When I was in college, the radio station I worked with did a survey to see who was listening (not many, it turned out). What was interesting was the degree of falsification of surveys that occurred because the cold calling was boring and frustrating when dealing with a small rural town who didn't care what the little college radio station was doing.

I admit it, I was one of the ones falsifying, but my fake answers were that most people didn't listen to us or never heard of us, a few "expected" people did listen (high schoolers and a couple of college students), plus at least one outside-the-curve person, a granny who dug rock n roll. The other person--who was caught cheating--had all her fake answers the same, making it obvious she'd just decided to fill out all the sheets and be done with it. I at least put some creativity into it. I never admitted the cheating, and I wonder if anyone else did the same.

Don't know if that's relevant, but I enjoy the story.

So the lesson is that not just anyone can make up data well - IOW it's harder that it looks.

The SMART cars have been cleared for U.S. import.

[link]

Don't know about the wisdom of buying them as Mercedes isn't the behind the effort.

So the lesson is that not just anyone can make up data well - IOW it's harder that it looks.

Also, have creative types as well as number crunchers on your Statistical Information Interpretation team. I would have been such a good advertising/PR person.

I would have been such a good advertising/PR person.

Have you considered going into politics?

Have you considered going into politics?

Doesn't work, I can't keep a straight face during speeches.

Doesn't work, I can't keep a straight face during speeches.

Karl Rove's job might be open soon....

When I was in college, the radio station I worked with did a survey to see who was listening (not many, it turned out). What was interesting was the degree of falsification of surveys that occurred because the cold calling was boring and frustrating when dealing with a small rural town who didn't care what the little college radio station was doing.

My former boss had a job cold-calling people for the Alexandria police department and asking them very detailed questions about their security practices - do they lock their doors, windows, have an alarm, type of locks, etc. Amazingly, people would just happily give all this information to someone who called them out of the blue.

Karl Rove's job might be open soon....

Nah. I don't think he's going anywhere. I don't think he'll be found guilty of an actual crime and the bad press will blow over.

The only way Rove's going anywhere is if he ascends. And he's already a big giant snake, so what would be the point?