SpikeSpiff's Journal: AC asks --

An AC Asks ---

The Space Program: Fourteen deaths in 20 years? Imagine seeing those kinds of statistics in, say, the trucking industry.

>I always wonder about .sigs like this. Anyone
>who knows anything about statistics can see
>the holes in this one. So what's the point?

The point is that we do not have a national week of mourning with 76 hours straight of cable news coverage when a tractor trailer crosses into oncoming traffic on the interstate.

Life is full of risks, and the statistical lesson is that we should not panic and stay out of space.

This is the Firestone tires fallacy. A few highly publicized deaths seem to count more than a less-glamorous many. Ford spent $500MM or so fixing tires to prevent 10s of accidents. Imagine if Ford had spent that money on pre-natal care or starving people in Africa. Or even driver safety courses.

Also, I think it's sort of funny.