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Agreed. Also a possibility can't bei high. It either exists with a probability of that thing occurring being greater than zero and less than one. If it's impossible the probability ist exactly zero. If the probability is one then it is not a possibility but rather a certainty.
"I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the ability!"
Ron White, Comedian
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I think it depends on how you use the word. If you check the dictionary I think you will find a definition that fits with the way you use it:
For example[^]: "a chance that something may happen or be true."
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All of those examples treat possibility as a binary thing...it can be possible or not possible. None of them treat it as a gradient or scale, eg that a possibility can be "high". The reason for that is because possibility is not the word to use in this context, probability is.
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from link: The forecast said that there's a possibility of snow tonight
from link: There's a distinct possibility (that) I'll be asked to give a speech.
Both those examples clearly indicate that the possibility is unknown. i.e. cannot be guaranteed to be either true or false.
The first one especially is basically saying: "The forecast said that there's a chance of snow tonight".
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It's still a binary construct though, and not a scale. Possibility of snow....there will be snow (1), there won't be snow (0). I will have to speak (1), I will not have to speak (0). Neither of those examples indicate a range. The probability of snow is high. The probability of snow is low. The probability of snow is 50-50. The probability of snow is almost certain. The probability of snow is highly unlikely.
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Well by that logic, then the OP is correct in using possibility: Either they will miss the deadline (1), or they won't miss it (0).
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No, because the "possibility" was described as "high" which moves it from a binary construct to a scale.
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I don't see why that matters.. you are just basically saying "there is a high chance it will be (1) rather than (0)". The fact you are including the likeliness of it happening does not change the fact it either will happen or won't happen (binary).
Also, what about these examples[^]?
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If a possibility is high, it's a probability, so "the possibility of missing the deadline is very high" means the same as "there's a probability of missing the deadline" (the "high" is implied).
A possibility = and option or a chance.
A probability = likely to happen; a high possibility.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Chiming in:
Both options are for an unknown outcome.
Possibility is for things that most likely will not happen
Probability is for things that most like will happen
The mathematical/statistical ideas attached to the word probability do not, in this case, apply as both have a probability (0 <=> 100%) but I do not believe I've ever heard possibility used in any sort of mathematical context with a specific meaning.
If anyone disagrees with the above, most likely the chances are they are wrong.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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For general English either word is fine. In an academic paper "probability" would be the better choice if you had stats to back it up, as you mentioned.
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I never bothered to create one & My boss is quite surprised.
Linked-in profile - Does it really matter?
modified 24-Jan-20 2:43am.
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It matters if you like spam.
If you don't like spam, don't join linkedin.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Pretty much all I get from them is cheap-ass recruiters offing me jobs I'm not qualified for 500 miles away. Which is a pretty significant commute, really.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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OriginalGriff wrote: cheap-ass recruiters offing me jobs I'm not qualified for 500 miles away
Exactly!
I don't mind travelling -- I'm a contractor, so I'm used to cheap lodgings -- but they could at least make the tiniest effort to read more than three words of my profile.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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My personal favorite linkedin jobspam fail is that I regularly get notifications about jobs from one of the major Indian IT outsourcing companies* as part of my weekly jobspam. In the email the job is shown as being in Indiana Pa (about an hour from me), but whenever I click through the posting gives a location in the State of if Indiana - generally in the greater Indianapolis area, about 6.5 hours west of Indiana PA.
* which shall remain anonymous since I don't know if they or MS are guilty of the staggering incompetence I see.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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OriginalGriff wrote: Pretty much all I get from them is cheap-ass recruiters offing me jobs I'm not qualified for 500 miles away. Which is a pretty significant commute, really.
Wait, what?
There's a job OriginalGriff is not qualified for? What job would that be?
I'm retired. There's a nap for that...
- Harvey
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Or maybe you're using it wrong.
Although I don't like those recruiters either... 
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Sander Rossel wrote: maybe you're using it wrong.
Well, we all have our specialties.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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I got my previous job through LinkedIn.
I've got some other good contacts there as well.
One that almost landed me a job and even one that almost landed me a customer (this time it was "almost", but I'll get them next time!).
It's also where I get offers to write books and create other content (for cash, of course).
It really depends on what you want though.
Sometimes, I just like to check my feed for interesting articles.
The downside of LinkedIn is all those pesky recruiters that "Have a great job near you! My client is based in Amsterdam and is looking for senior Java developers!" (Amsterdam is over an hour away, but easily two hours with traffic, and I don't do Java).
If your style is to take a job and stick with it until retirement, LinkedIn isn't for you.
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I have one, not touched for many years.
still get
suggested jobs: in places I'll likely never go to nor want to go)
connection requests: from people with no common work or non work interests with, have nor never likely to meet
invitations to events: also nearly always unaligned to my work or other interests
reminders and updates: stuff I already know about people I do know (did connect way back when) are doing
in otherwords even worse than faceblock it keeps trolling you to go back.
as to people actually benefiting?
(1) given millions of members there's always going to be one or two. just as much people who buy lottery tickets sometimes win. but how many tickets didn't win? how many have you bought with real money, how much of your real time are you willing to invest in a linkin profile for that 1 in 40 million chance as compared to putting that time into something with a direct benefit?
(2) many people have lost because recruiters found reasons to exclude applicants.
remember a recruiter's first pass is to find people that fit the requirements: there will be hundreds. their second pass: find any reason to exclude as many applicants as possible. Only then they look for the best.
or short summary:
- 1 in [way less than] 1 million people will benefit from it
- probably 1 in 5 will loose by it.
after many otherwise intelligent sounding suggestions that achieved nothing the nice folks at Technet said the only solution was to low level format my hard disk then reinstall my signature. Sadly, this still didn't fix the issue!
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lopatir wrote: remember a recruiter's first pass is to find people that fit the requirements: there will be hundreds. their second pass: find any reason to exclude as many applicants as possible. Only then they look for the best.
I think you don't quite realise just how many recruiters are on there these days... and they want EVERYONE. One day you can set your status to "looking for work" and they next day you will be in an interview for a role you have never even heard of before! (well, I exaggerate, but they definitely aren't picky).
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It's basically Facebook for people who think they are too good to use Facebook, and they have no idea they are exactly like everyone on Facebook.
It never used to be like that, but it is now.
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It's nice if you're planning to look for a new job at some time in the near or distant future.
If not, don't bother! 
Anything that is unrelated to elephants is irrelephant
Anonymous
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The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine
Winston Churchill, 1944
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Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.
Mark Twain
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