Archive for March, 2022
Daylight elimination time
With virtually no opposition, the US Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which, if approved by the House and signed by President Biden, will make daylight savings time (DST) permanent beginning next March.
I was hoping for an end to the very annoying biannual change in time, but figured it would revert to standard, not daylight time. It will be very unsettling for those living in the far north to delay sunrise from 8:30 to 9:30 on the mornings around the winter solstice when days are shortest. However, I suppose that with the creep of DST over the years from 6 months in 1966 to only 4 months now, standard time stood no chance. Evidently the majority prefers not being woken up too early by the bright sun, and they like lighting up evening activities, for example, trick or treating on Halloween.*
An extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an extra snooze one night in the autumn is all that we ask in return for dazzling gifts. We borrow an hour one night in April; we pay it back with golden interest five months later.
Winston Churchill
Going to fixed time nationwide, even if it must be DST, will be very welcome. The clock fiddling got completely out of control in my Twin Cities years ago when the whole region split on going to DST. It came to a head with Minneapolis and Saint Paul being one hour apart for two weeks in 1965.**
It’s about time to settle on one time per zone and allow for the natural variation in daylight caused by our planet being so ‘tilty’. If you do not like it, move to the equator.
*See How Retailers Got American Kids an Extra Hour To Trick-Or-Treat On Halloween
**See Two Cities, Two Times
Statbot AI a bust…sad…now in need of Woebot consoling
Sir David Cox, a giant in the field of statistics, passed away early this year at age 97. Boffins like him cannot be easily replaced—hence the interest in creating artificial intelligence (AI). Therefore, I was excited to see this announcement of NelsonBot5000 (NB5k)—an automated “statistical concierge”. Alas, after submitting several questions such as “what is a p value”, I discovered that NB5k referred all questions to Google. Lame (but a clever gimmick to create engagement!).
“When I was a young cyborg, knee-high to a dial-up modem, PapaBot_x86 used to tell me tales of what the future would hold. However, I never dreamt that we’d ever see the day where free statistical expertise would be available to everyone, instantly.”
– NelsonBot5000
This got me got me going on the state of AI in general. The first thing I found via Google was a New York Times report on an “automated conversational agent” called Woebot that, according to this randomized controlled trial (unblinded), significantly reduces depression. I wanted to share my disappointment about NB5k but Woebot would not talk to me—it requiring a referral from a mental-health provider. My colleague Pat Whitcomb, founder of Stat-Ease, had a good response when I shared similarly trivial woes with him: “GOI!” (get over it).
On the bright side, my work as a consultant, trainer and educator on statistical design of experiments (DOE) remains secure from smart bots. All I ask is that before you ask me for stat help, please consult with Google or the like. Or, better yet, read the trilogy of “Simplified” books on DOE, lead-authored by me based on brainpower from Pat and statistician Martin Bezener.
*“Something Bothering You? Tell It to Woebot. When your therapist is a bot, you can reach it at 2 a.m. But will it really understand your problems?”, Karen Brown, 6/1/21.