuracy)

Wed Sep 7 20:44:07 AEST 2016

Lets moooooove onto exam revision then.

On 5 September 2016 at 08:44, Paragreen, Chris J <
paragreen.chris.j at edumail.vic.gov.au> wrote:

> We need to do something, or we’ll be discussing it until the cows come
> home.
>
>
>
> *From:* informatics-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:informatics-bounces@
> edulists.com.au] *On Behalf Of *ATKINSON-BUCK, Damien
> *Sent:* Monday, 5 September 2016 7:43 AM
> *To:* Year 12 VCE Informatics Teachers' Mailing List <
> informatics at edulists.com.au>
> *Subject:* Re: [Informatics] Factors that harm accuracy. (Warning - bad
> cow jokes.)
>
>
>
> Has this thread been milked too far? I wonder if we should put a steak
> through it?
>
>
>
> *Damien Atkinson-Buck*
> Head of Learning Area: Technology/Arts
>
> [image: http://www.ivanhoe.com.au] <http://www.ivanhoe.com.au/>
>
> The Ridgeway, Ivanhoe VIC 3079 Australia
>
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>
> e. damien.atkinson-buck at ivanhoe.com.au
>
> w. www.ivanhoe.com.au
>
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> <http://twitter.com/ivanhoegrammar>
>
>
>
> *From:* Mark [mailto:mark at vceit.com <mark at vceit.com>]
> *Sent:* Sunday, 4 September 2016 9:48 PM
> *To:* Year 12 VCE Informatics Teachers' Mailing List <
> informatics at edulists.com.au>
> *Subject:* Re: [Informatics] Factors that harm accuracy. (Warning - bad
> cow jokes.)
>
>
>
> Hang on. I'll get my cowculator...
>
> On Sunday, 4 September 2016, Roland Gesthuizen <rgesthuizen at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> Don't believe a word the dog says, he only provided a ruff estimate and is
> a paw source of primary data.
>
>
>
> Pull on those wellies and count the cows yourself.
>
>
>
> On 4 September 2016 at 21:10, Mark <mark at vceit.com> wrote:
>
> So you're saying that a dog performing maths is inaccurate, but a talking
> dog is incorrect?
>
>
>
> Interesting philosophical point...
>
>
>
> On Sunday, 4 September 2016, Roland Gesthuizen <rgesthuizen at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> Hmm, you could add this to the list.
>
>
>
> After a talking farm dog gets all the cows into the milking shed, he
> reports back to the farmer: “All 40 accounted for.”
>
>
>
> “But I only have 36 cows,” says the farmer.
>
>
>
> “I know,” says the dog. “But I rounded them up.”
>
>
>
> On 2 September 2016 at 15:01, Mark <mark at vceit.com> wrote:
>
> Hi, accurate ones,
>
>
>
> Following on from the recent fist fight about accuracy vs correctness,
> today I have been pondering...
>
>
>
> *ITI U3O2KK05 - "criteria to check the integrity of data including ...
> accuracy"*
>
>
>
> I started wondering about factors that might affect the *accuracy* of
> data or information.
>
>
>
> N.B. *Not* 'correctness'. Or 'precision'.
>
>
>
> Let's accept that data are an abstract representation of phenomena in the
> real world, such as "There are four cows in the top paddock."
>
>
>
> The actual cows are the reality.
>
> The recorded number of them is the data.
>
>
>
> The data representing this cow fact might be - or become - inaccurate due
> to:
>
>
>
> - going out of date - the state of the real world has changed (a few new
> cows were put into the paddock) but the data has not been updated to
> reflect that change.
> Or the number of cows had been copied from one database to a mirrored
> site, but the mirror has not been synchronised recently with the master
> copy so the mirror is no longer representative of the true current size of
> the herd of cows*.
>
>
>
> - being damaged - someone accidentally or deliberately changes the text "4
> cows" to "40 cows".
> Or disk rot caused the recorded data to be misread by the digital system.
>
>
>
> - poor initial data collection - the cows were counted by someone glancing
> out of the window of a fast-moving car, or the cows kept moving about and
> some were counted twice.
>
>
>
> - an unreliable data source - there were not four cows: they were goats.
> The data came from an idiot in the city who could not tell the difference.
>
>
>
> - bias - the cow-counter had some reason to misrepresent the true number
> of cows in the top paddock, e.g. to reduce his tax bill, or to impress the
> milk maid next door.
>
>
>
> - faulty data processing - the wrong formula was used in the spreadsheet
> that added up the number of cows.
>
>
>
> - poor validation - the number of cows was entered into the software as
> "four" instead of "4". The software was not expecting text, and - because
> there were no recognisable digits - its *VAL(numCows)* function converted
> the word "four" into a numeric value of zero.
>
>
>
> - translation or conversion errors - the reader of the data did not speak
> English and relied on an incorrect electronic translation of the text.
>
> Or the text said "There are 4 (four) cows" and a careless data entry
> person entered "There are 4 (4) cows" which was later turned into "There
> are 44 cows".
>
> Or poor optical character recognition of "4 cows" became "9 cows".
>
>
>
> True story: I was listening to an audiobook about the history of space
> travel and was astounded to hear that "Apollo Two landed on the moon." It
> took me a while to realise that the text must have been "Apollo 11 landed
> on the moon" but the narrator mistook "11" for the Roman numerals "II".
> Sadly, no cows were involved.
>
>
>
> Can anyone think of other interesting ways in which data/info accuracy may
> be reduced ?
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Mark
>
>
>
>
>
> Notes:
>
>
>
> 1. This post is cow-neutral. I have NO bovine agenda. It is true that I
> did help milk cows when I lived on a dairy farm in Yarrawalla while
> teaching in Boort (1980-1985) but there was NO inappropriate activity,
> *especially* with cow 1056. Rumours to the contrary are udderly untrue,
> in spite of what Doris might moo.
>
>
>
> 2. To comply with the federal *Cow Comedy Act (1953)*, I am obliged to
> refer you to the anthem: Cows with Guns
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMbXvn2RNI>.
>
>
>
> * Herd of cows? Of course I've heard of cows. Bad cow pun.
>
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> Mark Kelly
>
>
>
> mark at vceit.com
>
> http://vceit.com
>
>
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>
>
>
>
> --
>
> --
> *Roland Gesthuizen*
> http://about.me/rgesthuizen
>
>
> "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
> change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret
> Mead
>
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> Mark Kelly
>
>
>
> mark at vceit.com
>
> http://vceit.com
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe
> VCE Informatics Mailing List kindly supported by
> http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/infotech/itapplications3-4.html -
> Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority <br>
> http://www.vitta.org.au  - VITTA Victorian Information Technology
> Teachers Association Inc <br>
> http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ict/schools - Swinburne University
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> --
> *Roland Gesthuizen*
> http://about.me/rgesthuizen
>
>
> "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
> change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret
> Mead
>
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> Mark Kelly
>
>
>
> mark at vceit.com
>
> http://vceit.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
--
*Roland Gesthuizen*
http://about.me/rgesthuizen

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret
Mead
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