A web marketing consulting dude has a very in-depth analysis of deaths of red-shirted ensigns in ST:TOS: Analytics According to Captain Kirk

Q: What factors could increase/decrease the survival rate of red-shirted crewmen?

Besides not getting involved in fights, which usually proved fatal, the crewmen could avoid beaming down to the planet’s surface, which is inherent to their end. However, that could result in a court-martial for failure to obey orders.

Besides not beaming down, another factor that showed to increase the survival rate of the red-shirts was the nature of the relationship between the alien life and captain Kirk. When Captain Kirk meets an alien woman and “makes contact” the survival rate of the red-shirted crewmen increases by 84%. In fact, out of Captain Kirks’ 24 “relationships” there were only three instances of red-shirt vaporization.

The caveat to this is when Captain Kirk not only meets the local alien women, but also starts a fight among alien locals. The combination of these events has led to the elimination of 4 crewmembers (3 red-shirts).

The guy also goes into details about the evils of Powerpoint, and discusses the best way of presenting his data on red-shirt deaths. I love this chart: Crewmember deaths; by shirt color; by episode, in relation to fights and Captain Kirk's affairs.

I like this chart – eliminating the need for a legend is critical to allowing the information to flow. The data is the same color or object as the information we are trying to convey. Because there is no suitable color for Captain Kirk’s affairs, we substituted a very flattering picture. Fights are represented by tiny phasers, which are not the best representation because of the size, but can easily be determined by the process of elimination. This chart allows conclusions and observations that simple charts, numbers, and explanations may never bring to the surface. It allows for easy comparison, both to other shirt colors, and in relation to other episodes. It also looks as though Kirk was a very busy man.

In the first year of the series, red-shirt casualties were lower than other color-shirted crewmembers. The second and especially the third seasons were especially brutal. In the third season, only red-shirted crewmembers died; maybe because the other colors enacted better safety protocols, or maybe because they avoided the bridge when a new planet came into view, for fear of beaming down with Cpt. Kirk.

Impressive. I don't think Nate Silver himself could do much better.

A friend was telling me that when a wasp flew into her car on the highway, all that was going through her mind was the mantra she'd learned in flight training, which was "Whatever happens, KEEP FLYING THE PLANE."

I bet Sullenberger has it tattooed on his arm.

A friend was telling me that when a wasp flew into her car on the highway, all that was going through her mind was the mantra she'd learned in flight training, which was "Whatever happens, KEEP FLYING THE PLANE."

I think this is good advice for a lot of life situations.

Verizon math fail: [link] (video). I particularly liked the "it's a difference of opinion" part.

Well, more "it could be a hell of a lot worse" news from work--they just announced that this year's raise pool is lowered from 3% to 2%, and if anyone deserves more than 2% raise this year, they'll have to go through a lot of hoops to get it. This doesn't bother me at all, really, I'm just glad we've got jobs and they don't anticipate any further mass (meaning more than ten or so people) reductions at this point. Sales are still acceptable, although we have lost some subscribers due to the economy.

But, my boss did warn us that she has a meeting next hour with her boss's boss and she doesn't know what the subject of that meeting will be. If it's anything important/depressing, she'll let us know right away, otherwise she'll just update us tomorrow morning.

Keeping my fingers crossed that I don't hear from her tonight!!

I particularly liked the "it's a difference of opinion" part.

Oh dear.

Yeah, we just got the news that there will be no salary increases this year, which doesn't bother me much either. I'd much rather have my salary unchanged than be unemployed. I also look at the money they paid toward my degree over the last 2 and a half years as a nice "bonus," so no hard feelings here.

I'd much rather have my salary unchanged than be unemployed.

Exactly. Another part-timer at the bookstore just had her full-time salary cut by ten percent and is considering bankruptcy--every time I see her in the break room, she's got another financial book in front of her.

I'm just glad that I've got a (very) small savings account for any small emergency and can add a bit to it with every paycheck at this point. So, the idea that I'll have a minimal-if-any raise next November is perfectly fine with me.

ETA: The management here did take a tip from the current stimulus brouhaha and have frozen the head honchos' salaries.

"Whatever happens, KEEP FLYING THE PLANE."

Very similar to my friend's advice about what to do if I hit a jack rabbit at night driving down to her place in West Texas.

I thought it was strange until I got there and realized that they basically just seem to sit by the road with freaky glowing eyes waiting to fling themselves at your car.

And, yes, I did eventually hit one that week.

The only thing I'm scared about hitting with my car (other than a human or someone's pet) is a deer. I knew someone once who had hit one while driving through the local forest preserve on the way home from work and his old Corolla was completely totalled.