* Posts by Matthew Rings

1 publicly visible post • joined 13 Jul 2007

Canadian iPod user struck by lightning

Matthew Rings

Not statistically significant, nor direct "cause and effect"

With increasing percentage of people listening to iPods when outdoors, it stands to reason that there will be an increase in people who are struck by lightning that will also, by coincedence, be wearing one.

The relationship between lightning strikes and iPods may be correlated, but in no way a direct "cause and effect"...

Understanding these distinctions is something the general public and reporters are nearly completey ignorant. Journalism school should require a semester or two of Statistics, as they "interpret and report" on so many of these types of stories and medical findings to the public, which have an underlying need for understanding statistics and cause & effect.

Usually, the reporting is a disservice, especially when the headlines are so inflammatory and misleading to the actual underlying facts: misunderstandings that can have huge policy and legal ramifications which are not justified.

Dr. Rings, MD