Google announces Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being • Hacker News Board

Re: Google announces Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being

#101

Post by sp332 » Wed, Sep 18, 2013, 6:17 PM UTC

benihana wrote: post #92

FD3SA wrote: post #9

Absolutely brilliant. Finally, Aubrey De Grey's unapologetically straightforward logic [1] regarding aging has gained traction with the crowd who has the means to tackle this grand challenge. I am sincerely proud of Page and Brin for their vision and commitment. This is one of those rare times that powerful people make bold choices that catalyze a shift in the world's thought paradigm. Aging will now be seen for what…

> This is one of those rare times that powerful people make bold choices that catalyze a shift in the world's thought paradigm. Let's just go ahead and pump the brakes here before we start clapping each other on the back and talking about shifted paradigms. I'll gladly join in the happy-clappy fest once some actual results come through. But saying we've catalyzed a shift in the world's thought paradigm (that is a rea…

Changing the way people around the world think about death is pretty significant, though. It's going to rewrite important aspects of many cultures. Edit: I mean "make people think differently" is underselling it.

Re: Google announces Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being

#102

Post by notatoad » Wed, Sep 18, 2013, 6:17 PM UTC

JonFish85 wrote: post #90

Ok, I'll bite: what is the over/under on when this will be shut down like so many other Google projects? (Question is only half-serious)

it will be shut down when management decides it no longer has a chance of being successful. if it is successful, it will not be shut down.

stop getting emotionally attached to google products. they aren't your children.

Re: Google announces Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being

#103

Post by eropple » Wed, Sep 18, 2013, 6:17 PM UTC

jerf wrote: post #72

enraged_camel wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Normally I agree, but the implications of anti-aging treatment need to be considered. Yes, the rich will get it first. But then think about what will happen: they will start living longer, and as a result, accumulate even more wealth over their lifetimes. While the poor will have 30-35 years of productive work-life, the rich will have much longer. Combined with the already large difference in their earning power, thi…

And the only other choice is that nobody gets it ever. There's no third choice. There's no magic wand solution where everyone just magically gets it. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

There are many issues for which I agree with you, that the trickle-down is a legitimately good process. But this, no. The concentration of power even more than currently is enough that I would rather forego it than encourage it just for that group of controlling interests.

I would rather no one have it than institute a system of even more perpetual control. We have already signed most of our existence over to the rich and the only equalization is that they die, too. It isn't cutting my nose off to spite my face to not want to live 70-80 years under the continually-strengthening ownership of those who will live to 200. (And, similarly, me living to 200 so I can work all those years for those who'll live 400 doesn't strike me as particularly awesome either.)

Re: Google announces Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being

#104

Post by JonFish85 » Wed, Sep 18, 2013, 6:19 PM UTC

notatoad wrote: post #102

JonFish85 wrote: post #90

Ok, I'll bite: what is the over/under on when this will be shut down like so many other Google projects? (Question is only half-serious)

it will be shut down when management decides it no longer has a chance of being successful. if it is successful, it will not be shut down. stop getting emotionally attached to google products. they aren't your children.

Yikes, that's a little harsh. I don't really care about any of the products they've shut down, it was just a tongue-in-cheek observation that I find curious. I use Google search, calendar & gmail. If they shut those down, I'd be sad. Otherwise I don't really care much.

Re: Google announces Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being

#105

Post by eropple » Wed, Sep 18, 2013, 6:19 PM UTC

lukev wrote: post #76

ianstallings wrote: post #20

I for one welcome my immortal transhumanist cyborg overlords. But seriously, the fact that the first thing they do is start a corporation to control the science is not exactly comforting to me. Genentech is known for selling Avastin, their drug that fights cancer for $55k after they received harsh criticism for the proposed cost of $100k+/year. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevacizumab#Costs I fear a future where "all…

I agree, but existence is so much more important than availability at this point in history. Accelerate existence by whatever means necessary; availability will follow.

