haZard_OS

I hate to be a naysayer here (because I actually like the idea of this calculator) but I use R for virtually every mathematical and statistical problem I encounter. It's always open on my computer while I'm working and I'm comfortable enough with the program that most of the syntax requires little thought on my part.

If I'm in the field and need to perform some calculations, I either use my phone (for simple calculations) or my $17 Casio statistics calculator.

As a risk assessor and environmental scientist, I have NEVER needed anything more than these.

On a number of occasions I have had prospective employers ask what my final grade was for specific classes. I have never been asked about my GPA specifically, but my grades at the University certainly affected me beyond academia.

>People do the calculus to decide if risk is greater than reward all the time.

Technically you're right but what you seem to be missing is that people (in general) suck at risk assessment. Although they are doing "the calculus", most of their calculations are based on heuristics that just don't reflect a rational analysis.

That is why so many people fear plane travel more than car travel, immigrants more than cigarettes, and pharmaceuticals more than "raw water".

As a statistician, that has not been my experience.

I agree with your point but I suspect the problem with statements like the one you identified is that they claim too much.

In other words, if I say "The American people want X", there are surely some Americans who don't want X and I just alienated them. If, however, I say "many Americans want X", I'm making a weaker claim that is easier to defend.

In general, I prefer that people err on the side of making a weaker claim. It's less frustrating to communicate with people willing to do so (for me, at least).

The one downside of criticizing "weasel words" is that more people start making overly broad claims that you and I do not care for.

I urge you to read Spinoza for yourself if you are under the impression that his philosophy is like Ayn Rand's. I assure you, they are worlds apart.

I never turn location services on and I run on mobile data (rather than WiFi) almost every moment of the day.

My location was correctly determined within the specified range. sigh Ridiculous.

>I have a pet theory that more visual thinking is something that has come in from our Neanderthal ancestors.

That is an interesting proposal. One thing I like about it is its easy testibility. Given how easy it is to find people without Neanderthal DNA, the effort needed to conduct a study on this question would be minimal.

More accidents happen at home for the same reason more car accidents happen close to home...that's where the people are often spending time.

Would you say that you haven't seen any proof that there are "inevitable" effects of (attempts at) communism?

An issue generated by the prospect of teachers carrying firearms is the problem of weapon retention.

Anyone trained with weaponry should understand that, when you are carrying, part of your attention must be on the weapon at all times. The way you stand, sit, walk, and interact with others must take into account good weapon retention practices.

Carrying a firearm is a bad idea for teachers because a teacher's focus should be on pedagogy, not on positioning oneself so that a student doesn't have easy access to your firearm.

I have two laptops for work, one of which is a System76 and both are currently running POP! OS (made by System76). I have had a few hiccups with the OS but nothing major.

I would say that I am very satisfied with S76. The 2 times I have had to contact them during the last 16 months or so have been good experiences, as well.