[extropy-chat] Re: Boredom in old age

[Bill Hibbard]

Harvey Newstrom wrote:
>
> However, I think the enthusiasm of youth is automatic because things are new
> and different.  Transhumanism used to be new and different.  But after being
> on these lists for over a decade, there aren't very many new ideas going
> around.  Older people also feel like they are running out of time.  Ten
> years ago, people were predicting the singularity, moon bases and
> immortality in a decade or two.  Now that we are half way there, the goals
> don't seem any closer, yet time is running out.

There is Donald Norman's great quote that people tend to
overestimate the short-term progress of technological
change and underestimate the long-term effects. We need
to work hard and be patient, but the rewards will exceed
our expectations.

The same comment applies to your pessimism. If you look
at short-term events in the world it is easy to think its
all screwed up (it is). But compare the present to the
distant past and its much better now.

I'm 55. It is true that my enthusiasm isn't aroused as
easily it once was, but now its more focused on the
things that really matter. Some of these are purely
personal (health and happiness of family) but also for
example the singularity. I don't expect it within the
next 40 years and hence probably not within my lifetime,
but I am very hopeful of living to see amazing progress
in neuroscience and AI research. Also, I am working hard
to live healthy and long, so I can live to see as much
as possible.

My role model is Verner Suomi, who literally invented
weather satellites (everyone who watches satellite
animations on TV weather shows uses his invention). I
went to work for him in 1978. When he died at about age
85 in 1995 he had employees in his hospital room working
on a radically new kind of ocean buoy for measuring sea
surface heat flux. He made the lives of everyone around
him better.

Cheers,
Bill
----------------------------------------------------------
Bill Hibbard, SSEC, 1225 W. Dayton St., Madison, WI  53706
test at demedici.ssec.wisc.edu  608-263-4427  fax: 608-263-6738
http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/~billh/vis.html