41–50 of 118 posts
Happy Birthday! May you have many more.
I hit 50 two years ago. I didn't mind turning 50. It was the constant stereotyping that society(at least in the U.S.) that finally got to me. I recall hitting 50 and not giving it much thought, but it seemed like when ever I turned on any from of media, I was reminded of all the pitfalls of getting older. It's so depressing, I am thing about getting rid of cable. I'll still watch movies on my devises, but I need to t…
Do it. Doesn't matter if you are 10, 50, or 150, get rid of any media that shoves so much advertising down your throat. So much of it is set to cause the problems they try to resolve. Take skin cream commercials for teens with acne; watch how they may acne out to be this horrendous thing you must cure. Watching those ads do nothing to improve your life.
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On the contrary, I’m on my early forties and my physical condition is way better than it was twenty years ago. It's a crap shoot. I got hit by metabolic syndrome -- extreme hypertension and type II diabetes. I exercise, I weigh less and am in better shape than I was 20 years ago, but I'm still on a cardiology professor's frequent-flyer list and gobbling meds by the double-handful. Meanwhile, my wife is a four year ca…
Isn't that hereditary? Isn't it possible to look at relatives and parents and guess own future?
Genetics Twin studies have estimated that approximately 20-30% the variation in human lifespan can be related to genetics, with the rest due to individual behaviors and environmental factors which can be modified.
[Hjelmborg, J.; Skytthe, Axel; Vaupel, James W.; McGue, Matt; Koskenvuo, Markku; Kaprio, Jaakko; Pedersen, Nancy L.; Christensen, Kaare et al. (2006). "Genetic influence on human lifespan and longevity". Human Genetics 119 (3): 312–321. doi:10.1007/s00439-006-0144-y.]
I hit 51 next month, and that's ... well. These decadal anniversaries seem to get more onerous each time. 20? No problem, it just means you're not a teenager any more! 30? Okay, you're officially a grownup, but you can still party! 40 was pause for concern, but it isn't what it used to be, the threshold of middle age: that's 50. Oops ... Well, as Terry Pratchett observed, inside every old man there's an eight year ol…
Or even if you're not changing track, if you're developer ~20%++ of the track changes on you every year, can you maintain this pace when you're older, maybe with a family, and don't have the time or motivation to learn yet another way of doing for the umpteenth time. For younger people I would recommend keeping a close eye on that situation over the long term and if possible have a plan B if you want to get off the treadmill.
Happy Birthday! Prompted by your comment I found this from the Association of American Publishers: 'In the first three months of 2015 they (e-books) have plummeted 7.5% from the same period last year. Meanwhile paperback sales have increased by 8.9% giving further credence that people are switching back to print in greater numbers than originally thought'. I hope so.
I remember the first time I went to Japan in 2000. I was a little shocked how everyone seemed to be buried in their phones on the subways. Seemed a little weird, but after a while, I was like, meh, it's Japan.
Fast forward to 2015 and everyone has their face buried in their devices in the states. Walking. Driving (ugh). Bus. Stores. Subway. You name it. I do it too, of course, but not all the time. I still enjoy my walks around my city even if it's to re-appreciate the same things along the same route. There's something about disconnecting now; funny you have to even do this at all.
Books are a part of this. Not only the physical aspect, but words on a printed page that never change and always just are. It wasn't until recently that it dawned on me how important physical book authors are to society and culture. It's so easy to watch videos, movies, tv shows and nothing else. I love movies, but it's not the same thought process. I feel bad for people who are not encouraged to read more because they definitely do not know what they're missing.
To read a book...., that is a bicycle for the mind.
I don't get to read as much as I want to, but whenever I go on vacation (which doesn't happen much either :-\) I always being a few hard cover books. Yah, u lug them around, the additional weight sucks. But, having that book and picking out that chair or hammock, that's one of the best things ever.
I hit 51 next month, and that's ... well. These decadal anniversaries seem to get more onerous each time. 20? No problem, it just means you're not a teenager any more! 30? Okay, you're officially a grownup, but you can still party! 40 was pause for concern, but it isn't what it used to be, the threshold of middle age: that's 50. Oops ... Well, as Terry Pratchett observed, inside every old man there's an eight year ol…
> But the biggest thing I've noticed? What look like big opportunities, vanishing in the rear-view mirror of age.....So you get locked into whatever track you set yourself running down twenty years earlier. Changing is hard because you have less of a future ahead of you to change for. Or even if you're not changing track, if you're developer ~20%++ of the track changes on you every year, can you maintain this pace wh…
The plan B is always saving enough money to bail early on employment and retiring at 50-55.
Switching careers is always going to be an earnings hit.
Imo anyway.
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37 here, and that is exactly how I feel. I'm hardly an optimist about how a lot of things in the world are going, but world-weary cynicism (the world is shit, it'll never change, everyone is corrupt, etc) grates on me as cloying and juvenile. I always end up thinking it says more about the person than the world itself. These days, I usually find myself starting to argue and push back against that, and occasionally I…
> what in life do you have to be proud of about yourself at this point?" I like to think that at least by not killing myself I've made a huge contribution to the happiness of my friends and family, even if the world as a whole is a hopeless cluster of growing misery.
Very thoughtful post from a very thoughtful guy. Happy birthday, Jacques.
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> But the biggest thing I've noticed? What look like big opportunities, vanishing in the rear-view mirror of age.....So you get locked into whatever track you set yourself running down twenty years earlier. Changing is hard because you have less of a future ahead of you to change for. Or even if you're not changing track, if you're developer ~20%++ of the track changes on you every year, can you maintain this pace wh…
> Or even if you're not changing track, if you're developer ~20%++ of the track changes on you every year, can you maintain this pace when you're older, maybe with a family, and don't have the time or motivation to learn yet another way of doing for the umpteenth time. For younger people I would recommend keeping a close eye on that situation over the long term and if possible have a plan B if you want to get off the…