On a flight
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understandinguncertainty.org was produced by the Winton programme for the public understanding of risk based in the Statistical Laboratory in the University of Cambridge. The aim was to help improve the way that uncertainty and risk are discussed in society, and show how probability and statistics can be both useful and entertaining.
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Many years ago I was on leave from working in Papua New Guinea to my then home in Northern Ireland. The night before I was due to return my wife enquired about a person who I had previously worked with in Scotland. Next morning I flew from Belfast to Heathrow and checked in for my onward flight to Hong Kong and then went to sit in the departure lounge. A few minutes later the person we had discussed also came into the lounge. We then talked about another mutual aquaintance and on being called to board bumped into him at the other end of the lounge.
I was returning to PNG, the next person was starting work in Hong Kong and the third was going on holiday.
None of us was aware that the others would be on the same flight.
Date submitted:Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:35:19 +0000Coincidence ID:5682
