Comments on: Software Analysis Says Bill Ayers Almost Certainly Wrote Obama’s Book http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/ Defending the liberal tradition in history, science, and philosophy. Wed, 23 May 2012 12:36:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Elizabeth Reid http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164773 Elizabeth Reid Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:03:33 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164773 William Ayers has written quite a lot of other things.  I wonder how much consistency there is from sample to sample within Ayers' work?  William Ayers has written quite a lot of other things.  I wonder how much consistency there is from sample to sample within Ayers’ work? 

]]> By: Kevin D. http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164769 Kevin D. Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:13:38 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164769 <blockquote>And the article comes from WorldNetDaily, which is about as independent and reliable as Daily Kos.</blockquote> Then you clearly don't really read or understand WorldNetDaily. I've cited them often and each and every time their news has been solid. I've even gone so far to appease people like you as to find sources you would accept to backup a WND piece. And that you even go so far as to compare WND to DK makes pretty plain you don't really know anything about either.

And the article comes from WorldNetDaily, which is about as independent and reliable as Daily Kos.

Then you clearly don’t really read or understand WorldNetDaily. I’ve cited them often and each and every time their news has been solid. I’ve even gone so far to appease people like you as to find sources you would accept to backup a WND piece. And that you even go so far as to compare WND to DK makes pretty plain you don’t really know anything about either.

]]> By: zach http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164767 zach Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:48:25 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164767 deadrody,did you bother reading elizabeth's link where, in fact, a bona fide expert begged to differ? deadrody,did you bother reading elizabeth’s link where, in fact, a bona fide expert begged to differ?

]]> By: RyanR http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164766 RyanR Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:41:29 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164766 Deadrody (if your comment was directed at me), I was critiquing his statistical methodology and analysis. Anybody with a scientific background can do that. Sample size and investigator bias is Science 101. Ryan <em>RyanR's last blog post..<a href='http://ryantheengineer.blogspot.com/2008/04/faces-of-math.html' rel="nofollow">Faces of Math</a></em> Deadrody (if your comment was directed at me), I was critiquing his statistical methodology and analysis. Anybody with a scientific background can do that. Sample size and investigator bias is Science 101.

Ryan

RyanR’s last blog post..Faces of Math

]]> By: J.A. Eddy http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164764 J.A. Eddy Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:31:08 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164764 *yawn* *yawn*

]]> By: Elizabeth Reid http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164763 Elizabeth Reid Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:11:19 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164763 deadrody, If only an expert can evaluate an expert, how is a non-expert supposed to use expert advice when experts disagree? I don't think it takes an expert to realize that when you compare two contemporary works, written five years apart by people who live in the same community, it's not shocking when they're more alike than either is like a  memoir written in 1885.  deadrody,

If only an expert can evaluate an expert, how is a non-expert supposed to use expert advice when experts disagree?

I don’t think it takes an expert to realize that when you compare two contemporary works, written five years apart by people who live in the same community, it’s not shocking when they’re more alike than either is like a  memoir written in 1885. 

]]> By: deadrody http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164760 deadrody Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:52:58 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164760 Pretty funny how some people seem to be passing judgement on the credibility of these "experts".  Sorry, but doesn't it take another "expert" to debate the merits of another ? I find it intriguing, nothing more.  But far be it from me to stop anyone from "debunking" experts in literary structure analysis.  LOL Pretty funny how some people seem to be passing judgement on the credibility of these "experts".  Sorry, but doesn’t it take another "expert" to debate the merits of another ?

I find it intriguing, nothing more.  But far be it from me to stop anyone from "debunking" experts in literary structure analysis. 

LOL

]]> By: Around The Campaign 2008 Sphere: Election Day Edition http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164759 Around The Campaign 2008 Sphere: Election Day Edition Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:25:11 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164759 [...] Some Remain Curious Abou The Unproven Allegation of whether Ayers secretly wrote Obama’s autobiography. (If that fades, watch for a new allegation to arise: Reverend Wright wrote it.) Bloggers Who Have [...] [...] Some Remain Curious Abou The Unproven Allegation of whether Ayers secretly wrote Obama’s autobiography. (If that fades, watch for a new allegation to arise: Reverend Wright wrote it.) Bloggers Who Have [...]

]]> By: RyanR http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164758 RyanR Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:48:38 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164758 They're comparing segments. That has cherry picking written all over it. If I can pick all the highly correlated segments, then I can make anybody similar to anybody. Lord knows I have my British moments, mainly from reading a lot of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, but I'm very much Californian. Us the whole work, or have an objective metric to choose the segments. Even picking the segments before the analysis won't cut it, since the examiners can easily build their unconsious bias into the segments that they pick. I wouldn't put it past Obama, but I'm still not convinced. Ryan <em>RyanR's last blog post..<a href='http://ryantheengineer.blogspot.com/2008/04/faces-of-math.html' rel="nofollow">Faces of Math</a></em> They’re comparing segments. That has cherry picking written all over it. If I can pick all the highly correlated segments, then I can make anybody similar to anybody. Lord knows I have my British moments, mainly from reading a lot of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, but I’m very much Californian. Us the whole work, or have an objective metric to choose the segments. Even picking the segments before the analysis won’t cut it, since the examiners can easily build their unconsious bias into the segments that they pick. I wouldn’t put it past Obama, but I’m still not convinced.

Ryan

RyanR’s last blog post..Faces of Math

]]> By: Eric Rall (Maniakes) http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164755 Eric Rall (Maniakes) Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:27:06 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/11/03/software-analysis-says-ayers-almost-certainly-wrote-obamas-book/#comment-164755 Isn't statistical document analysis a well-developed science which has been used to figure out who wrote which Federalist Paper and who wrote which book of the Bible? I googled all three "experts" cited in the article. Yavelow sounds like a smart guy, but not an expert in this field. Longman's too biased to be credible on this issue. Ed Gold has too common a name for me to figure out who he is. And the article comes from WorldNetDaily, which is about as independent and reliable as Daily Kos. The raw data in the article is interesting, and makes a decent case for what sounds on the surface like a nutty conspiracy theory, but I need more evidence before I'm prepared to start believing it. That being said, I'm voting for McCain. There's plenty of other reasons to vote against Obama even if he wrote his own memoirs (and yes, it is tacky that he has memoirs this early in his career, but that's not deciding my vote either). Isn’t statistical document analysis a well-developed science which has been used to figure out who wrote which Federalist Paper and who wrote which book of the Bible?

I googled all three "experts" cited in the article. Yavelow sounds like a smart guy, but not an expert in this field. Longman’s too biased to be credible on this issue. Ed Gold has too common a name for me to figure out who he is. And the article comes from WorldNetDaily, which is about as independent and reliable as Daily Kos.

The raw data in the article is interesting, and makes a decent case for what sounds on the surface like a nutty conspiracy theory, but I need more evidence before I’m prepared to start believing it.

That being said, I’m voting for McCain. There’s plenty of other reasons to vote against Obama even if he wrote his own memoirs (and yes, it is tacky that he has memoirs this early in his career, but that’s not deciding my vote either).

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