Went to a funeral last week. My cousin died aged 79 but he had been suffering from dementia for a few years and his cause of death was kidney failure.
Creeping up like an express train I'll be 75 in 5 days.
As far as I know my internal organs are okay and I can walk, jog, cycle, do yoga and my BMI is perfect.
Travel always seems tempting, but apart from walking I don't enjoy it anymore.
This guy has been thinking way ahead.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/10/why-i-hope-to-die-at-75/379329/
Can't go back. Even Shakespeare was thinking of this before he died aged 52.
Crabbed Age and Youth
Cannot live together:
Youth is full of pleasance,
Age is full of care;
Youth like summer morn,
Age like winter weather;
Youth like summer brave,
Age like winter bare:
Youth is full of sports,
Age's breath is short,
Youth is nimble, Age is lame:
Youth is hot and bold,
Age is weak and cold,
Youth is wild, and Age is tame:-
Age, I do abhor thee;
Youth, I do adore thee;
The man who wants to die at 75 has a misleading notion. he asserts that people past 75 can no longer be productive and do not contribute, etc.
Bullshit ! I am 94, can and I still do work, create things mechanical,sometimes muster the strength and wisdom to help a younger person, volunteer at math tutoring classes, and a few other useful things. Mr. Emanuel has my blessing if he wishes to take the gas pipe.
What the hell, I am still learning things and will continue in that quest as long as I can.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/10/why-i-hope-to-die-at-75/379329/
I plan to work until I keel over. I have no hope that U.S. Social Security will still be solvent when I get to "retirement age." Especially with Elon Musk now with his thumbs in the Treasury Dept's pudding.
Quote from: Icarus on February 08, 2025, 12:26:30 AMThe man who wants to die at 75 has a misleading notion. he asserts that people past 75 can no longer be productive and do not contribute, etc.
Bullshit ! I am 94, can and I still do work, create things mechanical,sometimes muster the strength and wisdom to help a younger person, volunteer at math tutoring classes, and a few other useful things. Mr. Emanuel has my blessing if he wishes to take the gas pipe.
What the hell, I am still learning things and will continue in that quest as long as I can.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/10/why-i-hope-to-die-at-75/379329/
Kudos. Very sincerely.
Well done Icarus. You are an inspiration.
There are always things to learn.
But I see that old age has been redefined.
You were suddenly old when reaching 60.
I had this confirmed to me by a doctor.
So I walked the length of England to prove I could still do it.
The new definition of age:
Young old age is 65 to 74.
Middle old age is 75 to 84.
Old old age starts at 85.
Shakespeare again.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50423/sonnet-2-when-forty-winters-shall-besiege-thy-brow
I'll get to know his works better.
His wisdom is better than any religious script.
as of several weeks ago, i am now the same age as my father when he died.
it encourages a certain perspective on mortality, and encourages me to ride my motorcycle faster.
Hmm... Yeah...
This is a difficult one for my somewhat-gerascophobic self.
In a perfect world, I'd just live my best until I fell over dead. It doesn't work that way too often for comfort.
I've seen a family member get cancer and let it consume more or less two whole decades of her life. Living on and on in constant fear of death and your own mortality is... Draining. For everyone involved. Focusing always on the ever-increasing inevitability of there not being a happy ending. I suppose that's one way of "doing this."
On the other hand, I've seen this kid a while back [interwebs - not personally acquainted], who, upon learning that he probably wouldn't even live for as long as said family member of mine spent dying, decided to see and do as much as he could and make the most of the time he had. And so he did, pretty much right up until his final week alive.
I know I'd rather have two years as him than twenty as her. I am, however, neither, and so I walk my own yellow brick road towards the inescapable light at its end.
So, my plans for old age? I have none. there are no guarantees in life, and me getting to that age is far from certain. I work. I get involved in causes. I teach and learn. In my own way, I try to help the younger generations do better than I do. I have meaning in my life. I am for a purpose. I wish to live and die this way - today, or five-six decades from now.
