A large crew is being chosen for an interstellar journey to a distant planet containing the first known extraterrestrial life. The expedition won't return for a century, but the crew will be in suspended animation and age only a few years during the trip. Would you be interested? If not, what, if anything, would change … Continue reading Question of the Week #250

You meet someone at a party and absolutely know that if you talk to him, he'll make you tens of millions of dollars, but after 2 years you'll go bankrupt and have to scramble to get back on your feet. Would you start the conversation? Assume that if you do, your knowledge of what's in … Continue reading Question of the Week #248

Would you like to have a high-definition nude image of yourself in your physical prime? If not, do you think you might someday wish you could see one? No. And no. I mean, what was the point of all that puritanical thinking for so many years if not to shame us for our nudity? Honestly, … Continue reading Question of the Week #247

Would you completely rewrite your child's college application essays if it would help them get into a better school? Have we learned nothing from the Ballad of Aunt Becky? No... I would not rewrite my kid's college application essays to try and get them into a better school. First of all, what if my brilliant … Continue reading Question of the Week #246

To be financially secure, do you work harder at anticipating risks so you can avoid them, or at building a cushion so you can withstand the unexpected? Which do you think might work better and why? Just getting this one in under the wire. Not sure where my head was today... almost completely forgot! I'm … Continue reading Question of the Week #245

What fraction of what you currently own would you give to the government if you knew that everyone else would have to give the same? I said it last week and I'll say it again. If 10% is good enough for God, why can't it be good enough for Uncle Sam? This is clearly a … Continue reading Question of the Week #244

If you could legally pay whatever income tax you wanted, what fraction of your earnings would you give the government? If you knew that everyone would have to pay the exact same fraction of their incomes, would you choose any differently? There's a part of me that wants to fall back on 10%. I mean... … Continue reading Question of the Week #243

If evidence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe were discovered, would it alter your core beliefs or sense of self? Not really. And I'm ready to accept that there are a lot of things about our world/universe that just cannot be explained. I'm okay with that. In general, I can be pretty skeptical about … Continue reading Question of the Week #242

If ads could be tailored so effectively to your personal desires and concerns that they'd be nearly irresistible, would you want to ban them? Would you buy special high-tech sunglasses that screened out billboards and other advertising to leave a pristine visual landscape? Ah... but how would I know about these special high-tech sunglasses if … Continue reading Question of the Week #241