72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI • Hacker News Board

Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI

#131

Post by snowwrestler » Thu, Dec 29, 2022, 4:46 PM UTC

HillRat wrote: post #71

joshlemer wrote: post #26

This may be good for his personal development or growth and understanding but wouldn't his constituents rather he dedicate his time to representing them and their interests in the house of representatives?

He represents VA-08, which is basically 90% defense contractors, systems integrators, and technology consultants — there’s a reason he’s chair of Space and Aeronautics — so arguably this is right in his constituents’ wheelhouse.

To be more specific, his district includes the “National Landing” development which will include Amazon’s HQ2 and a Virginia Tech “innovation” campus, as well as the Thomas Jefferson magnet high school, the CIA, the Pentagon, Fort Belvoir… and many surrounding neighborhoods.

Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI

#132

Post by peter_retief » Thu, Dec 29, 2022, 4:49 PM UTC

morelisp wrote: post #125

peter_retief wrote: post #110

I am 61 and did Andy Ngo's specialization Machine Learning course through Courser and Stanford (Which I loved). If you are lucky enough to have your health as you get older it is a privilege and an honour to be able to study and continue your education.

I think you mean Andrew Ng's...

Oops yes I did, sorry Andrew.

Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI

#133

Post by todd3834 » Thu, Dec 29, 2022, 5:13 PM UTC

kennyadam wrote: post #126

todd3834 wrote: post #79

When I was the common age to go to college I didn’t want anything to do with school. It worked out and I’ve worked as an engineer at several FAANG and the like. However, what I wouldn’t give to have the freedom and lack of responsibilities to be able to go to college now. Not for the parties, I did plenty of that and it’s completely out of my system. I’m jealous of being able to dedicate the majority of the time stud…

Given that you earn more than most people ever will, do you not think you could save and attend school when you want?

Yes, I’m working on that. Whether or not I pay a university or not, I’m working to have more time for studying the things I’m interested in.

Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI

#134

Post by weakfortress » Thu, Dec 29, 2022, 5:16 PM UTC

ngoilapites wrote: post #40

weakfortress wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does "learning in maturity" change from regular learning? Why do you need a book? Just go find something and learn it...the system couldn't be simpler.

When you reach 40s you will see...

Maybe I'm fortunate and developed some preternatural ability to learn by taking college classes almost my entire life. But I've never had a problem asking for book recommendations (from professors, the internet, etc) and then reading the book and learning. For example, I've recently worked through a good chunk of Alegbra: Chapter 0. I've read a few rust books cover to cover to understand the language, etc.

Time isn't as available as it used to be when I was a kid. My brain still works the same though. Learning is learning.

Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI

#135

Post by klyrs » Thu, Dec 29, 2022, 9:13 PM UTC

ngoilapites wrote: post #40

weakfortress wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does "learning in maturity" change from regular learning? Why do you need a book? Just go find something and learn it...the system couldn't be simpler.

When you reach 40s you will see...

Besides having a kid and spending most of my "free" energy on him (hah -- this is actually learning to parent and the goalpost is still shifting daily) I'm approaching mid-40s and haven't slowed down. My grandma and grandpa died in their 80s and never stopped learning. Don't fool yourself into a deluded stupor, your brain is still plastic.

Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI

#136

Post by wolverine876 » Thu, Dec 29, 2022, 10:10 PM UTC

willeum wrote: post #123

onion2k wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are not growing, you are declining or dead. What's wrong with retiring and living out your last years peacefully relaxing with your hobbies and family? There's absolutely no reason why people have to continually grow until they're in the ground. You're applying an adage about companies to people, but companies need to fight against inflation, and people don't.

Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

That was written by a young person (20-something?) about their parent.

Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI

#137

Post by jolancer » Fri, Dec 30, 2022, 2:57 AM UTC

arcturus17 wrote: post #86

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 72 years old shouldn't be remarkable, but the norm. Having neither of my parents even make it to 72, I’m pessimistic. I hope I will be lucky that my health allows me to keep learning and doing cool stuff at that age (and that I’m actually alive), but the sad reality is that health and genetics can be against us, and being in a healthy thriving state at 72 is more an exception than the norm.

