Anecdata are all around us. They are stories and observations that people use to prove what they want to prove--or at least to believe what they want to believe. I live in Maine, where the sea levels are rising. According to the anecdata, the seas have risen so much over the last decade, that people can see the difference. Sadly, the instruments that scientists use to measure sea levels are not as accurate as peoples' observations. Here's data collected in Bar Harbor.