honoring the clan of uncertainty

Today, 20 October 2010, World is celebrating the first World Statistics Day.
.. an attempt to acknowledge services we get through Statistics which are innumerable and pay a tribute to Statisticians all over the world.

PS: I didn't write this as a statistician, but as a common man who accepts how the world is continuously benefited by this science; and how the functioning of everything, which means theres nothing that would be in the complement,  around will paralyze if even for a moment we lack its support.


I heard of this 3 days back, when a friend emailed me the information about a quiz and tech-talk scheduled for the day to celebrate the occasion. After subsequent search on internet we got to know more about it. United Nations has decided to celebrate this day as the World Statistics Day, starting from 2010. So today is the first of its kind.

To be very frank I am still not very sure why they chose this day. But it looks like whole world has accepted it, and celebrating it in their own ways. Here are some ideas to do that. SAS Research and Development has organized a tech-chat and a quiz on the occasion. Alas.. in the Worlwide Celebration Activities, for India, details are yet to be announced.

Last night one of the alumnus suggested to have a celebration in our department too, to mark this day. But it doesn't seem very much possible, with such a short notice. Still I hope, being an advanced entity in Statistics, from next year onwards we will have something to contribute to the celebrations of the day.


..and now in words of a non-statistician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who is immortalized because of his brain-child Sherlock Holmes,

While the individual man is an insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. You can, for example, never foretell what any one man will be up to, but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. Individuals vary, but percentages remain constant. So says the statistician. 
                               

PS:  Sincere thanks to Akanksha and Saurabh, for the reasons they know.

another random update

..i guess lots of reading is blocking my head.. as usual not just statistical, in fact thats the least i do :(
in almost 35 days i have finished reading 5 novels..Chetan Bhagat's 2 and 3 from Nicholas Spark. No doubt, i enjoyed reading each of them. But thats too much with the kind of work i m expected to do. But life looks kind of kind on me now.. back on track.. lil regular. I don't know how long it will be so. I am happy for the moment atleast.

In the meanwhile came across lots of interesting stuff on internet..
>>  some statistics related blogs..it was a pleasant surprise to see so many statistician doing blogging.. but as i mentioned they are statistical (that is something not very encouraging for my blog).
Anyways, here I list a few..
- Andrew Gelman's Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference and Social Science 
- Nathan Yau's Flowing Data
- Insight Central
- Numbers Rule Your World
- Politically Incorrect Statistics
and many more (i know some of my friends are interested in these).. with this, the list of sites i m following has already crossed 90.

>>  how THE has actually used statistics in the methodology for world university ranking.

>>  and the most interesting of them right now is the truth in PhD :P



PS: I know with each day passing, my blog is becoming a big BORE.. but that doesn't  mean life is so. It's different and more cheerful, in the world outside this blog. Its just that I am not getting the right stuff to write about.

kickstart

> got up at 6 am, that too without an alarm

> got to hear some one

> sehaj path

> favorite kirtan track on playlist

> having a look at most beautiful (for me) snapshots.

> aggregate data

> puran polis

> chat with mom-dad.

PS: here i am.. with my spirits little better than the last 5-6 days

failed or lost

In work and fun, and in thoughts and pun

lost all the direction to run.

That little bird who has her wings,

but she is moving in rings.

Lost the strength to defend her moves,

it never happened back in the groove.

Strength to smile and skill to coordinate,

its all missing, the vigour looks lost.

There were no regrets before,

but why is she skeptic now.

Wondering whether she was right,

when she took her flight.

Paper and mind,

its working no where fine.

Even near the heart,

she cannot see a smile.

Has she already lost the battle,

or is it just a phase.

Looking for a candle to light the path,

a path, thats no more wrong.

A ray of hope

thats no more false.

mere words

words clattered here and there,

some covered and others bare.

scared yet confused,

of disgust and anger.

lost and drenched,

in love and care.

of indolence on ambition,

hopes high in fervour.

although innocent,

incoherent they appear.

can see those fragments,

still waiting for some more.