Subject: *** FAQ for STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT ***
I've been busy the past few months, but here is the latest version of the
STAT-L FAQ. Comments and suggestions are welcome; please note my new
address.
I added a new section "How do I know that my message got posted" since
that seems to be the cause for a lot of duplicative postings. Richard
Ulrich had some nice comments about this and about cross-posting, which I
borrowed and adapted. I also surfed the web to plug in many of the gaps
in the FAQ, such as details about some of the stat software resources in
section 8.
*** FAQ for STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT ***
Table of contents
1. What is STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT?
2. What are other related listserv/usenet groups?
3. How are STAT-L and SCI.STAT.CONSULT related?
4. How do I know that my message got posted?
5. How do I use LISTSSERV to...
6. How do I get the archives of STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT?
7. How can I contact the American Statistical Association?
8. How can I contact the major statistics software vendors?
9. What is Statlib?
10. Where can I find free/shareware statistical software?
11. What statistics resources can be found on the web?
12. What should I do about these "Spams"?
13. Acknowledgments
1. What is STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT?
STAT-L and SCI.STAT.CONSULT are a combined LISTSERV/USENET
group for the discussion of statistical consulting issues.
We discuss statistical issues of all levels of difficulty,
as well as statistical education, the practice of
statistical consulting, and other related topics. We also
like to debate some of the more controversial issues in
Statistics like the validity of the statistical models used
in the Bell Curve book and the pitfalls of stepwise
regression models.
If you have a question about a particular statistics
package, you will probably get a faster and more accurate
answer by posting the question on the list that specializes
in a particular package (e.g., SAS-L/COMP.SOFT-SYS.SAS or
S-NEWS).
We appreciate questions at a levels from beginner to expert.
Sometimes, the beginner questions lead to some interesting
discussions as to the subtle nuances in statistical
consulting.
If you want advice on how to analyze some data, please
include some context as to what your data means and what you
are trying to investigate. No one can answer a question well
that only says "Listed below is some data. How do I analyze
it?"
Be careful about advice on STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT. You'll
find many people who are glad to help you, but you must
realize the serious limitations of e-mail. There is no
adequate substitute for getting advice face-to-face with a
professional, especially BEFORE collecting any data and
BEFORE performing any experiments. Even the most experienced
and wise Statisticians will be unable to make sense out of a
poorly designed study.
There are three types of messages that we discourage. First,
try to avoid any overly commercial pitches, including
posting your resume. On the other hand, we do like to hear
about job openings, especially ones that list starting
salaries so we can bemoan how little we make on our current
jobs. Postings of upcoming conferences are also acceptable.
Second, don't post your homework questions on here, even if
you have permission to do so from your teacher. On the other
hand, asking for recommendations on books for beginners is
fine.
Third, while we enjoy a spirited debate, please refrain from
flaming and personal attacks. Although we have occasional
lapses, this list has a generally high level of civility and
politeness. Let's keep it that way.
Here's some additional advice from Richard Ulrich for
SCI.STAT.CONSULT folks.
>If you are going to CROSS-POST to several groups, PLEASE send
>just one message in which you LIST THE SEVERAL GROUPS in the
>header.
>i) That way, when someone writes a response, it will show
>up in EACH group where the question could be read, not just in
>one.
>ii) That way, when a person reads with a Threaded-newsreader,
>he will see your message just ONCE, instead of over and over.
2. What are other related LISTSERV/USENET groups?
Mailing lists for specific software packages (e.g., BMDP-L,
S-NEWS, SAS-L) are covered in section 8.
Note: Mike Fuller is maintaining a list of statistics
lists, which probably is more accurate than what I have
developed below. Here is an excerpt from one of his
e-mails:
>The latest version of my list of statistics lists is always
>available as follows. Send a one line email message to
>
> mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk
>
> send minitab list-of-lists
>
>The list is kept with the files of the minitab list simply
>for my convenience, as the list owner of the minitab list is
>me.
>
>The list can also be accessed using gopher. Use the command
>
> gopher mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk
>
>to reach mailbase and then use menus to get to the minitab
>list, where you can see and retrieve a copy of the file."
