Well thought I ought to revive this topic.
Personally as regards the last question I'd rather have the ten mill now,particularly because if I put it in the bank the interest would probably accumulate to a lot in the next 20 years, and even if I didn't get the trillion, I could have a far more comfortable life over the next 20 years and after than I could not having it.
Now, if it was 10 thousand dollars now or a million in 20 years, that would be a harder proposition.
Okay here is another question once more from my Harry potter reading.
If you could have a devoted slave who would do everything you told them, would you rather have a house elf from the HP tradition, or an Asimov style robot.
The house elf would be forced to obey your instructions out of magic, but manifestly how well it did what you wanted it to and how literally it took the instructions would depend how nice you were to it, also obviously you'd be enslaving a sentient being at that point.
An asimov style robot would be bound by the three laws of robotics so would not start a robot uprising or similar, and would obey your instructions literally, however it wouldn't necessarily have its own initiative or creative ideas, EG you could ask it to cook whatever you fancied for dinner, but it woudn't make suggestions off its own bat or surprise you with a new recipe.
for me this would be a slightly tough one, and come down I think to whether having a kindly but devoted servant was better or worse than having a none sentient but boring one.
With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)