[Dragaera] Vlad's Age Revisited

[Maximilian Wilson]

On Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 9:08 AM, Scott Schultz <scott at cjhunter.com> wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Maximilian Wilson [mailto:wilson.max at gmail.com]
>
>>I don't understand this comment. They already know their age, what does it
> mean to try to "put their own age as close to the comparison age as they
> can"?
>
> What I was suggesting (which, I grant you, may just be a reflection of my
> own brain's workings) is that a person making this kind of statement would
> generally pick the closest applicable fraction. That is, if Vlad was 31 he
> would say "Almost two-thirds of the time I've been alive" rather than "More
> than half of the time I've been alive". The latter suggests to me that his
> own age is closer to forty than thirty.
>
> In the end, it's properly imprecise and the specific meaning, if any, is
> mostly reliant on how Steve would approach the usage of that kind of
> phrasing.

Okay, I see now what you were suggesting. I don't disagree, although
there is some question as to how mathematically-minded Vlad is: how
simple is a "simple fraction" in Vlad's mind? It does seem likely that
Vlad is somewhat older than 30 to be making this remark, perhaps 34-39
or so.

Apropos of nothing, I started telling people I was "almost 30" as soon
as I turned 21, because 2/3 is surely "almost." Not everyone seemed to
agree.

-Max

-- 
Be pretty if you are,
Be witty if you can,
But be cheerful if it kills you.

If you're so evil, eat this kitten!