Please, please, please note that subscription requests go to
the LISTSERV or MAILBASE address. If you send a subscription
request to the list itself, it will be read by hundreds or
thousands of people, none of whom can get you subscribed.
Some of these people will be annoyed enough at your naivete
that they will introduce you to a concept known as "flaming".
ALBERT-GIFI
The Albert Gifi mailing list discusses correspondence
analysis, multidimensional scaling, nonlinear
multivariate analysis, and optimal scaling.
Subscribe to: LISTSERV@JULIA.MATH.UCLA.EDU
How to subscribe: subscribe ALBERT-GIFI First-name Last-name
Post message to: ALBERT-GIFI@JULIA.MATH.UCLA.EDU
ALLSTAT
Discussions on this list are similar to
STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT, but there is a decidedly
British flavor to ALLSTAT and a more U.S. flavor to
STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT. This is particularly
noticeable in the postings of meetings.
ALLSTAT is a Mailbase system so it uses a slightly
different syntax than the LISTSERV system.
Subscribe to: MAILBASE@MAILBASE.AC.UK
How to subscribe: subscribe ALLSTAT
Post message to: ALLSTAT@MAILBASE.AC.UK
Note: Several people tell me that MAILBASE does not
like it when you include your name in the SUBSCRIBE
command.
EDSTAT-L/SCI.STAT.EDU
This can also be found under bit.listserv.edstat-l.
Subscribe to: LISTSERV@JSE.STAT.NCSU.EDU
How to subscribe: subscribe EDSTAT-L Firstname Lastname
Post message to: EDSTAT-L@JSE.STAT.NCSU.EDU
MULTILEVEL
This list is for people using multilevel analysis
(multilevel modeling; hierarchical data analysis) and
any associated software (e.g. MLn, HLM, VARCL, GENMOD).
It aims to promote discussion, mutual support, and the
spread of information (e.g. conferences, workshops, new
software).
MULTILEVEL is a MAILBASE system so it uses a slightly
different syntax than the LISTSERV system.
Subscribe to: MAILBASE@MAILBASE.AC.UK
How to subscribe: subscribe MULTILEVEL first-name last-name
Post message to: MAILBASE@MAILBASE.AC.UK
SCI.STAT.MATH
A more mathematical flavor can be found on
SCI.STAT.MATH, which sad to say, is not mirrored to any
LISTSERVer.
SEMNET
Researchers who study or apply structural equation
modeling methods may be interested in an electronic
mail network called SEMNET. Operating over the Internet
computer network, SEMNET is an open forum for ideas and
questions about the methodology that includes analysis
of covariance structures, path analysis, and
confirmatory factor analysis. SEMNET bridges the gaps
between users, between disciplines, and between
conferences. SEMNET was founded in February 1993. As
of April 1995, SEMNET had over 500 subscribers
worldwide.
SEMNET is for sharing ideas about this methodology with
other interested researchers. SEMNET is also for
researchers who are just learning (or re-learning)
about structural equation modeling, or who are facing
problems in applying these techniques to their own
research.
SEMNET maintains an FAQ on:
http://www.gsu.edu/~mkteer/semfaq.html
Subscribe to: LISTSERV@UA1VM.UA.EDU
How to subscribe: sub SEMNET first-name last-name
Post message to: SEMNET@UA1VM.UA.EDU
3. How are STAT-L and SCI.STAT.CONSULT related?
Through the magic of Internet, any message posted on
SCI.STAT.CONSULT also appears on STAT-L. Any message posted
on STAT-L appears on SCI.STAT.CONSULT. So you can follow all
the fascinating questions and answers using either system.
We have had many anecdotal reports of messages posted on
STAT-L not appearing on SCI.STAT.CONSULT. Bob Wheeler
offers the following comment:
>The problem is real and is caused by the settings of
>expiration dates on news items. Local machines have limited
>space to store items, and so those older than some given
>date are discarded. Since messages bounce around the
>Internet before arriving at a local machine, they are
>sometimes DOA (deleted on arrival) because they are older
>than the local expiration setting. It can also happen that
>the local machine subscribes to a service and the service
>deletes items before forwarding -- thus the local manager
>sometimes has no control over the problem, other than to
>use a different service.
