Ambiguous Data
a: Ambiguous data ~
b: Pointillist Rorschach test
What: Once upon a time, I worked on an novel assay format that involved an antibody binding that changed the electrical current through a well. It looked great at time 0. However, the chemistry was so unstable that the linearity of the assay dropped after it sat around for about 30 minutes. An electronic device measured the change in several electoral parameters every 5 seconds for 16 wells. At the end of a 5 minute assay, about 3000 data points were generated for a single linear curve. People trying to make sense of the numbers saw what they wanted in the data. Some saw a line, some didn't. Once, I think I saw a picture of the Virgin Mary Riding a donkey to Bethlehem. But mostly it was an ambiguous mess.
Useful?
Writer: mattyflynn
LCC: QA
Where:
Date: May 21 2010 12:31 AM
# 400 Critique Analogy