Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO)
Computer geeks, particularly those who have worked with databases, will be familiar with the phrase. It pertains to the tautology (using the
logical definition) that inputting gibberish (unreliable or nonsensical) data into a database guarantees than only gibberish (worthless answers) come out.
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George Fuechsel, an early IBM programmer and instructor, is generally given credit for coining the term. Fuechsel is said to have used "garbage in, garbage out" as a concise way of reminding his students that a computer just processes what it is given. The term is now widely used in computer science classes, IT services and elsewhere. In fact, GIGO is sometimes used to refer to situations in the analog world, such as a faulty decision made as a result of incomplete information.
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We’re going to expand on the applicability a bit tonight, and take it into the political sphere. Not to impugn human dignity, but, politicians who don't work for the good of the people are, politically speaking, garbage. They are elected in as garbage, and garbage is their work product, or worse.
This Governing Sh!t isn't a game, it really isn't.
Every election, just about every poll that is conducted, the Republican party examines itself, examines the state of electorate and puzzles over how their 'message' can be repackaged or 'tweaked' to improve the results they've been seeing. Yet, election after election, crisis after crisis (often as not artificially fabricated by that party to prevent Democrats from doing what ALL office holders were elected to do - run the country and government on all levels), they abdicate their real responsibility, which is to make government work BETTER, to make it serve the people, and not some numbers on a page/spreadsheet indicating money, which has no needs, no spirit, no soul and no VOTE. Which does not CARE how it is used. Money is not a person, any more than a corporation is. It is a TOOL. Using it as such is what government is for, regardless of which party is 'in power.'
It’s time to vote the garbage out. And the garbage isn’t ‘dysfunctional Congress.’ It is those who work actively to make government dysfunctional, to maximize that dysfunction: congressional Republicans. And they do the same on state and local levels, whether in legislative bodies, the executive branch of the judiciary. Continue to vote the garbage in and the results will be as they have been, garbage out. With few exceptions.
It doesn’t have to be like that. We all know it.
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From serendipityisabitch: In kos' diary Wherein I talk about how awesome Daily Kos is, this one by Samer because it it's a wonderful picture.
From WisVoter:
watercarrier4diogenes suggests a new way to get everyone signed up for health insurance with this comment.
From BeninSC:
First I am nominating a comment THREAD I found thanks to a flagging search that pulled up a comment from CroneWit. This thread is the kind of educational and sharing dialogue on Daily Kos that I just love (and see too little of)! Start with this comment from mntleo2, and please rec the comments if you like the engagement you see! And this is the comment (within that thread) from mntleo2 that I first found from the flagging comment, that lead to the larger thread.
Flagged by AllisonInSeattle, this comment by tommyfocus2003 touched my heart for its honesty and its sacrifice, in being the person he was meant to be, in living the life of a gay man in America. Bless you, tommy. I am glad your current family loves and appreciates you as you deserve!
Flagged by Porterhouse25, this comment by Bailey2001 sets an example, for me, on how important it is to try to help provide answers where we can, rather than just criticizing in a 'fire and forget' way.
From the flagging comment, Quo Vadis likes this comment by Hatrax on the ALEC/teabagger constitution! (In a world without spellcheck!)
Top Mojo for yesterday November 3rd, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary
FAQing Top Mojo.
1) I'm just so friggin' mad by high uintas — 224
2) So 60 Minutes started doing letters again? by lotac — 114
3) Placebo insurance by engine17 — 93
4) This is scandalous and should give pause by bastrop — 92
5) There is something blessed by DCDemocrat — 91
6) What a window on their operating model! by jhop7 — 89
7) We need to end any local elections laws by tampaedski — 89
8) Supposedly what made Walmart famous and... by fly — 74
9) That CR article can't be pushed enough by lunachickie — 74
10) Me, too by plok — 73
11) Many have said it before... by CanisMaximus — 73
12) Judge who authored Voter ID says decision 'wrong' by joan reports — 71
13) Conservatism, especially American Conservatism by plan9pub — 70
14) Robert Reich indeed has the right message more by akmk — 70
15) It sounds really awful, both for employees and by viral — 70
16) I wonder how Dan Rather feels right now. by itsmrben — 69
17) The Republican party has re-invented istelf: by commonmass — 67
18) That'll never happen by Dallasdoc — 66
19) it won't though because IOKIYAR by TrueBlueMajority — 64
20) Unless you've got numbers by Empty Vessel — 64
21) This is the same guy who forced coal miners by pistolSO — 63
22) I don't know about Dan................... by Lying eyes — 62
23) Oh Hai Whoknu! Sekritarmy Ponders Lifes Deepest... by leonard145b — 61
24) Edward R. Murrow, too n/t by devtob — 58
25) Reich is not only a great economist... by markthshark — 57
26) Problem with liberals is that they think everyone, by Kombema — 57
27) While Mr. Wright's story is not by left my heart — 56
28) Wendy Davis is going to get me in trouble by coquiero — 56
29) Next time you find yourself in an argument by ccyd — 56
30) "How did we not see this coming?" by sfbob — 56
31) Ask him about Bush's 13 Benghazis by Phoenix Woman — 56
Top Pictures for yesterday, November 3rd. Click any image to be taken to the full comment. Thank you jotter for the image magic!
