Since I am sometimes asked to explain phenomena in the absence of data, it becomes necessary to determine what data is required to explain phenomena.  Some would say the best approach is to develop and test a hypothesis - to start filling a void of space with pinholes of light - until there are enough lit pinholes to provide a working theory.  This is not to say that a few additional…

A fictitious retailer which I am calling Malwart sells automobiles and automotive parts.  On this blog I will be focused on the sale of a particular automobile model called the Blair - a sporty compact that can be ordered in custom colour schemes.  Because all sales must be done by clients that also have accounts,…

A person will ordinarily search the contents of a database using matching keywords and tags.  Sophisticated databases might allow for filtering:  for example using NOT, AND, OR on a number of keyword strings such as both titles and product descriptions.  It is not normally possible to submit, say, a personality profile to a database - or a personality profile and a setting.  Searching for “serial murders subway terminals” might lead to event information about precisely this, apparent serial…

I want to interrupt my "blogging fast" in order to discuss developments to my final programming effort called Elmira. On Elmira, among other things, I hold storylines from fairytales, movies, television episodes, and real-life court cases mostly dealing with abductions, forced confinement, missing persons, sexual predators, stalkers, and serial killers. Consider a movie like "Hostel" directed by Eli Roth. With my…

When the performance of an employee is evaluated, ideally there are no externalities to complicate the analysis. If the employee has a computer that is constantly freezing up - or the servers in the company frequently operate slowly - the employee's performance data will reflect the functionality and effectiveness of these systems. If the company occupies a highly competitive market, declining sales data is attributable at least in part to competition rather than the behaviours of employees.…

Before elaborating on my fruitless existence - about my decision to avoid fruit - I want to emphasize how this blog is actually about something that I call the "Fallacy of Rational Prerequisite." There will be some misunderstanding about this term even after my prolonged explanation. I just want to state plainly at the outset that I am not proposing that people become irrational. If they are already so, I am not suggesting that they further the situation.…