Interesting Links for 04-11-2017

[andrewducker]

Inside Hillary Clinton’s Secret Takeover of the DNC

(tags: politics money usa )

Monty Hall and the game show stick-or-switch conundrum

(tags: mathematics games )

$1000 smart teapot discontinued (how will I cope?)

My favourite bit is when they talk about how they would have needed more time to "educate the market". Because clearly and people who didn't want a $1000 teapot simply lacked education.
(tags: tea Technology fail )

Republican sacked for slagging Prince George loses unfair dismissal fight

(tags: monarchy UK jobs )

Great moments in standards committees: 1F979 - the frowning pile of poo

(tags: standards faeces Technology )

Apparently Mark Ruffalo And Kevin Feige Have Planned A Special Trilogy For The Hulk

(tags: movies marvel hulk )

LA Times: You can’t read our Thor review because Disney is angry

(tags: Disney reviews media )

If Your Vibrator Is Hacked, Is It a Sex Crime?

(tags: sex hacking rape )

Comments

[autopope]

$1000 tea-maker discontinued ...

Meanwhile, here's a GBP 200 tea-maker (USD $250) that runs on just about any loose-leaf tea you want, and does the job really really well (says one very satisfied owner who drinks maybe 2-5 litres of tea per day). No DRM — mind you, no wifi only, but I can brew my tea secure in the knowledge that it's not going to be coopted to mine bitcoins or send spam on my power bill.

[jack]

They want to sell that as an "airgapped ultra-security unhackable electronic teasmaid" :)

[calimac]

I've read an entire book about the Monty Hall Problem. It's worth noting both that 1) Monty never actually acted out this scenario on the show, although the 3 doors with 1 prize were real, and 2) that the unexpected probability answer only works if Monty does this for every contestant. If he's permitted to select (and, of course, he knows what's behind each door), then he can tweak the probability any way he wants.

However, that's not the point of the problem, which is the refusal of many to believe that, even under the specified conditions, the probability is 2/3rds. They will say things like "Monty is starting a new game," but he isn't. What they fail to realize is that the probability of success on switching is dependent on the probability that you picked the right door the first time.

Good comment on the Disney/LA Times fuss. Final line: "What a bunch of infants." And yes, he means Disney.

[naath]

I am rather sick of hose goats. But if you super don' believe it you can simulate it very easily...

what I want to know is did you get to keep the goat?

[calimac]

Yes, one of the alternative possibilities is that the contestant is Porgy, from Porgy and Bess, and would prefer a goat.

[teaotter]

Since you linked to the DNC/Donna Brazile story, could you also link to one of the stories that gives that piece some context? Despite what Brazile says, the funding agreement was standard practice with all candidates, and the DNC had one with the Sanders campaign as well.

Talkingpointsmeme Josh Marshall has an editorial with links and further context.

(sorry, typos!)

[andrewducker]

Cheers.

Have already got one follow-up in the queue for tomorrow. Will read these later too!

[teaotter]

Great, thank you!

[kmusser]

And some more rebuttals to that Politico piece: https://wonkette.com/625282/elizabeth-warren-we-love-you-so-fucking-much-you-are-so-fucking-wrong-right-now and https://twitter.com/ahumorlessfem/status/926249997376638976 explaining the Victory Fund.