Aspirationally, that's how it is. Looking at the whole picture, however, adding some emotional baggage of failed aspirations, broken dreams and unhealed scars... It's complicated. It's a balancing act, but then, what in life isn't?
what you need is a motorcycle.
it simplifies things.
A self-balancing act above certain speed, you say..? That goes wroom and what have you..?
Hmm... Mebbe so... Mebbe so... :thoughtful:
yes. the stability improves with velocity.
above 100 mile per hour, a correctly set up machine trackslike a locomotive.
at slow speeds, theyre tippy and awkward, so the solution is never to go slowly.
Hmmph ! Some of the most fun I ever had with a bike was when going very slow. I was pretty good at trials riding and not as good at closed circuit road racing. In either case there is a mental component.
My problem at race courses was too much analysis, including "what ifs" like high siding out of a corner at speed and a whole rash of other thoughts that a competent racer best not embrace.
Well, it appears as though The Asmo suddenly does have plans for His Divine Dotage after all. Motorbicycling. :smilenod:
His fun does have become a bit too tame over the past decade. Cruising on motorways while having His divine bottom seat-massaged.
Weakness. Weakness, He tells you! :rant1:
What's wrong with one of these?
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17667964?store=610532&utm_medium=VLA_paid_search&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgr2GyYTBiwMVU5RQBh1knA0lEAQYAiABEgK85fD_BwE
Also easier on the saddle.
Quote from: zorkan on February 13, 2025, 04:11:14 PMWhat's wrong with one of these?
...That:
Quote£519,495
;)
It may be a footballer's car but it's a snip compared to what the part owner of Manchester United drives.
"The most valuable car to ever change hands is the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe. It sold at an exclusive Mercedes-Benz auction in Stuttgart for an astonishing £113 million ($146 million) back in 2022."
Yeah, but that's not a car you drive - it's more a work of art you collect and never let a single mote of dust land on top of.
I mean, it may see ten miles of asphalt in a year, if we are being far too generous.
it has too many wheels for me.
if i had hundreds of thousands of pounds to spend on a motor vehicle, i would buy one of these:
(https://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/1926-brough-superior-ss100-alpine-grand-sport-pebble-beach/1926-brough-superior-ss100-alpine-grand-sport-2.jpg)
not too many left. ^^^this was the last one made. they go for US$350,000. set up like this one, they would do the ton a hundred years ago.
i would ride it like that. how could i do otherwise?
Quote from: Asmodean on February 14, 2025, 01:43:28 PMYeah, but that's not a car you drive - it's more a work of art you collect and never let a single mote of dust land on top of.
I mean, it may see ten miles of asphalt in a year, if we are being far too generous.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/qotd/qotd-why-do-people-store-brand-new-cars-and-never-drive-them/
Not to mention you cannot outrun the 2nd law of thermodynamics to which everything is subjected.
One day the car will be dust.
Some people own vanity.
Quote from: billy rubin on February 14, 2025, 11:25:45 PMit has too many wheels for me.
if i had hundreds of thousands of pounds to spend on a motor vehicle, i would buy one of these:
(https://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/1926-brough-superior-ss100-alpine-grand-sport-pebble-beach/1926-brough-superior-ss100-alpine-grand-sport-2.jpg)
not too many left. ^^^this was the last one made. they go for US$350,000. set up like this one, they would do the ton a hundred years ago.
i would ride it like that. how could i do otherwise?
Will also be dust one day.
Is it 4 wheels good 2 wheels bad, or 4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?
As for humans, what the worms can't eat and plants can't absorb, dust also becomes our common fate.
and the universe is destined for heat death. all the more reason to ride the motorcycle before you no longer can.
Quote from: billy rubin on February 15, 2025, 08:37:12 PMand the universe is destined for heat death.
Just like evolution by natural selection or general relativity, the heat death of the universe is only a theory.
A reading from the Book of Zorka, chapter 4 The End of Days.
"What humans refer to as the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and the 'supreme law of the universe' is only an inequality which proves that the universe was imperfect from the start.
It is in transition to a perfect universe where Zorka will be the only true God."
When complete you and your motorcycle will never be subject to decay so that you can ride it forever.
