Word count ſhmörd cøunt!

January 27, 2008 5:22 AM

Average word count for anonymous queſtions vs average word count for inanonymous queſtions.

Uſing, as I fear, the egregulous ſcience of NUMBERS and MATH can one give unto me an answer to this age old problem, or make directions for the ſedulous creation of an answer?

Are anonymous queſtions more prolix than their identified counterparts is the thrust of my queſtion contained therein. Render the anſwers erumpently my brethren.

posted by oxford blue to MetaFilter-related at 5:22 AM (20 comments total)

Is your keyboard drunk?
posted by loquacious at 5:29 AM on January 27, 2008 [10 favorites]

While words from you are always appreciated, perhaps we can compoſe haiku for each other later?
posted by oxford blue at 5:33 AM on January 27, 2008

Am I drunk?
posted by wafaa at 5:39 AM on January 27, 2008

Your use of the long s detracts from any serious point you're trying to make. If any.
It reminded me of reading german books in gothic character though. So thanks for that.
posted by jouke at 5:40 AM on January 27, 2008 [2 favorites]

I will never answer a queſtion. Ever.
posted by Plutor at 5:41 AM on January 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

Dear Sir,

I hasten to inform you of recent developments regarding your correspondence on the date of the 27th of January, in our year of the lord two thousand eight. With regards to your query upon the matter of ectomorphic word diasporas in the varied states of anonymity and nonanonymity, my colleagues and I at the Royal Institute of Analysis and Presumptions have come to the conclusion that the verbosity ratio is 5:1 in favour of anonymity. Further details will be forthcoming shortly, but with the storms around the Horn this time of year I fear you may need to be patient. If you or your colleagues need more details, please do not hesitate to contact us.

With The Greatest Regard,
Prof. Charles M. Onkey, III
posted by cmonkey at 5:46 AM on January 27, 2008 [43 favorites]

Cortex made a bunch of data from entire site available for download and do all sorts of number crunching on.

Since I'm not a programmer or number cruncher or math whiz, I'm curious as how would one would go about using all this data. Is there a particular app to use, where equations are entered? Something like get the count of X, where X is the data field containing the verbage of non-anon askmes, then averaging out the sums? Then do the same for the anon askme's right? but then how would you compare and contrast those numbers?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:57 AM on January 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

ADVISED TO USE SCRIPT STOP POST ANSWERS AS YOU FIND THEM STOP SEND TELEGRAM TO CORTEX FULL STOP
posted by 0xFCAF at 6:27 AM on January 27, 2008 [6 favorites]

Reminds me of the time I was at an informal church service and the kid chosen to do the Gospel reading inexplicably decided to do the reading in an atrociously fake English accent.
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:38 AM on January 27, 2008 [3 favorites]

WTf metasilter.
posted by fourcheesemac at 6:41 AM on January 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

Of course they anon Qs are longer, because the OP cannot repost in the thread and therefore tries to give as much info as possible out the gate. It ain't fuckin' rocket science.
posted by dobbs at 6:43 AM on January 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

Is there a particular app to use, where equations are entered?
c:\>cabal.exe
> get the count of X
Which X do you mean, the data field containing the verbage of non-anon askmes, or X?
> the data field containing the verbage of non-anon askmes
You don't need that.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:49 AM on January 27, 2008 [3 favorites]

c:\>cabal.exe

I don't see this in my Applications folder. Is this something you have to download and is it available for Tiger?

Which X do you mean

where X is the data field containing the verbage of non-anon askmes, then averaging out the sums

Or do I not need that?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:56 AM on January 27, 2008

Is it just me, or does anyone else reflexively think "Sectors 83/85" when they see that word?
posted by Wolfdog at 7:25 AM on January 27, 2008

I lift up mine eyes to the OED, whence cometh my salvation:

erumpent
That bursts forth.
1650 BULWER Anthropomet. 131 The Masculine.. faculty.. either erumpent, and progredient, or consumed.
posted by languagehat at 7:33 AM on January 27, 2008

Windows could not find cabal.exe. Do you want to locate cabal.exe yourself?
-------- -----------------------
| CANCEL | | THERE IS NO CABAL.EXE |
-------- -----------------------
posted by Rock Steady at 7:33 AM on January 27, 2008 [2 favorites]

Bah. Preview borked my nbsp's. It looked better, trust me.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:35 AM on January 27, 2008

On an unrelated topic, don't miss this: "A rambling story about student electioneering, and a self-link to a pair of breasts? Congratulations: this is one of the worst posts I've ever seen. This is prize-winningly bad. Pure stunno. You have done exactly nothing right."
posted by brain_drain at 7:50 AM on January 27, 2008 [8 favorites]

Mummy, shall I read this question aloud in Received Pronunciation?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:52 AM on January 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

1. See what dobbs said: Of course they anon Qs are longer, because the OP cannot repost in the thread and therefore tries to give as much info as possible out the gate.

2. With all the Infodump action going on, right now it'd make sense to drop a query this data-specific into that thread or just email me about it. Starting a new thread doesn't really seem necessary in this case.

3. Hey look, I just anſwered it over there.
posted by cortex at 7:59 AM on January 27, 2008 [1 favorite]