5 ms·
I think the difference is that survivorship bias applies when the difference between winners and losers is mostly due to chance. I don't think the fact that we
by bo1024 6y ago
I think the difference is that survivorship bias applies when the difference between winners and losers is mostly due to chance. I don't think the fact that we use 4-legged chairs and not 5-legged is survivorship bias. I believe the Lindy effect's prediction that 4-legged chairs will be around a long time. Of course, whether it's survivorship or not is case-by-case.
- nayuki 6y agoBut every standard office chair with wheels is 5-legged.
- Kliment 6y agoYep, and those are a recent development and much less likely to last than 4-legged chairs. So are, for that matter, offices.
- Stratoscope 6y agoThere's a good reason why office chairs have five legs/wheels where regular chairs have only four: safety. Office chairs have a reclining mechanism. If you ever leaned back too far in an old office chair with four wheels, you would find out the hard way that four isn't enough. It's very easy to lean back comfortably and not realize you've reached the tipping point, fall back and hit your head on the floor or have a close call. My first jobs long ago had four-wheeled office chairs, so you can guess how I found this out. The fifth wheel goes a long way to preventing this danger. You're much less likely to be leaning back in a regular four-legged chair so the front legs come off the ground, and if you do you'll probably be more aware that you are doing something outside the chair's normal mode of use. And even if offices go out of style, office chairs will likely be around long past then.