Quote from: zorkan on February 21, 2025, 02:57:49 PMQuote from: billy rubin on February 15, 2025, 08:37:12 PMand the universe is destined for heat death.
Just like evolution by natural selection or general relativity, the heat death of the universe is only a theory.
A reading from the Book of Zorka, chapter 4 The End of Days.
"What humans refer to as the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and the 'supreme law of the universe' is only an inequality which proves that the universe was imperfect from the start.
It is in transition to a perfect universe where Zorka will be the only true God."
When complete you and your motorcycle will never be subject to decay so that you can ride it forever.
"The way that scientists use the word 'theory' is a little different than how it is commonly used in the lay public," said Jaime Tanner, a professor of biology at Emerson College in Boston. "Most people use the word 'theory' to mean an idea or hunch that someone has, but in science the word 'theory' refers to the way that we interpret facts."
Scientists generally will readily agree with the statement: "To a greater or lesser extent all scientific knowledge is provisional." In some circles that looks like an open door through which all manner of manner of nonsense may be shoved.
Still, remembering the provisional nature of our working knowledge of the universe is salutary I think.
Quote from: Recusant on February 22, 2025, 04:19:48 AMScientists generally will readily agree with the statement: "To a greater or lesser extent all scientific knowledge is provisional."
Have an idea, turn it into a theory, look for evidence, prove it to your own satisfaction, paper over the cracks, challenge others to prove it wrong.
That's how science works.
Evolution by natural selection does not explain how life first formed, and it can't predict where it's going.
Physics cannot explain why the 2nd Law outpaces all others.
Physics cannot be sure about the nature of time, so Einstein may be wrong.
Hawking argued why time goes forward and not backward.
If we grew younger and not older this thread would be about plans for youthing and not ageing.
Cosmology cannot explain why the universe is one way and not another.
Darwinism started as a theory and it's stood the test for 150 years.
Challenged by some and while most of it is true it doesn't mean all of it is true.
We just have to wait for a better theory.
Quote from: zorkan on February 22, 2025, 01:05:26 PMEvolution by natural selection does not explain how life first formed, and it can't predict where it's going.
abiogenesis isnt part of the theory of natural selection, so it cant be faulted for not explaining it.
neither is anything in the way of predictions as to where its going.
what is your definition of "evolution by natural selection," zorkan?
Quote from: billy rubin on February 22, 2025, 07:28:49 PMwhat is your definition of "evolution by natural selection," zorkan?
:oooh-me!:
It's when The Asmo hunts spiders with an vacuum cleaner, and then in revenge, they BITE Him while He slumbers. :smilenod:
Ok, fine, that's a example of a stalemate, but only temporary, you hear! The Asmo shall prevail! :smilenod:
i eas also once bitten by a spider in my sleep when i rolled over one crawling over my pillow. bit me in the back of the head.
very strange psychological results. i could tell my brain wasnt functioning correctly, and had a headache for a month.
a professor of mine was once bitten by a black widow. he was hospitalized, and also described to me mental disurbance.
Fortunately, most of our local spiders are quite manageable that way. I don't know the species, but they be ye-average-European-house-spiders.
I wouldn't even mind, except they have a inappropriate number of legs. :sadshake:
I find the ticks to the most troubling arachnids.
Some of them cause meat allergy, some something like lime disease and all of them annoying persistent itchiness.
I don't know why they and the mosquitos and the leeches don't set up alters and I could make a blood offering and they could leave me in peace.
Quote from: The Magic Pudding.. on February 25, 2025, 09:10:57 AMI don't know why they and the mosquitos and the leeches don't set up alters and I could make a blood offering and they could leave me in peace.
YES! You see, this right here. THIS would be pure wisdom, it would. Not to mention a sound collection strategy for a blood for food non-profit scam. :smilenod:
Quote from: billy rubin on February 22, 2025, 07:28:49 PMwhat is your definition of "evolution by natural selection," zorkan?
When it isn't artificial.
How about punctuated equilibrium to explain why mammals like us exist.
Leeches exist because of blood circulation in mammals.