4. How do I know that my message got posted?
First of all, be patient. It takes a while for your message to
be posted. There's nothing more annoying than seeing the same
messages posted again and again by people who are unsure whether
their messages got through.
While the Internet is faster than the Post Office, it isn't
always instantaneous. Wait for half a day or more before
panicking.
If you are using SCI.STAT.CONSULT, there is a place where you
can practice sending test messages (MISC.TEST or NEWS.TEST).
If you are a beginner, don't post to SCI.STAT.CONSULT until
after you are comfortable posting to one of these test groups.
If you are using STAT-L, by default you will not see your own
messages, nor will you receive any acknowledgment that your
message was posted. See the next section for details on changing
this default.
Also, please note that not every question posted on
STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT gets an answer. No one is getting paid
for their time, so you need to appeal to their curiosity or
their altruism. If no one answered your question, maybe you
need to ask the question differently?
5. How do I use LISTSERV to...
Subscribe to STAT-L?
First things first. If you are using SCI.STAT.CONSULT,
your USENET reader software should have a menu pick or
a command that will allow you to subscribe to
SCI.STAT.CONSULT. Every reader is different, so please
consult your help file or your local computer guru.
To subscribe to STAT-L, send a message to
LISTSERV@VM1.MCGILL.CA with a single line:
SUB STAT-L First-name Last-name
in the body of the text.
Please be sure that you send the message to
LISTSERV@VM1.MCGILL.CA and not to STAT-L@VM1.MCGILL.CA.
If you send your subscription request to STAT-L,
hundreds of people will see your message and none of
them will be able to subscribe you to the list. Some in
fact will flame you for not reading these instructions
more carefully.
It's sort of like a newspaper which has a circulation
desk and a letters-to-the-editor desk. If you want to
start delivery of the paper you send it to the
circulation desk. If you want to start delivery of
STAT-L, you send the request to LISTSERV. Sending a
subscription request to STAT-L is like sending a letter
to the editor that reads "Please start delivery of the
Sunday paper to 1313 Mockingbird Lane".
Get the digest option turned on/off?
If you have no strong preference, the digest option
(multiple messages compiled into a single mailing,
usually daily) is less burdensome on Internet and
creates fewer bounced messages for the list
administrator to deal with. The default when you sign
up is for the digest option.
To cancel digest format and to receive the list as
separate mailings, send the command
SET STAT-L MAIL
to LISTSERV@VM1.MCGILL.CA.
To receive the list in digest format, send the command
SET STAT-L DIGEST
in the body of a message to LISTSERV@VM1.MCGILL.CA.
Again, please be sure that you send all of these types
of messages to LISTSERV@VM1.MCGILL.CA and not to
STAT-L@VM1.MCGILL.CA.
Obtain a list of subscribers to STAT-L?
Send the command
REVIEW STAT-L F=MAIL
to LISTSERV@VM1.MCGILL.CA or to sort by name send the
command
REVIEW STAT-L BY NAME F=MAIL
or to sort by country send the command
REVIEW STAT-L BY COUNTRY F=MAIL
This does not include subscribers to SCI.STAT.CONSULT,
as they do not subscribe to the list the same way. I
know of no way to obtain the list of subscribers to
SCI.STAT.CONSULT.
Keep my name off of the list of subscribers
Send the a message to LISTSERV@VM1.MCGILL.CA with a
line in the body of the message reading
SET STAT-L CONCEAL YES
To reverse this, send the command
SET STAT-L CONCEAL NO
Get a copy of my posting to STAT-L?
By default, STAT-L does not send you a copy of the
message that you send in. You read it when you wrote
it, so why would you want to read it again? Well,
okay, a very eloquent message is worth keeping and
re-reading.
You can change the default option in two ways.
The command
SET STAT-L REPRO
will cause STAT-L to send you back a copy of any
message you send in.
The command
SET STAT-L ACK
will cause STAT-L to send a brief acknowledgment that
your message has been sent to the list.
If you want to go back to the default, send the command
SET STAT-L NOREPRO
All of these commands go to LISTSERV and not to STAT-L.
Stop mail from STAT-L (temporarily or permanently)?
