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We'd like to think of ourselves as dynamic, unpredictable individuals, but according to new research, that's not the case at all. In a study published in last week's Science, researchers looked at customer location data culled from cellular service providers. By looking at how customers moved around, the authors of the study found that it may be possible to predict human movement patterns and location up to 93 percent of the time. These findings may be useful in multiple fields, including city planning, mobile communication resource management, and anticipating the spread of viruses.

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93% of the time your movement and location can be predicted according to a study of cellphone location data. I thought this was called having a job?

Biiiig heads up for you members of the CDC wanting to fight off the next H1N1 using the power of statistics, the folks that go to a elementary high school area the most, will be the main spreaders of the plague. I find this from all the folks in my office saving sick days for vacation time with little Johhny and make me sick as a dog cause "They are too busy to take time off." but not too busy to sit at their desk as a dayquill induced zombie covered in their own mucus and semi used tissues.

Not to mention most people spend 25%-33% of their time in a single, completely predictable location. Unless they're sleepwalkers.

North_Ranger said:

Not to mention most people spend 25%-33% of their time in a single, completely predictable location. Unless they're sleepwalkers.

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Or they're easy.

heh. While some people are innovative or spontaneous, majority of people are "pattern" folks. We get up, we do our routine, and come home.

Durr. Next, humans need to inhale and exhale air at a rate predictable most of the time by previously acquired data.

93% anything is extremely high in social science research. People are extremely variable. While there are many that have regular routines, there are others that (you would expect) do not. In fact, the regularity of one's routine should be normally distributed, with some people highly regular and other people highly varied. This research shows that even those without jobs or other external factors forcing them into a routine, people act with extreme (emphasis on extreme) regularity.

MindDetective said:

93% anything is extremely high in social science research. People are extremely variable. While there are many that have regular routines, there are others that (you would expect) do not. In fact, the regularity of one's routine should be normally distributed, with some people highly regular and other people highly varied. This research shows that even those without jobs or other external factors forcing them into a routine, people act with extreme (emphasis on extreme) regularity.

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I was waiting for you to chime in. I read through the Science article and pretty much was wondering what the significance of 93% accuracy was.

MindDetective said:

This research shows that even those without jobs or other external factors forcing them into a routine, people act with extreme (emphasis on extreme) regularity.

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Yeah, it's called "staying at home because all your mates are out working"... also, reason i got a job in the first place.

@Li3n;346143][QUOTE=MindDetective said:

This research shows that even those without jobs or other external factors forcing them into a routine, people act with extreme (emphasis on extreme) regularity.

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Yeah, it's called "staying at home because all your mates are out working"... also, reason i got a job in the first place.[/QUOTE]

Emphasis added for clarity. This includes non-married people, etc. I know, it must be really straining to try and imagine a free-wheeling young person with few responsibilities but such people are said to exist.

Science is well respected, but they have a lot of articles that aren't "Science/Nature" worthy. The author's name or the subject matter (global warming/other buzz word) seems to get you into Science. Maybe I'm just jealous.

Those without jobs would not as often have a cellphone contract. The ones without significant routine would pass through the tracking area erratically if at all.

Was there data on this before? I only skimmed it, but the ArsTech write-up doesn't seem to say anything about that. Studies aren't always mind-blowing in their conclusions, and I'll take hard data over "common" knowledge any day.

If the data was there already, though, then the study is dumb.

Dusty668 said:

Those without jobs would not as often have a cellphone contract. The ones without significant routine would pass through the tracking area erratically if at all.

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Teenagers, retirees, and yes, the unemployed. You do realize this is the 21st century, right? Cell phones are pretty universal.

I'll take your word for it, I had one for like a month.

MindDetective;346146][QUOTE=@Li3n;346143][QUOTE=MindDetective said:

This research shows that even those without jobs or other external factors forcing them into a routine, people act with extreme (emphasis on extreme) regularity.

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Yeah, it's called "staying at home because all your mates are out working"... also, reason i got a job in the first place.[/QUOTE]

Emphasis added for clarity. This includes non-married people, etc. I know, it must be really straining to try and imagine a free-wheeling young person with few responsibilities but such people are said to exist.[/QUOTE]

Fine, "stay at home and play videogames until it's late enough to go clubbing"... better now?!

@Li3n;346573][QUOTE=MindDetective;346146][QUOTE=@Li3n;346143][QUOTE=MindDetective said:

This research shows that even those without jobs or other external factors forcing them into a routine, people act with extreme (emphasis on extreme) regularity.

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Yeah, it's called "staying at home because all your mates are out working"... also, reason i got a job in the first place.[/QUOTE]

Emphasis added for clarity. This includes non-married people, etc. I know, it must be really straining to try and imagine a free-wheeling young person with few responsibilities but such people are said to exist.[/QUOTE]

Fine, "stay at home and play videogames until it's late enough to go clubbing"... better now?![/QUOTE]

That's probably the most predictable behavior.

Dusty668 said:

I'll take your word for it, I had one for like a month.

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WITCH!!!

BURN HIM!!!

Yah, just call me and ask where I am. If I answer I'm at home. If not, I'm at home and ignoring you. Or look for my twitter at http://www.pleaserobme.com