Dr.EndoIndy said:The distinction that resolves most of these threads is between what is true on average and what is true for one person.
Correct, and worth adding that it is reversible. Nothing being described here is a one-way door, which changes how cautious it is reasonable to be.
mike_nyc said:That holds where the measurement is reliable.
This answered a question I did not know how to ask.
Dr.EndoIndy said:The distinction that resolves most of these threads is between what is true on average and what is true for one person.
This is where I part company with the consensus forming above. Pushing back on the consensus forming here. Consistency is not the same as correctness, and a board that agrees with itself quickly is usually agreeing with the first person who sounded certain.
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Shop Reference StandardsAdding the numbers, since they settle part of this. Say what you would expect to see if you were wrong, before you look. It is a small discipline and it changes what you notice.
Correct me if the detail matters more than I have assumed.