Comments on: Panic + Math Skillz = Funny Emails http://www.edery.org/2008/09/panic-math-skillz-funny-emails/ For those interested in the business of making good video games. Entrepreneurial spirit a must. Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:27:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Morgan Ramsay http://www.edery.org/2008/09/panic-math-skillz-funny-emails/comment-page-1/#comment-215828 Morgan Ramsay Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:08:00 +0000 http://www.edery.org/?p=654#comment-215828 <strong>Lisa:</strong> <blockquote>That would make the mistake cultural, not mathematical.</blockquote> The author, T.J. "Birk" Birkenmeier, claims that the e-mail was a <a href="http://birkblog.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/09/zillion-trillion-billion-millionwhats-a-few-zeros-among-friends.html" rel="nofollow">social experiment</a>. Birk asserts that he sent the e-mail to 100 of his contacts to see how many people would catch the error. Those 100 people apparently sent the e-mail to their contacts, which would account for the 46,000 hits on Google. I've read that the e-mail, with the error, appeared on several politicians' websites for a short time as an example of public competence. Lisa:

That would make the mistake cultural, not mathematical.

The author, T.J. “Birk” Birkenmeier, claims that the e-mail was a social experiment. Birk asserts that he sent the e-mail to 100 of his contacts to see how many people would catch the error. Those 100 people apparently sent the e-mail to their contacts, which would account for the 46,000 hits on Google. I’ve read that the e-mail, with the error, appeared on several politicians’ websites for a short time as an example of public competence.

]]> By: Lisa http://www.edery.org/2008/09/panic-math-skillz-funny-emails/comment-page-1/#comment-215318 Lisa Mon, 29 Sep 2008 22:56:02 +0000 http://www.edery.org/?p=654#comment-215318 Lol! Although, if it weren't for the fact that the first sentence is written with the zeros explicitly spelled out I'd fathom that maybe the author was thinking "long scale" billion (Continental European, million million) instead of "short scale" billion (United States, thousand million). That would make the mistake cultural, not mathematical. Many people don't realize that "billion" isn't the same number depending on where you are in the world! Lol! Although, if it weren’t for the fact that the first sentence is written with the zeros explicitly spelled out I’d fathom that maybe the author was thinking “long scale” billion (Continental European, million million) instead of “short scale” billion (United States, thousand million). That would make the mistake cultural, not mathematical. Many people don’t realize that “billion” isn’t the same number depending on where you are in the world!

]]> By: Patrick http://www.edery.org/2008/09/panic-math-skillz-funny-emails/comment-page-1/#comment-215256 Patrick Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:28:06 +0000 http://www.edery.org/?p=654#comment-215256 What's even more troubling is that most people don't realize the 700 billion, and all loans, consist of money that doesn't yet exist. Which means that in addition to being a liability for which direct taxes will need to be collected, that's another 700 billion of inflation as well. What’s even more troubling is that most people don’t realize the 700 billion, and all loans, consist of money that doesn’t yet exist. Which means that in addition to being a liability for which direct taxes will need to be collected, that’s another 700 billion of inflation as well.

]]> By: Morgan Ramsay http://www.edery.org/2008/09/panic-math-skillz-funny-emails/comment-page-1/#comment-215128 Morgan Ramsay Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:18:40 +0000 http://www.edery.org/?p=654#comment-215128 For a moment there, I thought <em>you</em> didn't catch the error! That e-mail is <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%2B%22I%27m+against+the+%2485%2C000%2C000%2C000.00+bailout+of+AIG%22&btnG=Search" rel="nofollow">spreading around</a> fairly quickly. Many people appear to have caught the error, after someone rushed to post the e-mail to their blog! For a moment there, I thought you didn’t catch the error! That e-mail is spreading around fairly quickly. Many people appear to have caught the error, after someone rushed to post the e-mail to their blog!

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