(no subject)

[davywavy]

About twenty years ago, I read an article in Scientific American about restricted calorie diets and how effective they were at prolonging lifespan. Mice fed on a diet with 10-25% fewer calories than normal lived up to twice as long (up to 3 years as opposed to 18 months), although the article didn't mention how happy the mice looked about this.
The researchers postulated that humans using the same sort of calorie-restricted diet would, they estimated, prolong their lives for the same reasons as the mice - going out on a limb a bit, the report suggested that it might be possible to push the human lifespan up as high as 150 by doing so. A remarkable age, or so it seemed at the time.

You see, a few years ago I started reading estimates that thanks to advances in medical technology 'The first 500 year old person has now been born." My reaction to this was So long as it's me I'm fine with that, but 500 year lifespans now look a bit old hat thanks to the prediction I saw the other day that effective immortality would be possible within twenty years.
Now, all this talk of 'thanks to the miracle of nanotechnology' stuff sounds to me a bit like the articles written back in the 1950s about how nuclear power would given everyone free electricity by the distant future year of 2000, and everyone would live in a robot house.
Even so, the question of possible immortality is an interesting one; like the old saying goes Nobody wants to die, but everybody wants to go to heaven. A world with available immortality would rapdly become a Malthusian nightmare. Nobody would die but there's no chance of creating a heaven when you've got population growth like is predicted this century combined with nobody dying. Immortality is only attractive when you don't think of the implications.

But, with that in mind, a poll:

[Poll #1462328]

Comments

[gnommi.livejournal.com]

Have you been listening to that Aubrey de Grey?

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Who?

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised your options didn't include "During a night of passion at the height of orgasm with a voluptuous redhead". ;oP

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming that the shooting would be carried out by their husband.

[fried-chicken.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of it depends on whether you're managing to prolong life by staving off the usual deterioration the body goes through as it ages, or by simply holding off death while all that's still occurring.

Not certain I like the idea of having to rely more and more on medical aid simply to keep on breathing while I waste away.

[cleosilver.livejournal.com]

I intend to live forever....Or die trying :)

[medusa-nw.livejournal.com]

Keith Floyd is the obvious choice. Though I'd forego the smoke for an extra glass of wine.

[gnommi.livejournal.com]

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/aubrey_de_grey_says_we_can_avoid_aging.html

he's a great guy to have dinner with, but he is somewhat bonkers. he has some good ideas, but he tends to lose a lot of people* with his presentation ;)

*OK, scientists

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

ALL HAIL THE MYSTERONS.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Heavens! Is that the voice of the Mysterons I hear?

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

We know you can hear us, Earthmen. We have not forgotten.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Oh, for blinking flip's sake, what are you going to destroy now?

You already took control of Captain Brown and used him to destroy our economy!

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

We have decided to release our hold over any of our hypnotised servants in the Labour Party, leaving them to administer what remains of said economy according to their own native inclinations.

Thus our revenge will be total.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

You know, if I wasn't indestructable I'd shoot myself in the head at that news.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

This is the voice of the Mysterons: Hee hee ho ho ho hee hee. Foil that, you budget-rate Thunderbirds.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Dude, just because we staged an unprovoked attack on your moonbase. You guys really should know when to let bygones be bygones.

[supermouse.livejournal.com]

In an heroic fashion, so I can go to a glorious afterlife.

I could go by suicide, which in my faith means I go to the same glorious afterlife, but have to sleep in the kitchen and serve at table. Unfortunately, I made a vow not to, and I am not sure what the situation is spiritually for suicidal oathbreakers. So it has to be heroism. It'll probably be brutal, protracted and painful. Oh well.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I'm reminded of the scene in hercules: the legendary journeys in which Hercules is trying to pursue the villainous Loki:

Hercules (to Valkyrie): How do I get to Valhalla?
Valkyrie: Die in battle! Duh.

[supermouse.livejournal.com]

And if you weren't planning to go there, you might get help anyway... Odin's other name is Bolwerk (evil-doer) from his endearing habit of stirring up random groups of men to fighting to the death, so he can get souls for Valhalla. In one story, he does this quite casually as a sort of pastime while on his way to a meeting. This story (http://paganpoet.com/?page_id=1633) contains another example. It's in the first few paragraphs, you don't need to read the whole thing.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I seem to remember a scene in Njals saga in which an anonymous fellow in a blue hat stirs up trouble as well.

[supermouse.livejournal.com]

Ooh, which bit?

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Can't remember, it's years since I read them. It might be King Haralds saga or Grettir the Strong for that matter.

[supermouse.livejournal.com]

Oh no, I will just have to read them all. Le sigh.