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BRENNER_SCALE

                                              December 17, 2005
                                         Rev: January  23, 2007

You know how people rate
stuff "on a scale of 1 to
10" and so on?

Well, the "Brenner Scale"             As invented by the
is a little different
(of course):                             TOADKEEPER

Zero is neutral, with
positive or negative
values counting up or
down from there.

   Roughly there                       Though really
   are 7 levels:                       it's a little
                   +1                  more complicated
                   +1/2                than that.
                    0+
                    0                    There are ratings
                    0-                   such as "0+?",
                   -1/2                  where the uncertainty
                   -1                    might indicate it's
                                         a little weaker
                                         than a "0+".

Some features:                              (And why we put
                                             the plus or minus
     o  Zero is absolutely                   after the zero,
        neutral, neither                     I could not tell
        good or bad.                         you.)

     o  If you feel like you
        gained something, you
        give it a positive       Note: the focus is on
        rating; if you feel      your own reactions.
        like you lost
        something, then you         You're not allowed to
        give it a negative.         count the benefit to
                                    some hypothetical         It could be that
     o  There's no specified        audience.                 this is a flaw
        limit to the range of                                 of the scale.
        the numbers, but being
        very restrained in                                      You can not
        magnitudes is                                           use it to
        recommended.                                            judge politcal
                                                                propaganda,
     Most things just get rated                                 for example.
     0+ or 0-: "plus side of            The idea is to
     neutral" or "minus side of         be sparing
     neutral".                          with praise.

     On occasion you'll see a               Having a
     +1/2 or so.                            relatively small
                                            number of levels
     A rating of +1 is                      helps keep you
     extremely high praise.                 from getting
                                            bogged down in
                                            inane comparisons.

                                               "Does this deserve
                                               a 6 out of 10?  But
                                               isn't it a little
                                               better than that
                      Works of art can't       thing I just gave
                      be compared in           a 7 to?"
                      quality with any
                      meaningful degree of     It's a much simpler
                      precision, so you        question to answer:
                      shouldn't try.           "Do I feel like I
                                               got something from
   (The interpolation                          this, or was it a
    of those "1/2" levels                      waste of time?"
    is something of a
    compromise on that
    original notion.)

   You can, if you like,
   interpolate more values,
   e.g. 3/4... but that's
   so awkward, in practice
   you're going to avoid
   doing it.

          That's a feature.



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