Re:Ex-lottery worker who rigged winnings gets 25 years in pr...
by Chathamization on Wednesday August 23, 2017 @11:04PM
(#15087314)
> On the other hand when he spent $10 on a lottery ticket he was entertained for days just thinking of the possibility of winning
With a slightly better imagination he could save the $10 and daydream for days about a close relative/friend winning the lottery and gifting him a substantial chunk of the money.
Re:Ex-lottery worker who rigged winnings gets 25 years in pr...
by teddyh on Thursday August 24, 2017 @03:57AM
(#15088384)
That sounds exactly like a smoker “explaining” why they smoke. They claim to enjoy it. In reality, of course, smokers only smoke because it makes them stop feeling the nicotine urge for a short while, i.e. they feel like a normal non-smoker person for a short while.
Likewise, anyone could fantasize about getting a windfall of mountains of money from far likelier events, like an unknown relative willing their fortune to you. Sure, it’s unlikely, but it’s more likely than winning the lottery. You don’t need to play the lottery to do that.
Re:Ex-lottery worker who rigged winnings gets 25 years in pr...
by thaumasiotes on Thursday August 24, 2017 @03:47PM
(#15093396)
> They claim to enjoy it. In reality, of course, smokers only smoke because it makes them stop feeling the nicotine urge for a short while
Using this model, it's difficult to explain where new smokers come from.
Re:Ex-lottery worker who rigged winnings gets 25 years in pr...
by teddyh on Friday August 25, 2017 @02:58AM
(#15096696)
The reason people start to smoke are the same reasons people start to drink coffee, or tea, or beer. Nobody likes any of those things when they first try them, but they choose to acquire the taste, for either social reasons and/or because they want the side effect (caffeine or alcohol). In the case of cigarettes, the social effect has been very strong but is declining, and the wanted side effect is illusory, but as long as people still think that they will get something from nicotine, people will start to smoke, or vape, or chew, or snuff, or whatever form it will take in the future.
Re:Ex-lottery worker who rigged winnings gets 25 years in pr...
by thaumasiotes on Friday August 25, 2017 @03:14AM
(#15096762)
http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/01/11/schizophrenia-no-smokin...
In general, you're not on firm ground when someone says "I enjoy X" and you say "no, I can tell what you enjoy better than you can".
I once heard a statistics professor explaining he played the lottery. His reason? It was fun. Period. He said one may spend $10 on a movie ticket and be entertained for a few hours, but one would end up $10 poorer with 100% certainty. On the other hand when he spent $10 on a lottery ticket he was entertained for days just thinking of the possibility of winning, and he might end up a lot richer, but it was not a necessary condition for him to enjoy the fun it provides.