Most reported power laws lack statistical support and mechanistic backing

Full text here: http://209.20.67.195/misc/powerlaws.pdf

(See profile for why I do what I do.)

"So You Think You Have a Power Law — Well Isn't That Special?"

http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/weblog/491.html

http://messymatters.com/powerlaws