It is heck getting old

[xinu]

life

[Pjotr]

At 61, I consider myself pretty lucky that I have no illnesses nor any medication.

This is probably partly due to a rather healthy lifestyle: I quit smoking at 23, do daily exercise, put lots of green stuff in my food (300 - 400 grammes of vegetables a day), and I have a good BMI: I'm almost as slender as I was at 25. About the only lifestyle risk I take are the two (occasionally three) glasses of red wine that I drink in the evening.

But the main factor is luck, I think. My mother lived healthier than I, and she was felled by cancer at 53. So "carpe diem", folks....

[AndyMH]

Had a call from my best friend of 30 years last week. His wife has been diagnosed with cancer of the uterus, has spread to the lymph nodes, also has a shadow on her lung. Operation next Thursday. Same age as me, 71, and it doesn't look good, devastating

[MurphCID]

Had a call from my best friend of 30 years last week. His wife has been diagnosed with cancer of the uterus, has spread to the lymph nodes, also has a shadow on her lung. Operation next Thursday. Same age as me, 71, and it doesn't look good, devastating

I am so sorry to hear that, I will keep them in my thoughts.

[Peter Linu]

So sorry for you, Andy.

[151tom]

At 61, I consider myself pretty lucky that I have no illnesses nor any medication.

This is probably partly due to a rather healthy lifestyle: I quit smoking at 23, do daily exercise, put lots of green stuff in my food (300 - 400 grammes of vegetables a day), and I have a good BMI: I'm almost as slender as I was at 25. About the only lifestyle risk I take are the two (occasionally three) glasses of red wine that I drink in the evening.

I wish I had made smarter choices for a healthy lifestyle in my younger days.

But the main factor is luck, I think.

You might be right on that about the main factor is luck.

I've always believed when it's your time to move on to the next life you go.

I'm making smarter choices these days.

[coffee412]

Andy - Iam also sorry to hear of your loss.

I lost my mother just this last December 16th. She complained of some pain and the doctors found out she had a growth on her pancreas that had also attached to her intestine. After a short while (I do not remember how long. It was quick though) it had spread to her lymph nodes. From that point it was pretty quick and we lost her.

My mother quit smoking way back when she was in her early 20s when she met my Dad. She did drink though.

I think I understand it like this about cancer:

As your body sheds cells it recreates them. However, Some cells when created are flawed and thus the body gets rid of those. However, As we get older this process does not catch them all and they become (or some of them) cancerous. It is weird because I know people that have smoked all their life and never developed cancer - and vise versa.

It seems to me that cancer is on the rise for some reason.

[TaterChip]

I never dreamed I would make it to 50+. I use to keep and raise venomous snakes, and I go out every year to catch more to photograph. Maybe I'll try sky diving next

[AndyMH]

Thanks for the thoughts, she has not died yet. We will see what the doctors say after her operation.

[midigark]

I often ask this question of people I've met, but after we get to know each other a little bit. While i am a fairly new person on this board, I've been a computer geek before the first desktops. (see below)

The question is, if you could have chosen your perfect age and health...
As an example, you are 28, still able to run a marathon, have no aches or pains and no medical issues...if you answered [YES] to the following question, you would remain the same physical age, same excellent health and be free of any mental/age issues.

"If offered, would you choose to live forever or not and why?"

I see from the above posts that the answers were already given to the unasked question. But, most of those were along the lines of as they are now, in their 60's to 80's, less than perfect health and consuming enough meds in the morning it qualifies as a "snack".

But, once again... "IF you could maintain that perfect age and health, would you choose to live forever or not and why?"

Here's my answer. An overwhelming [YES].
As for why. I would take the time (forever is a very, very long time) to learn every known, recorded and deciphered language.
I would study and assimilate every known branch of religion from ancient times to modern day.
I would study and receive every branch of knowledge, science/engineering/medicine/etc... and expand it until I received a PHD in each field.
Along the way, I would read every book, manuscript, research paper, dictionary including Encyclopedias, in all the worlds libraries, in each language as I learned them.
I would become proficient in all musical theory and every instrument available to mankind.

Thus armed, I would - at the end of all that - be the most prepared/informed/knowledgeable person that had ever lived on this Earth. I'd use modern computing techniques of the day, design a system that tied every piece of knowledge in the world together, in the hopes of answering all of the unknown issues and mysteries of history.

And one more thing...when the last day comes and the custodian of all things reaches for the switch to turn off the universe, I'm going to have a few questions...


For years, I've programmed, repaired, salvaged Mini-Mainframe computers - specifically:
Data General Nova 820, Jumbo
Data General Eclipse S-200/S-130/S-140 (Basically a Nova 4X
DEC PDP-8
Perkin Elmer 8/32

We are talking machines that loaded their "bootstrap" program from an ASR-33 Teletype or High Speed Paper Tape Reader, when no other form of I/O was working. Sometimes entering simple diagnostic loops from the front panel toggles. Using Interleaved core memory with R,W,R cycle times of 650 ns. Looking back at mainstay systems that ran off of a divided 10 MHz system clock using standard 7400 series logic and had a CPU clock of 2 MHz.

A Super-Mini (SEM-500) that I repaired boards for the EMI CT7070 CT Scanner ran at 50 MHz using 74$ series Schottkey logic.

While at the same time, the Cray-1* was still only 80 MHz, achieving this using ECL logic (Emitter Coupled Logic) that was a power hog and often needed to be water cooled.

*The Cray-1 used a Data General Eclipse line computer as a "job loader"/ Front Panel.
We did exactly the same with the SEM-500.
-
Suggested reading: Everything lol

The Soul of a New Machine - By Tracy Kidder
When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One - By David Gerrold (also wrote for Star Trek - The Trouble with Tribbles among many other things)
The Many Colored Land - By Julian May (9 books in total)