Send a message to LISTSERV@VM1.MCGILL.CA (again, please
don't send the message to STAT-L@VM1.MCGILL.CA). To
signoff permanently, include the line
UNSUBSCRIBE STAT-L
in the body of the message. To temporarily suspend
mail, use the line
SET STAT-L NOMAIL
and when you are ready to resume reading, use the line
SET STAT-L MAIL
or
SET listname DIGEST
depending on your preference for individual messages
versus a daily digest.
What if my initial signoff command doesn't work
This happens sometimes, particularly if your e-mail
address changes, even slightly. I would recommend that
you get a list of subscribers and see how your e-mail
address looks to the system (see above for details).
Some mail systems (like ELM) allow you to change the
FROM field of a message. If your mail system supports
this, then try sending a message to LISTSERV and change
the FROM field so it looks like it came from the
original address.
You could also ask your system administrator to create
a temporary (or permanent) alias name for you for
outbound messages (including the necessary deviant
domain part).
If none of the above works, or if it seems too
complicated, don't panic. Every list has a human owner
who can go in and unsubscribe you manually. You can
find the e-mail address of the list owner on the same
list of subscribers that you just got (again, see
above).
When I last checked in August 1995, the list owner was
* OWNER= MICHAEL@VM1.MCGILL.CA
(Michael Walsh, McGill University)
* (514-398-3680)
The key thing to remember here is that only the list
owner can help you with this. Sending a message to
STAT-L will not help much unless the list owner happens
to be following STAT-L right at that moment. Send a
message directly to the list owner, explaining your
problem. The list owner will manually unsubscribe you
from STAT-L.
6. How do I get the archives of STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT?
The are three ways to get archives of
STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT.
First, the LISTSERV software for STAT-L maintains monthly
archive files. To obtain a listing of these file names,
send the command
INDEX STAT-L
to LISTSERV.VM1.MCGILL.CA, and to retrieve an archive file
send the command
GET filename filetype F=MAIL
You can also search the archives for keywords
For a full description of LISTSERV search functions, send
the command
GET LISTDB MEMO F=MAIL
to LISTSERV@UMINN1.BITNET.
You can also use GOPHER to search the archives:
gopher://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/11/othergroups/statl/
7. How can I contact the American Statistical Association?
American Statistical Association
1429 Duke St.
Alexandria, VA 22314-3402
Tel: 703-684-1221
FAX: 703-684-2036.
E-M: ASAINFO@ASA.MHS.COMPUSERVE.COM
Web: http://www.amstat.org
8. How can I contact the major statistics software vendors?
Many of these companies have numerous locations and
international distributors. I have only listed corporate
headquarters to save space. If you can, check out the web
site to get more detailed information.
Also please bear in mind that mergers and other business
activity may quickly make parts of this list obsolete.
Finally, I need to repeat my earlier plea about listservers.
Please, please, please note that subscription requests go to
the LISTSERV or MAILBASE or MAJORSDOMO address.
APTECH SYSTEMS INC. (GAUSS)
Aptech Systems, Inc.
23804 SE Kent-Kangley Road
Maple Valley, WA 98038 USA
Tel: 206-432-7855
FAX: 206-432-7832
E-M: support@aptech.com (support)
info@aptech.com (sales information)
GAUSS mailing list:
Subscribe to: MAJORDOMO@ECO.UTEXAS.EDU
How to subscribe: subscribe GAUSSIANS
Post message to: GAUSSIANS@ECO.UTEXAS.EDU
CIVILIZED SOFTWARE (MLAB)
Web: http://www.civilized.com
CONCEPTUAL SOFTWARE INC. (DBMS/COPY)
Conceptual Software Inc.
9660 Hillcroft # 510
Houston, TX 77096.
DATA DESCRIPTION, INC. (DATADESK)
Data Description, Inc.
Box 4555
Ithaca, NY 14853
Tel: (607) 257-1000
FAX: (607) 257-4146
E-M: datadesk@datadesk.com
MATHSOFT (MATHCAD)
MathSoft, Inc.