Sorry about your parents... I wouldn't want wish anyone to lose them early. I also understand that genetics sometimes are an unescapeable force. On the bright side however, life expectancy is growing worldwide. In Spain, where I live, average expectancy before Covid peaked at 84 years old. In the US it was 79. The difference is irrelevant to my point (I have no clue what the cause is); the fact is in both cases the s…

People at 75 fall off a cliff physically. Life expectancy is rising but that includes spending years in long term care. 70% of people over 65 right now will need long term care.

We like these type of stories because it reinforces all our denial about old age and death.

We worry about cancer and disease but the real problem is plain old falling. Fall, hurt your leg and then a spiral starts that you don't come back from.

Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI

#138

Post by wankle » Fri, Dec 30, 2022, 2:59 PM UTC

p00rsplr wrote: post #50

wankle wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that the publicly accepted view of aging is that we are all living longer; the math does not support your view.

Math is generalized logic, not a theory of a specific systems parameters and behavior. Humans memorize the information relative to them. If politicians memorize racism they’ll make racist policy. I don’t want people who think in 100 year old social terms alone deciding my fate. Society that never retires old ideas, demands speech stay on specific rails is hardly free. That type of governance is the basis of a police…

"I don’t want people who think in 100 year old social terms alone deciding my fate."

Discriminating against someone on the basis of age is anti-social behavior.

Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI

#139

Post by wolverine876 » Sat, Dec 31, 2022, 12:42 AM UTC

cjohansson wrote: post #117

cm2187 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reality is that most people's mental abilities have started to decline by this age, particularly the capacity to learn new things. That makes this story all the more remarkable. Part of that I think is certainly as you suggest, that the brain is a muscle, you need to use it to keep it fit. But you can't escape nature either. To keep the muscle analogy, you won’t compete as an athlete at 72 no matter how fit you r…

This is not true, it varies by personality, some personalities have high neuropasticity even when they get older. It depends on individual differences in the dopaminergic system

What is "personality"? How much of that is choice?

And for the neuroplasticity and are the dopaminergic system differences, how much is cause and how much is effect? Our actions affect our brains and the rest of our bodies, and vice versa. If I chose to lift heavy weights every day, after ten years you wouldn't say, 'they do that because they have extra muscle'.

Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI

#140

Post by wolverine876 » Sat, Dec 31, 2022, 12:53 AM UTC

treve wrote: post #92

wolverine876 wrote: post #7

A major problem in our society is that '72-year-old' is in the headline. If you are not growing, you are declining or dead. Not only does the world change under your feet, you need that stimulation just to stay healthy. We ruin the talent, economic value, and freedom and opportunity of a very large portion of the population by dimissing the growth of anyone in late middle-age or later. 72 years old shouldn't be remar…

I'm late 30's and suspect you are also not 70, so I don't know if I'm correct about this, but I suspect that not wanting growth and change at 70 might also be natural and not just social pressure. But regardless I'm very curious how the internet generation will be later in life. I hope I have less anxiety and pressure!

Here's a preview, from one perspective:

We are emotional creatures: Emotion, much more than anything else, is our experience of the world, and it is a major input in our perception, decisions, and actions.

Many people reject their emotions or are ignorant of them. And life experiences often cause a lot of emotional injury, to the point where older people reach their limits (I suspect you have a good sense of that at your age) and shut down.

The effect of that shut down - well see the first paragraph; that all deteriorates significantly. It cripples experience and ability, including good judgment, and it causes people to avoid new experiences - the experiences might be traumatic, and the skill of learning and exploring atrophes. Also, shutting down doesn't actually do away with the emotions; they come out and people become angry and cruel.

Instead, we need to learn to be resiliant, to build our emotinonal capacity, and to experience life and use our well-honed emotional insincts as hard-earned wisdom. That includes exploring and learning new things.