CosmopoliTAN #37: Drinks and Worldly Conversation about Nothing (Page 49)

That's not really what I am talking about. though.  I am talking about someone that, if you saw a news story about them, you would think - I know that guy (my best jeff spicoli)

What about Bugaboo Creek?

With BT, it's different. I actually know a chunk of the local folks in real life, quite well. And a few people, I could probably recognize from their avatar photos, if they have a photo of themselves that is up close and clear. Many of you, though, I don't know what you look like, so I couldnt' recognize you if I passed you on the street, but those of you who I talk to very frequently, I'd generally lump you into the "I know you" category. If I saw you and you recognized me and said "hey, I'm so-and-so", then yeah, that would count. That's how I met at least two BT'ers. They recognized me from my avatar.

Growing up/school - definitely more than 1000, once you count parents, teachers etc - my school district was very, very large and I attended it from 3rd to 12th grade. College was much smaller, but I knew almost the entire school (only 500 kids, so it's not hard), plus most of the faculty/staff, plus all the MIT frat boys, and their friends/girlfriends, etc. Grad school, probably a lot smaller, since I really only knew the folks in my very small department.

I would say that 7500 is probably a good conservative estimate.

I couldn't tell ya.  That's sorta hard to quantify, isn't it? 

That's why I am struggling with coming up with a decent number.

Might be easier to compare it to the number of people present when you give the speech.  Or compare it to something people can actually relate to. 

Ah and there is the impetus for the question.

FWIW, I can think offhand of at least 2 people from my high school class who've died (one in a drunk driving accident, and I know the guy who was driving, and one was hit by a car while riding her bike, I think), and at least a couple of people's parents who've died of something random. I'm sure there are others that I know of. Not necessarily related to organ transplant, but still.

How would you react to knowing that the problem would go away in a years time if only half of those that die of brain dead deaths were signed up as organ donors?  We could eliminate 18 certain deaths a day by signing an organ donor card.

OK - I am way too tired - I had to read that twice to get what you were saying.

For some folks, that might be too much of the government in control of their body parts. Not saying it's right or wrong. Just saying.