testing4l: Ok, I have a fashion question to ask you.theotherchicago: shoottesting4l: Imagine for a moment that I grew one of those rings of facial hair that are ever so popular these days.theotherchicago: the little goatee-rings?testing4l: Yes. Preciselytheotherchicago: what about that?testing4l: 1) Approximately how ridiculous would I look?theotherchicago: pretty ridiculoustesting4l: 2) Approximately how would that affect my chances of eventually making out with you?theotherchicago: ...testing4l: That's actually a serious question 8)theotherchicago: yes, my serious answer is a blank stare :Ptesting4l: I can't quantify that! =(testing4l: This requires a careful weighing of oddstheotherchicago: i don't believe in numbers!testing4l: Also, it answers the question of whether chicks are more likely to dig me because of my boyish good looks or because of my willingness to embrace the ridiculous?theotherchicago: hmmtheotherchicago: shrug testing4l: If the latter, then I'll continue on to Green Arrow proportions testing4l:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e9/Green_Arrow_The_Longbow_Hunters.jpg/180px-Green_Arrow_The_Longbow_Hunters.jpg
theotherchicago: green arrow is hottheotherchicago: for what it's worth ;Ptesting4l: Interesting. How would that affect my chances of making out with you? theotherchicago: ...testing4l: /me is noting this all down on a notepad.testing4l: So, basically, I'm getting from you that facial hair is not a deciding factor on your decision to make out with me or not make out with me.theotherchicago: pretty muchtheotherchicago: though i don't particularly dig a shit-ton of it testing4l: Anyway, at least part of the reason I'm asking you is because a girl I know is trying to coax me into growing a smidge o' beard.theotherchicago: shrugtesting4l: and, while making out with her is awesome, it makes me wonder how that affects my chances with other girls.testing4l: So, it's a calculated risk thing.testing4l: I think the thing that worries me most about a blank stare is the ambiguity.theotherchicago: hahtesting4l: The only way to truly breach the ambiguity is to actually *try* testing4l: and, well, I suspect you have a nasty right cross for the poor bastard who does 8)theotherchicago: indeedtesting4l: See -- and that just brings in a whole new expected value calculation. testing4l: Ph is the probability you hit me. Pk is the probability you make out with me.testing4l: Ph can be further subdivided. Pg is the probability that you hit me and I like it. Pb is the probability that you hit me and it hurts.testing4l: Pg + Pb == Phtesting4l: So, now I have to determine the relative good or badth of each outcome. testing4l: Pk will have a relative goodth of 1.testing4l: Pg will have a relative goodth of .3 -- not so much into the whole getting beaten up thing.testing4l: Pb will have a relative goodth of -1.testing4l: So, Pk + Pg * .3 - Pb yields an expected value.testing4l: Assume Pk is .5testing4l: Pg would be pretty low for the reasons already mentionedtesting4l: So, that'd be 1*.5 + .3*.00000000001 + -1*.499999999999testing4l: That yields a positive expected value, but only barely.testing4l: So that suggests that the next time I see you, I should actively try making out with you.testing4l: But I have this intuition that Pb is actually much higher than I know and that Pk, correspondingly is low.testing4l: (tell me, at this point, are you more creeeped out by this or amused?)theotherchicago more creeped, honestlytesting4l: Hmm. That suggests a very low Pk.testing4l: which means negative expected value.testing4l: Which means that a blank stare could mean that you really want to make out with me, but mathematics forbids me from ever taking that chance.testing4l: We'll be forever separated by numbers, dear theotherchicago. Estimations and margins of error grow ever wider to greaten the gap between us.testing4l: If that isn't poetry, then I don't know what is. If you can't believe in numbers, then maybe, just maybe, you can believe in my narrative. 
