Haim
Posts:
7,807
Registered:
12/6/04
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Re: Technology In Education
Posted:
Nov 30, 2007 12:54 PM
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MPG Posted: Nov 30, 2007 11:31 AM
>Isn't that special? Of course he believes his data
>(even his non- data) are best.
It is an idiom, Michael. "The best there is" does not mean "the best". It does not even mean "good", necessarily. It means, "it's all we have". Paradoxically (as all human languages are), in English, "the best there is" is an admission of weaknesses not a boast about quality. Gosh, I hope you are not criticizing Wayne for his honesty.
For instance, if I look into the food sack and tell you that moldy bread is "the best there is", I am not telling you that moldy bread is haute cuisine, or even that it is particularly good. I am telling you only there is nothing else. But, if you have been starving for a week, you might just consider eating it.
The one criticism of Wayne that even comes close to ringing true is that he can be, sometimes, a bit overly aggressive in demanding data. This aggressiveness obviously comes out of years of frustration with an industry that makes grandiose, and very expensive, claims and is never called to account.
I feel sure we can all sympathize with his frustration.
Haim
Je me souviens
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