In the same way it will be true that one day most of us will wake up unaware that all of our tomorrows will have become yesterdays except one and that when we lay down to rest on that day, we will only have part of the next day to wrap up any loose ends in our lives. Perhaps treating every day as if it could be our last is not an unreasonable plan.
The Secretary Problem tells us that once you’ve lived 1/e (~37%, 30ish years) of your life[1], the next time you see something that’s stupider than everything you’ve seen before there’s a 1/e chance that’s it’s the stupidest thing you’ll ever see.
[1] Strictly speaking it would be 1/e of your stupidity sightings, which may not be 1/e of your life. If you intend to retire early and become a hermit you may want to stop the exploration phase earlier.
In the same way it will be true that one day most of us will wake up unaware that all of our tomorrows will have become yesterdays except one and that when we lay down to rest on that day, we will only have part of the next day to wrap up any loose ends in our lives. Perhaps treating every day as if it could be our last is not an unreasonable plan.
Funny and thought provoking, you've now got me reflecting on if i'll ever see anything stupider than my current top 5
Personally as an american i'm quite optimistic on peak stupid being ahead of us :)
The Secretary Problem tells us that once you’ve lived 1/e (~37%, 30ish years) of your life[1], the next time you see something that’s stupider than everything you’ve seen before there’s a 1/e chance that’s it’s the stupidest thing you’ll ever see.
[1] Strictly speaking it would be 1/e of your stupidity sightings, which may not be 1/e of your life. If you intend to retire early and become a hermit you may want to stop the exploration phase earlier.
Am I going to be killed by the stupidest thing I've ever seen, or will it merely be a distraction from my demise?
Huh that uh. That is something to think about