November 02, 2004
Hotly contested?
Some journalist, speaking live (1:15 am) from New York about the US elections on French radio today, claimed this is the most hotly contested election since 1968. Both sides figure the world will fall apart if the other side wins.
In software, people argue bitterly about fine tuning, like which text editor you should use, typically vi or Emacs. Animosity runs inversely proportionally to the difference it makes in the real world. If the same logic holds for the elections, the mainstream candidates have done a good job toeing the line right down the middle.
One may wonder whether the half of eligible US voters who stay home react according to this rule as well, the way rats did in the lab when they put them in smooth-walled beakers of water to simulate helplessness. From the rats' perspectives, the situation was grave: They were going to drown. After they realized, however, that it was no use trying to climb the smooth walls to get out, they eventually calmed down. They gave up and accepted their fates.
When your only option is fine tuning, yet you realize you probably need new equipment, do you keep trying to tune in anyway?
Posted by Mark at November 2, 2004 08:01 AM