101 Main Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
Tel: 617 577-1017
970-339-7119 (Support, daily from 9am to 9pm EST)
800-MATHCAD (Sales, US or Canada)
44-131-451-6720 (Sales outside the US/Canada)
Fax: 617 577-8829
Web: http://www.mathsoft.com
E-M: ideas@mathsoft.com (comments and suggestions)
support@mathsoft.com (Support, US or Canada)
help@mathsoft.com (Support outside US/Canada)
sales-info@mathsoft.com (Sales, US or Canada)
int-info@mathsoft.com (Sales outside US/Canada)
MATHWORKS (MATLAB)
The MathWorks, Inc.
24 Prime Park Way
Natick, MA 01760-1500
Tel: (508) 653-1415
Fax: (508) 653-2997
Web: http://www.mathworks.com/home.html
E-M: info@mathworks.com (Sales, pricing, information)
support@mathworks.com (Technical support)
bugs@mathworks.com (Bug reports)
suggest@mathworks.com (Product suggestions)
service@mathworks.com (Service)
MINITAB INC.
Minitab Inc.
3081 Enterprise Drive
State College, PA 16801
Tel: 814 238-3280
Fax: 814 238-4383
Web: http://www.minitab.com
E-M: sales@minitab.com
NCSS
Web: http://www.ncss.com
PALISADE CORPORATION (@RISK)
Web: http://www.palisade.com
RESAMPLINGS STATS
Web: http://www.statistics.com
E-M: stats@cais.com
SAS INSTITUTE (JMP, SAS)
SAS Institute Inc.
SAS Campus Drive
Cary, NC 27513
Tel: 919 677-8000
919 677-8008 (JMP technical support)
919 677-8000, ext 5071 (JMP sales)
Fax: 919 677-8123
Web: http://www.sas.com
ftp: ftp://ftp.sas.com
E-M: corpcom@unx.sas.com (Corporate Communications)
sasedu@vm.sas.com (Education)
eurwww@mvs.sas.com (European Offices)
pubs@unx.sas.com (Publications)
software@sas.sas.com (Sales and Marketing)
bussol@unx.sas.com (Business Solutions Division)
sasblb2@vm.sas.com (jmp-sales)
JMP mailing list:
Subscribe to: MAJORDOMO@WUBIO.WUSTL.EDU
How to subscribe: subscribe JMP-L
Post message to: JMP-L@WUBIOS.WUSTL.EDU
SAS mailing list:
Subscribe to: LISTSERV@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU
How to subscribe: subscribe SAS-L First-name Last-name
Post message to: SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU
SAS Technical Support News
Subscribe to: LISTSERV@VM.SAS.COM
How to subscribe: subscribe TSNEWS-L First-name Last-name
Post message to: Messages posted by SAS Institute only
SCIENTIFIC CONSULTING INC (PCNONLIN)
E-M: 75450.3171@compuserve.com
SPSS Inc. (BMDP, SPSS, Systat)
SPSS, Inc.
444 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago IL 60611
Tel: 312 329-3410
800 543-2185
312-494-3283 (SYSTAT Technical Support)
Fax: 312/329-3668
BBS: 312/836-1900 (8/N/1)
ftp: ftp.spss.com
E-M: support@spss.com
BMDP mailing list:
Subscribe to: LISTSERV@VM1.MCGILL.CA
How to subscribe: sub BMDP-L Firstname Lastname
Post messages to: BMDP-L@VM1.MCGILL.CA
SPSS mailing list:
Subscribe to: LISTSERV@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU
How to subscribe: sub SPSSX-L Firstname Lastname
Post messages to: SPSSX-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU
SYSTAT mailing list:
Subscribe to: LISTSERV@SPSS.COM
How to subscribe: sub SYSTAT-L Firstname Lastname
Post messages to: SYSTAT-L@SPSS.COM
STATA CORPORATION
Stata Corporation
702 University Drive East
College Station, Texas 77840
Tel: 409-696-4600
800-STATA-PC
Fax: 409-696-4601
E-M: stata@stata.com
STATA mailing list:
Subscribe to: LISTPROC@DSG.HARVARD.EDU
How to subscribe: subscribe STATALIST First-name Last-name
Post messages to: STATALIST@DSG.HARVARD.EDU
STATISTICAL SCIENCES (S-PLUS)
