Thursday, December 18, 2008

A Death Map Makes a Great Holiday Gift

I'm sorry if that upset you.  I couldn't resist.  Oh well.  MSNBC posted this article about statistical probabilities of mortality in the U.S.  Basically, comparing environmental causes against (human) accidental causes, as well as health-related stats.  Ah, yes, statistics.  I got a perfect 4.0 in my stats courses in college.  Talk about a bizarre subject.  Most people don't realize just how goofy it really is.  An exact science built on inexact data.  A brick house floating on mud.

Anyhow, you're far more likely to die of excessive heat and dehydration than any other environmental cause.  This includes hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, fires and Earthquakes.  Close behind that is extreme cold.  What's weird to me is how the health-related causes are listed by volume/numbers, rather than percentage probabilities.  Hmmm.  A heat-related heart attack in Arizona sounds one of the top-rated items to me.

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