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It's about as meaningful as asking 9 people in the same, small, rural town if they like going to the library, then concluding that x/10 people, in general, like

It's about as meaningful as asking 9 people in the same, small, rural town if they like going to the library, then concluding that x/10 people, in general, like going to the library. Maybe that particular town has a really shitty library.

dcbadacd 8y ago
Or a really good one.
- anonytrary 8y ago
  Or, maybe 9 just isn't enough to get an idea of the other 900,000,000,000,000,000,000... planets.
bufferoverflow 8y ago
I like reading, but i hate libraries (as in physical buildings), at least in the western countries. With almost everyone having internet access, there's no point. Digitize everything, put it online.
- tropdrop 8y ago
  I hate sports, but I don't argue there's no point to them because there's no point to them for me. A library's advantage isn't just "musty old books" books (some young people, myself included, love physical books and have small apartments!). It's also a free, public space you can come to just be. If you're a kid who has no spending money, you can come to do your homework, or code. Especially relevant for kids who have a poor learning environment at home (too many siblings, parents fighting, etc.)
- lawlorino 8y ago
  Thanks for sharing your opinion I guess?
- starbeast 8y ago
  Are you currently in charge of the UK government, by any chance? I only ask, because presumably someone has to be and it doesn't look like it is the people on the telly.
simonh 8y ago
Depending on the result, it could tell you a lot more about libraries than no result. For example if a large proportion do use the library, that's not necessarily evidence of high library use generally, but it does show that high library use is possible and that libraries are used in some places at all, where before you might not have known either of those things. Furthermore even if life on Mars was seeded from earth, it tells us that seeding between planets is possible and therefore likely occurs in at least some other solar systems. See the German Tank Problem. Even a sample of one tank is vastly better than no tanks, and even two tanks can be a surprisingly useful data set.

dcbadacd 8y ago

Or a really good one.

anonytrary 8y ago
Or, maybe 9 just isn't enough to get an idea of the other 900,000,000,000,000,000,000... planets.

bufferoverflow 8y ago

I like reading, but i hate libraries (as in physical buildings), at least in the western countries. With almost everyone having internet access, there's no point. Digitize everything, put it online.

tropdrop 8y ago
I hate sports, but I don't argue there's no point to them because there's no point to them for me. A library's advantage isn't just "musty old books" books (some young people, myself included, love physical books and have small apartments!). It's also a free, public space you can come to just be. If you're a kid who has no spending money, you can come to do your homework, or code. Especially relevant for kids who have a poor learning environment at home (too many siblings, parents fighting, etc.)
lawlorino 8y ago
Thanks for sharing your opinion I guess?
starbeast 8y ago
Are you currently in charge of the UK government, by any chance? I only ask, because presumably someone has to be and it doesn't look like it is the people on the telly.

simonh 8y ago

Depending on the result, it could tell you a lot more about libraries than no result. For example if a large proportion do use the library, that's not necessarily evidence of high library use generally, but it does show that high library use is possible and that libraries are used in some places at all, where before you might not have known either of those things. Furthermore even if life on Mars was seeded from earth, it tells us that seeding between planets is possible and therefore likely occurs in at least some other solar systems. See the German Tank Problem. Even a sample of one tank is vastly better than no tanks, and even two tanks can be a surprisingly useful data set.