From www.nickbostrom.com
"I am in a very fortunate position. I have no teaching duties. I am supported by a staff of assistants and brilliant research fellows. There are virtually no restrictions on what I can work on. I must try very hard to be worthy of this privilege and to cast some light on matters that matter."
My current estimate is that the marginal value of one more assistant is quite low, possibly negative.
My answer to (1) is "This article changed my mind . . .". Not because I'm entirely convinced of the article's thesis, but because it provided enough evidence to update my prior about the role of the historical Catholic Church.
I had sort of assumed that would be the consensus definition of "changed my mind" around these parts.