Hypothetical Bias

ASU Staff Appreciation Event

From the inbox:

As a reminder to all faculty and staff participating in the ASU Staff Appreciation Event on April 19, 2007 at the Holmes Center, any and all injuries or illnesses incurred during this event are not covered by Workers' Compensation.  Your participation in this event is voluntary.

Therefore, participation is not in the course and scope of your employment at Appalachian State University. 

Thank you and have a safe day.

Ex-post review desk rejection

Here is the text of an email that appeared in my sent box:

I'll be happy to review this paper. I take refereeing seriously and almost always complete my reviews on time. My most recent review for [journal name] was completed on time but I was shut out of the online submission system when I went to submit the review. It turns out that the editor rejected the paper without the benefit of my review (which recommended rejection) -- thus, wasting my time. Before I agree to review another paper for [journal name], is this standard practice or an unusual event? At most journals desk rejections occur before the paper is sent out for review.

I'm in Lake Placid

Some observations:

1. It's not easy to get from Boone, NC to Lake Placid, NY. First, you gotta do a two hour car ride from Boone to Greensboro (PTI). This ride is usually helped along by some groovy tunes. This day, it's Ass Ponys, Scott Miller and Neko Case. Next, PTI to Boston (there is absolutely no connecting terminal info on my boarding pass or widescreen airport TVs. I get in line at the service desk. I'm first in line but none of the service desk employees, 4 of them, even look at me for 10 minutes. At some point I'm noticed [just like high school] and I'm directed to terminal C. It is, truly, a rat's maze from terminal A to C in the Logan airport. Truly, I say, cheese is served at terminal C.) Logan to Saranac Lake airport and then a 30 minute cab ride to Lake Placid.
2. I check into the Hilton and walk another rat's maze to my room. I enter the room and turn on the lights. On the table is a growler (1 quart) of Saranac Pale Ale. This would never happen at an econ conference. Never. Well, maybe Jim Heckman gets a growler at the ASSAs. Or Barro.
3. This part is just sad. I'm wondering what I'm going to do with the growler of Saranac Pale Ale. Actually, I'm wondering when I'll be able to walk around my room in my underwear and drink the whole damn thing by myself because the GD drapes to my room won't shut and only a thin gauzy curtain separates me from the courtyard and everyone can see me in my underwear if my lights are on at night. Suddenly, I find the solution! I'll turn off the lights and drink the growler in my underwear. Tomorrow night. GD-it.
4. After a walk downtown and a couple of egg rolls, I head back for some much deserved rest. Then I hear it. A live band in the hotel bar. Great band: covers of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Allman Bros, that Irish guy who sings brown eyed girl, Mustang Sally (is that the band or the song?) and other oldies designed to get people who shouldn't dance in public to dance in public. And, I'm thinking, its great to see people doing the best that they can do.
5. The band: I think their name is "Older than most." A bunch of gray hairs who announce that they have a CD coming out (it took 6 years, they say). Dave Wannstedt is on lead guiter and a Whitney Houston-ish lead singer can sing but can't dance, just like Whitney. They're really fun, honest, but take a break at 12. The bar emptys except me and then, embarrassed, I leave too. No one is there and I'm in my room typing, fully clothed because of the thin gauze, when I hear the steady bass and screaming guitar of a lounge band ... I'm going to see if they are playing by themselves ...
6. ... nope, an audience of four. I get the inside scoop from the bartenders. The band loves their job. So much so, that in order to subvert the bar's (Dancing Bears Lounge) policy of rotating the bands, they'll book themselves under different names on subsequent weekends. Actually, the different bands/names have slightly different lineups. Maybe that is why the lead singer doesn't know the bass player's name (she had to ask the band leader for the poor guy's name when she intro'd his solo). Or, again from the bartender, we're not sure that she only tinkles the bathroom on her breaks. wink. wink.

University Life: Committees

I just spent 20 minutes posting the minutes from the Spring Semester meetings of the General Education Task Force (locally known as "the force").

The force met 30 times last year. I attended about 5 meetings, at which point I decided that the force needed a non-student webmistress. The replacement business school representative is very conscientious about attending meetings.

30 meetings!

Why does the Moon appear larger when it's closer to the horizon than when it's high in the night sky? --Jim

Dear Jim,

That is a great question. Many of us have seen the Moon near the horizon and felt sure that it looked larger than later in the evening, as it rises. Try this exercise for fun:

Get a stiff piece of paper (like a 3-in x 5-in card) and a pencil or pen. When the Moon rises near the horizon, hold the card at arm's length, lock your elbow, and hold your arm straight. Move your arm and hand so that the card goes across the Moon's widest part, its diameter. With your other hand and the pencil, mark the edges of the Moon, where they cross the card. Mark carefully, as the shape will be only a few millimeters wide. Now, wait a few hours.

You can use the same card that you marked a few hours ago, but it is quite interesting to get a second card and repeat the measurement independently. Mark the Moon's diameter along the edge of a card. Hold the two cards edge to edge: The Moon will be the same size!

Studies have been carried out with disks of different diameters mounted so that they can slide on tracks, to determine why the Moon looks smaller when there is nothing behind it but blue sky or stars. No one is sure, but apparently the presence of familiar objects along the horizon throws us off.

Got a question for the Science Guy? Ask Bill Nye!