X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,SPF_HELO_PASS autolearn=unavailable version=3.2.0-r372567 Sender: -2.6 (spamval) -- NONE Return-Path: Received: from newman.eecs.umich.edu (newman.eecs.umich.edu [141.213.4.11]) by boston.eecs.umich.edu (8.12.10/8.13.0) with ESMTP id k6ONQx6V012002 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=FAIL) for ; Mon, 24 Jul 2006 19:26:59 -0400 Received: from ghostbusters.mr.itd.umich.edu (ghostbusters.mr.itd.umich.edu [141.211.93.144]) by newman.eecs.umich.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6) with ESMTP id k6ONQvZ4025422; Mon, 24 Jul 2006 19:26:58 -0400 Received: FROM newman.eecs.umich.edu (newman.eecs.umich.edu [141.213.4.11]) BY ghostbusters.mr.itd.umich.edu ID 44C5573E.E264B.4511 ; 24 Jul 2006 19:26:54 -0400 Received: from boston.eecs.umich.edu (boston.eecs.umich.edu [141.213.4.61]) by newman.eecs.umich.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6) with ESMTP id k6ONQrwY025401 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=FAIL) for ; Mon, 24 Jul 2006 19:26:53 -0400 Received: from boston.eecs.umich.edu (localhost.eecs.umich.edu [127.0.0.1]) by boston.eecs.umich.edu (8.12.10/8.13.0) with ESMTP id k6ONQq6V011998 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO) for ; Mon, 24 Jul 2006 19:26:52 -0400 Received: from localhost (dreeves Æ localhost) by boston.eecs.umich.edu (8.12.10/8.12.9/Submit) with ESMTP id k6ONQq0d011995 for ; Mon, 24 Jul 2006 19:26:52 -0400 X-Authentication-Warning: boston.eecs.umich.edu: dreeves owned process doing -bs X-X-Sender: dreeves Æ boston.eecs.umich.edu Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.2.0-r372567 (2006-01-26) on newman.eecs.umich.edu X-Virus-Scan: : UVSCAN at UoM/EECS X-Virus-Scan: : UVSCAN at UoM/EECS Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 19:26:52 -0400 (EDT) To: improvetheworld Æ umich.edu From: Daniel Reeves Subject: in 50 years Status: O X-Status: X-Keywords: X-UID: 625 How unlikely does a personal catastrophe have to be before it's not worth worrying about? Somewhere around one in a million for most of us, I'd guess, even if the castrophe is death. But if the catastrophe is the annihilation of all of humanity, one in a million is scary enough to be worth insuring against. Keep that in mind when reading the following piece by my favorite philosopher, Nick Bostrom: http://www.nickbostrom.com/2050/world.html and more to the point, this: http://www.nickbostrom.com/existential/risks.html -- http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/dreeves - - google://"Daniel Reeves" "A closed mouth gathers no feet."