Path: utzoo!yunexus!geac!syntron!jtsv16!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!quintus!ok
From: ok@quintus.uucp (Richard A. O'Keefe)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Bar Wars again (benchmarking)
Message-ID: <575@quintus.UUCP>
Date: 26 Oct 88 09:04:52 GMT
Article-I.D.: quintus.575
References: <4263@wright.mips.COM> <28200213@urbsdc>
Sender: news@quintus.UUCP
Reply-To: ok@quintus.UUCP (Richard A. O'Keefe)
Organization: Quintus Computer Systems, Inc.
Lines: 11

In article <28200213@urbsdc> aglew@urbsdc.Urbana.Gould.COM writes:
>The theory-hypothesis-controlled experiment cycle is only one
>part of the scientific process, the part that is applied to
>relatively (1) well-understood and (2) easy to manipulate systems.
>Eg. biology - at least meets criterion (2);

Pull the other one.  Maybe some parts of biology have easy-to-manipulate
systems, but the part which is most analogous to performance measurement
-- bioenergetic measurements on live animals engaged in natural behaviour --
is notoriously hard.  [You think not?  How would _you_ measure
instantaneous oxygen consumption in a bat chasing a moth?]