Maybe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cladogenesis
An Internet says:
"Predatory leeches may feed on other invertebrates such as insect larvae, earthworms, snails, and other leeches, while parasitic leeches feed on the blood of fishes, birds, amphibians, and mammals."
That was only my experience of them.
I have encountered leeches in walks in the jungle.
Not as yet in the UK, but I see there are 37 varieties.
https://www.wlgf.org/leeches.html
"Leeches are infamous for sucking blood from people and other mammals,"
Quote from: zorkan on February 25, 2025, 11:18:26 AMQuote from: billy rubin on February 22, 2025, 07:28:49 PMwhat is your definition of "evolution by natural selection," zorkan?
When it isn't artificial.
yes. it has nothing to do with abiogenesis, unless you make some dawkins-style conceptual leaps. natural selection works only on pre-existing life.
Quote from: billy rubin on March 03, 2025, 11:32:00 AMyes. it has nothing to do with abiogenesis, unless you make some dawkins-style conceptual leaps. natural selection works only on pre-existing life.
As in like the headline "survivors found drowned"?
Dawkins is a bit of a dickhead who likes to use his intellectual weight on the little people.
While natural selection creates rapid change on the smaller scale, catastrophic events will also lead to long term change.
Transitional species do exist but the fossil record is like a jigsaw puzzle with the majority of pieces missing.
This guys plans for old age ????
https://imgur.com/gallery/nope-DTjOUx4 (https://imgur.com/gallery/nope-DTjOUx4)
Yes but I'm in training to climb Olympus Mons then abseiling down.
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?&q=abseiling+off+mars+olympus&qpvt=abseiling+off+mars+olympus&mid=41E0ACDCED03CD1BC6AC41E0ACDCED03CD1BC6AC&&FORM=VRDGAR
Quote from: Icarus on June 09, 2025, 04:28:13 AMjOUx4"]https://imgur.com/gallery/nope-DTjOUx4[/url]
listen.
i ride 60 year-old motorcycles at well over the ton, but i dont do this.
Candidates for Darwin awards are not hard to find. As for Billy, Hmmmm......what the hell, I did some really risky stuff, even dumb ass stuff, on motorcycles. Billy gets a free pass from me.
I may have mentioned some of my motorcycle misadventures, but here's maybe a repeat. I used to ride stupid speeds on mountain roads, easily double the speed limit. I took a curve one time and hit a patch of sand (I think). It laid down and I slid off the road. When I started down an embankment about 30 feet above a small stream, I jumped off. As I was sliding down the hill on my face, I was wondering where my motorcycle was. Poor form, to be run over by one's own vehicle. But the left handlebar snagged the dirt, and the motorcycle stopped there. I climbed back up the hill, got it running and proceeded up the hill, at a shallow angle to the road. Some people I had recently passed stopped to help me up the hill. I rode it home with the left handlebar bent back. Hard to make left turns that way, but the clutch still worked. :) Broke my glasses, destroyed the face bubble, and lost the license plate. There was also a dent in the fuel tank, and the left foot peg was tweaked . I went back to look for the plate the next day, but no luck. I put both feet on the center of the fork and pulled the handlebar into a semblance of the stock configuration. I drove it that way for awhile, but sold it before I joined the Navy, in '72.
Add to it one day at a time? And read good books.
Now that I'm officially over 40, my plans are back aches and grumpiness, increasing until it reaches a critical mass, collapsing into a singularity of pure evil intent, destroying the Uinverse.
What can I say, The Asmo aimeth higheth. :smilenod:
i intend to just die young.
At 75 I spend an hour a day doing Yoga postures, Pilates moves, Chi Kung (Qigong), Neigong, Tai Chi.
Not all at once but a good session of one each day.
Yoga and Pilates are good for the flexibility of the body.
Chi Kung is good for circulation.
Tai Chi is good for the brain.
Neigong is good for healing.
Quote from: billy rubin on June 13, 2025, 06:15:09 PMi intend to just die young.
I am too ordinary to die young and suffer from the cat killing condition.
At 72 I intend too be a vocaloldfart for the next 15 years.
There is too much going on in the world now, to miss out witnessing the approaching societal challenges.