I'm training for a marathon and I use a Garmin GPS watch. I'm wondering: of course it transmits to the satellites as I move forward; but does the fact that my arm (with the watch attached) moves back and forth - as opposed to my entire body moving forward as a single unit - have anything to do with the accuracy? I apologize in advance if this sounds vague or else is even irrelevant.
posted by holdenjordahl on Dec 17, 2009 - 11 answers

I got a speeding ticket, but there was a car next to me that was speeding, while I was not. What is the likelihood that I can argue this in court? [more inside]
posted by kraigory on Jul 21, 2008 - 37 answers

How accurate is my motorcycle speedometer? [more inside]
posted by ijoshua on Nov 29, 2007 - 13 answers

In a can of Reddi Wip Fat Free, which claims to contain 40 servings at 5 calories each, are there really just 200 calories in the whole can? (In other words, are they allowed to round down the exact serving size and/or number of calories, when the serving size is so tiny?) If not, what's the max number of calories that could actually be in there, and is there any way I can find out that true exact number?
posted by sparrows on Oct 12, 2007 - 22 answers

GPS unit sometimes is sometimes a bit inaccurate... Is this normal? [more inside]
posted by D Wiz on Dec 12, 2006 - 19 answers

US Govt. Reporting of Economic Indicators: There was a link on Fark today about creative accounting. A choice quote from that article - "In short, we would need to have about $45 trillion in the bank today earning interest in order to pay all the promises that have been made for future Social Security and Medicare benefits — over and above the future taxes and premiums that will be collected to fund these programs." and "The CBO estimates that we would have to raise taxes by 6.5 percent of GDP immediately and forever to maintain these programs in perpetuity. This year alone, that would mean a tax increase of $800 billion.". [More Inside] [more inside]
posted by Gyan on Sep 9, 2004 - 3 answers

Looking for recommendations on an accurate and reliable (but affordable) scale for dieting purposes. The usual bathroom scales just don't seem to give consistent results. Any recommendations?
posted by oissubke on Mar 1, 2004 - 7 answers