Re: Everyday Risks to life

Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
12 Jun 1999 00:14:52 +0200

Al Villalobos <ALV@qm.com> writes:

> Can someone enlighten me about the risks to everyday life?

I don't have any mortality tables around, but what to look for is the number of deaths per year and per 100,000 (or so) people. That can give you an estimate of the risks.

> Isnt it true that the longer you live, even activities with very low risks
> become more likely? (lightning strike, airline crash etc..)

No. The risk of being struck by lightening is likely constant unless you change the amount of time spent outdoors. What happens is that there is a finite (very low) risk all the time of dying, which means that an initial population of people slowly dwindles - but the half-life (time until 50% are gone) is likely on the order of a few centuries.

> How would I determine which is the more dangerous and by how much?
>
> I dont want my immortality spoiled by a drunk driver or something!

Sounds like a case for cryonics; so far we do not have any other backup possibility. Of course, some simple precautions might decrease many risks.

> man, if I only had a few hundred extra brains..... oh wait, I do! extropians
> are cool!

You're right, this list can indeed be used as a kind of intelligence amplifier (or damper, in certain subjects ;-)


Anders Sandberg                                      Towards Ascension!
asa@nada.kth.se                            http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/
GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y