Statistical Sciences, Suite 500
1700 Westlake Avenue N.
Seattle WA 98109-9891
Tel: (206) 283-8802 (business)
(800) 569-0123 (sales)
Fax: (206) 283-6310
Web: http://www.statsci.com/
E-M: sales@statsci.com (Sales)
support@statsci.com (Support)
mktg@statsci.com (Marketing)
S-plus mailing list:
Subscribe to: S-NEWS-REQUEST@UTSTAT.TORONTO.EDU
How to subscribe: subscribe
Post messages to: S-NEWS@UTSTAT.TORONTO.EDU
Also check out the parent company, Mathsoft.
STATSOFT (STATISTICA)
StatSoft, Inc.
2300 East 14th Street
Tulsa, OK, USA 74104-4442
Tel: (918) 749-1119
Fax: (918) 749-2217
Web: http://www.statsoftinc.com
E-M: info@statsoftinc.com
9. What is Statlib?
Statlib is a system for distributing statistical software by
electronic mail and ftp.
To access the statlib server, send a mail message to
statlib@lib.stat.cmu.edu. For starters, do the following
on your machine:
mail statlib@lib.stat.cmu.edu
send index
send index from S
This will give you an index of the general and S-specific
material available on the statlib server.
Remember that the server does not understand English or any
other language. Your requests must be exactly in the form
specified.
Anonymous ftp access is also available. Type:
ftp lib.stat.cmu.edu
At the login prompt, type "statlib" (without the quotes)
and give your e-mail address as the password.
A `mirror' of the statlib archive in the UK will shortly be
available at unix.hensa.ac.uk:
mail netlib@unix.hensa.ac.uk
send browser
for further details of the mail server.
The site can also be accessed by telnet (log in as
'archive') or by anonymous ftp. The statlib archive is under
/statlib.
10. Where can I find free/shareware statistical software?
EPI-INFO/EPI-MAP
Epi-info is a series of computer programs produced by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
World Health Organization which provides public-domain
software for word processing, database and statistics
work in public health.
Epi-info can be downloaded at
ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/epi/epiinfo.
Support is available through
Tel: (404) 728-0545
FAX: (404) 315-6440
E-M: EpiInfo@CDC1.CDC.GOV
There is a companion product, Epi-map, for geographic
mapping. It can be downloaded at
ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/epi/epimap.
XLISP-STAT
XLISP-STAT is a comprehensive statistical environment based
on the XLISP dialect of LISP. It runs on Amiga, Macintosh,
MS-DOS, MS-Windows, and X11. XLISP-STAT is highly extensible,
and many interesting extensions can be found at Statlib (see
above for details about Statlib).
XLISP-STAT can be downloaded at
ftp://ftp.stat.umn.edu/pub/xlispstat
There is a mailing list, stat-lisp-news. At the moment,
the list is maintained by hand.
Subscribe to: LISTSERV@JULIA.MATH.UCLA.EDU
How to subscribe: Ask to join and include your e-mail address
Post message to: stat-lisp-news@stat.umn.edu
11. What statistics resources can be found on the web?
There are lots of interesting statistics sites on the web,
and the web is growing and changing rapidly. Here are some
interesting sites, and you are welcome to send in other
good web sites. Pointers to other interesting sites may be
found, of course, on these web pages listed below.
Measurement theory FAQ:
ftp://ftp.sas.com/pub/neural/measurement.html
Neural networks FAQ:
ftp://ftp.sas.com/pub/neural/FAQ.html
Statistical power analysis software (Len Thomas):
http://conservation.forestry.ubc.ca:8080/cacb/power
Statistics on the Web (Clay Helberg):
http://maddog.fammed.wisc.edu/~helberg/statistics.html
Statistics servers and other links (The Institute of
Statistics and Decision Sciences):
http://www.isds.duke.edu/stats-sites.html
12. What should I do about these "Spams"?
A message distributed across multiple newsgroups or list
servers, usually for commercial purposes is known as a Spam.
Some examples of Spams that have hit STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT
are the green card lawyers, information about lonely women
in Russia, and blueprints of the original atom bomb.
