Thanks for the note, Bill. I never realized "rule of thumb" might be an urban legend, but have always accepted it without question. (I don't know why. I just kept hearing it in different places.)


In any case, since I got my first taste of AI years ago, I've taken to using the word heuristic, which seems a natural enough selection to me, but my non-technical co-conversationalists don't seem to follow me when I do. Then I say, "Well, it's like a rule of thumb" and then "Oh! Why didn't you say so!"


k