//beconfused

This is just one of the many Steve Irwin tributes in YouTube (he died). I feel sad seeing the video somehow. Background music is Enya’s Only Time. Very nicely done tribute video.

[Direct link]

Well, I picked up a dated copy of Discover magazine and there was this interview that was done for planetary scientist, Clark R. Chapman. He works in Southwest Research Institute at Boulder, Colorado.

Interviewer: You’ve made calculating the risk of impact something of a science. What are the odds as you see them?

Chapman: You are much more likely to die from an asteroid impact that creates global climate disaster than you are to win your state lottery. But you are even far more likely to be killed in an automobile accident. Things that are extremely dangerous like smoking cigarettes and driving automobiles and famine and war have much higher risks than asteroid impacts. On the other hand, people worry about lots of other things that have very low risks, like shark attacks. Where I live, people worry about mountain lion attacks. They are much more likely to die from an asteriod impact.

Interviewer: Why do people get more worked up about mountain lion attacks than automobile accidents?

Chapman: Human beings are not objective computers. They have feelings and attitudes and experiences. Research has shown that certain kinds of risks are more frightening because you are not in control. In an airplane, you are not in control. Being in an airplane is very safe. You undergo more risk by far driving to and from the airport.

Source: Discover magazine, March 2006, page 20 and 21

We often worry about the wrong things in seems. Anyway, it’s unlikely that stingrays would kill you if you go for a deep sea exploration, I guess we’re still more likely to die from, well, asteroid impacts.

Possibly related:

1. nair//tribute
2. How to unsubscribe from Pioneer Magazine
3. Any driving instructors at Bukit Batok area?

Tags: animals, australia, death, magazines, people, steve irwin, television