First, keep in mind that often it is not the original spam
messages that are so conspicuous as potentially intrusive,
but rather the inevitable threads of discussion which seem
to result from them. Please do not complain to STAT-L about
a spam. The person who sent the spam is almost certainly not
a subscriber to STAT-L and will not see your complaint.
Other victims of the spam will see your complaint though,
which multiplies the annoying effect of the spam.
There are constructive steps that you can take to discourage
a spam but be assured that hundreds if not thousands of
people have probably already done this on your behalf. You
can do nothing and still be assured that others are looking
out for everyone's interests.
So the best course of action is to shrug off the message.
You might want to get in the practice of recognizing a
spam by its subject line and deleting it unread.
If you don't want to ignore the spam, try following the
advice given recently by Michael Palij:
>In a situation such as this I suggest that you send E-mail
>to the postmaster of the machine from which the offending
>E-mail was sent, alerting the postmaster of the E-mail
>message and including a copy of the E-mail message. If
>for some reason postmaster@machine does not work send
>E-mail to root@machine. Don't respond to the person of
>the account that sent the E-mail nor mailbomb. The
>reasons for this are:
>1. The E-mail may have a forged name/account. That is,
>the return address may be bogus or belong to someone who
>has a legitimate account on the specific machine but who
>did not send the E-mail.
>2. Some people, if they want to punish a particular
>person/account or machine, may send out a spam message
>such as the one above, with the expectation that the
>person's account or machine/site will be overwhelmed by
>the reaction (yes, some people will send a copy of a
>coredump or Moby Dick to the offending E-mail address in
>the hope that it will crash the mail program). In this
>way, an innocent person gets hurt because of a set-up.
>3. Notifying the person who has responsibility for the
>machine (i.e., the postmaster or root) will allow that
>person to determine whether one of their real users
>posted the message (and give that person a good talking
>to) or whether their system was hacked and someone posted
>the offending message as a prank/whatever.
>In general, try to stay cool about such occurrences, E-mail
>the postmaster to investigate the situation, and appreciate
>that much more may be going on than you realize.
13 Acknowledgments
This list has grown thanks to the small and large
contributions of many people. Part of it was shamelessly
stolen from well written messages on STAT-L. Here is a
partial list of people who you should thank for directly or
indirectly contributing to this FAQ:
Gary Ash
Grant Blank
Byron Davis
Emil Friedman
Mike Fuller
Duane Griffin
Clay Helberg
Jan de Leeuw
Tim Hesterberg
Haiko Luepsen
Brian C. Monsell
John Nash
Michael Palij
David Ronis
Warren Sarle
Ronald Schoenberg
Jim Steiger
Len Thomas
Richard Ulrich
Vittorio Viaggi
Meredith Warshaw
Bob Wheeler
John Whittington
Sara Young
If there are errors in this FAQ, they are probably my fault;
it is difficult to accurately transcibe all of the
information I have receive, even with cut and paste. Please
send any corrections and additions. Complaints are
appreciated also, but please realize that I am doing this
on a volunteer effort, mostly during lunch breaks and after
work hours.
Steve Simon, ssimon@cmh.edu (note new address)
Standard disclaimer applies.
*** End of FAQ for STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT ***
Subject: Re: optimization software
Hi,
David recently asked about software for optimization. I thought thet part of
my reply might be of general interest. If not, just hit the delete key and
forget it.
james ssemakula
TeamOS2
--------------
Also checkout SAS/IML. See:
1. SAS/IML Software: Changes and Enhancements thru Rel 6.11
2. Wolfgang Hartman & Ying SO 1995.al. Nonlinear Least-Squares and
Maximum-Likelihood Estimation Using PROC NLP & SAS/IML
3. W. Hartman The NLP Procedure: Release 6.10 & 6.11: Extended User's Guide.
4. Harman, Minbo Kim & Ying C So. Applications of Nonlinear Optimization
Using PROC NLP and SAS/IML Software.
You can get a copy of pubs 2-4 by calling Wolfgang at SI: 919-677-8000 x
7612 or sending e-mail to saswmh@unx.sas.com. Wolfgang is very helpful.
Cheers!
james ssemakula
uc riverside
TeamOS2
ps: PROC LP in SAS/OR could also be used for optimization.