> I agree, but existence is so much more important than availability at this point in history.

You assume that those in power will want to make more like them and I think that is mostly unlikely. Nothing attracts the powerful like an insurmountable advantage. Being able to outwait your potential competition at that scale is powerful and I have a hard time seeing powerful people wanting to make their potential competitors as powerful.

Re: Google announces Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being

#106

Post by gefh » Wed, Sep 18, 2013, 6:20 PM UTC

bsullivan01 wrote: post #88

Great, but will wait till something cool comes out of it, or when they shut it down. Right now that's all I can say with the info given. But yeah, Google has managed to suck the oxygen out of others with every new announcement (self-driving cars are one example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_car#History )

Tesla, Mercedes, and others are all working _harder_ on self driving cars now.

Re: Google announces Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being

#107

Post by notatoad » Wed, Sep 18, 2013, 6:21 PM UTC

waterlesscloud wrote: post #30

"So I’m tremendously excited about the innovative new way we’re funding this project" What does that refer to?

from the Time article[1], although they don't say it explicitly i get the impression that they're going to run it essentially like a charity - just dump money on it, and not expect any financial return.

[1] http://business.time.com/2013/09/18/google-extend-human-life...

Re: Google announces Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being

#108

Post by bsullivan01 » Wed, Sep 18, 2013, 6:22 PM UTC

gefh wrote: post #106

bsullivan01 wrote: post #88

Great, but will wait till something cool comes out of it, or when they shut it down. Right now that's all I can say with the info given. But yeah, Google has managed to suck the oxygen out of others with every new announcement (self-driving cars are one example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_car#History )

Tesla, Mercedes, and others are all working _harder_ on self driving cars now.

Who's getting virtually all the press? That was my point

Re: Google announces Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being

#109

Post by jbooth » Wed, Sep 18, 2013, 6:23 PM UTC

VikingCoder wrote: post #33

gdulli wrote: post #29

I'd rather see a high quality of life for everyone on earth for 80 years than 150+ year life spans for the first world. Which will just further increase the footprint of the rich and divert resources from the poor. Not to mention, it's a more attainable goal. It doesn't help much to keep the body going for 50 more years if you can't also keep the brain going. I believe these are very different problems. If you can so…

You either believe in capitalism, or you don't. Google believes in capitalism. They will offer goods and services to people who can afford them, and they will also work to make their products more accessible to those with limited resources. I personally believe Android will have enormous long-lasting positive impacts on the rest of the world. A $25 smartphone ... A $10 smartphone... A $5 smartphone... Giving access t…

I also disagree with the parent poster but you absolutely do not either "believe in capitalism, or you don't".

The only pure capitalist societies are anarchist hellholes. Among nice societies, capitalism is implemented all sorts of different ways with the things capitalism does poorly[1] papered over in different ways.

[1] law enforcement, basic standard of living for all, various economic regulations to address market failures, e.g. I can't legally plug in a transmitter at 100MHz and 1000 watts and black out WNBC in my neighborhood, and can't sell capitalist let-the-market-decide food out of a roach den

Re: Google announces Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being

#110

Post by notatoad » Wed, Sep 18, 2013, 6:23 PM UTC

JonFish85 wrote: post #104

notatoad wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it will be shut down when management decides it no longer has a chance of being successful. if it is successful, it will not be shut down. stop getting emotionally attached to google products. they aren't your children.

Yikes, that's a little harsh. I don't really care about any of the products they've shut down, it was just a tongue-in-cheek observation that I find curious. I use Google search, calendar & gmail. If they shut those down, I'd be sad. Otherwise I don't really care much.

if you cared as little as you are pretending to, you wouldn't feel a need to whine about it. every single article relating to anything google, there's a bunch of you down at the bottom of the comments section whining about google shutting down failing products. get over it, or at least shut up about it. it's not funny, it's just pathetic. google is a company, they shut down products when they aren't working out. that's how companies work.