Something kinda strange to think about:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/sc...&ex=1344744000

There are some interesting ideas on the 2nd page.

 

"Or maybe, as suggested by Robin Hanson, an economist at George Mason University, you should try to be as interesting as possible, on the theory that the designer is more likely to keep you around for the next simulation. (For more on survival strategies in a computer simulation, go to www.nytimes.com/tierneylab.)"

 

And here's some afterthought:
http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/...orld/#more-116