Well for one that annual raise concept goes out of the window. As will the extra day annual leave per x years worked.
Both the annual raise and the extra vacation can still apply, but just for the start of a career, not for it all. It's dubious whether an employee of 20 years standing is actually worth much more than one of ten years (says the man who's been in this position for not far short of a quarter century).
What is more likely eventually, in my opinion, is some form of steady-state economy. The current model of continual expansion just doesn't scale into the far future. GDP increases from improved efficiency, yes. From newer better technologies, yes. From mining more coal to smelt more steel to make more cars ... no.
]]>Osteoarthritis -- basically due to wear and tear on the joints, damage accumulating over time -- will be reversed by the treatment.
Rheumatoid arthritis -- an autoimmune disease in which your immune system attacks your joints -- won't be reversed by the treatment. However the anti-aging treatment may improve your ability to recover from suppressant treatments (such as methotrexate) and does not preclude the possibility of living long enough to see a definitive cure (presumably through some kind of therapy to reset your immune systems' response).
So: osteoarthritis, cured. Rheumatoid arthritis: made somewhat more treatable in the short term, prospect of a complete cure within 1-3 decades.
]]>Since I do a lot of conservation work, I'm naturally looking at an indefinite future.... I won't live to see many of the things I'm working for....
If I'd believed my expiration date was further out in the indefinite future than it's likely to be (at my age, could be any day now), I'd have done a better job of establishing the baselines on the sites I've been trying to restore, and of archiving the records.
Hoping someone comes along later to take on the work is all very well, it's all anyone has to hope for with any biology field work.
But ah, yes, it'd sure be nice to expect to see the end of some of these 200-year projects instead of only the beginning.
]]>It would be nice to be able recover from unusual activity like I could in my twenties (Climb a mountain when on holiday etc).
What would I do differently ? I'd buy some good wines whilst young and affordable lay them down. Then I could have fun tasting them at intervals.
Like many here there are some learning opportunities (Languages for one) I'd like to take up. I'd also go to work less than 5 days a week. After all I've no longer got to save for a pension.
However I do wonder is Jonathan Swift gave us a warning about what could happen with immortality - would we end up like his Strulbrugs ? We might well be healthy, but physical and mental scars will build up. We'd have to properly learn how to use our memories !
]]>Anyone who doesn't think there's a strong element of faith in science should read that. I think our faith is that a) we did the right thing, b) that's it's going to matter, and c) that those who come after us are going to have a f**king clue about how to do things right.
]]>I should point out that if there's new neuron formation (along with formation of new neural stem cells), by rights, there should be new ova formation and new reproductive stem cells. Menopause shouldn't happen.
Seriously, though, this miracle drug seems to do something magical with regenerating bones, neurons, and so forth, and getting rid of old broken down crap without causing problems. Personally, I think it's magic, simply because it's hard to do that with a car where all the pieces are designed to be swapped out and replaced, and that's not the case with our bodies. But. Make it out of a bioengineered member of the Ambrosia genus, call it Boosterspice, and call yourself Niven, I guess.
]]>If those could be treated, then fine, I would take it with no hesitation at all, even although,I am poor ($1200 a year), I figured out I have Aspergers this year (I just turned 55), even although I have a BA, I'm just not very employable. I deliver pizzas, (have for over 20 years), and I still enjoy it. I like doing things for a very long time, and living forever would be interesting (anthropologist on Mars view point), and I would get really, really good at knitting and other things (sword making!).
Macro, it would be interesting to watch society change as women abandon their marriages because they have had their kids and raised them (why stick around with an abusive man when you have accomplished the job you entered into the relationship with him for?)
Live long enough and eventually they will be able to figure out when it's abuse and not love...
]]>What I'd personally do is massively grow my TODO list. There are a lot of things I'd like to learn, I'd be willing to accept the glacial pace of learning them all, all at once.
]]>Women do seem to like older men -- therefore, I postulate, some men will wish to be older to make it easier.
Not all people like[d] the 18-24 bracket. Personally, I'd prefer about 28 to 32.
Some people will like being older; for instance, a Prime Minister/President may have to look older just to get votes (this may change over time, who knows). Makes me think that people who enjoy power will have the capability to have a lot more of it.
I'd buy shares in Adidas, Nike, pimple products, contraceptives (and therefore baby goods), Stuff Young People Like etc. Dump shares in pharmaceuticals.
Begin getting terrified about healthcare. If every body's healthy, will doctors become, overall, less skilled?
Sex -- if most of the population is simultaneously at their emotional and physical peaks, there's going to be a lot more of it. Significant increase in weird behaviours? I don't think so.
Religion -- I can see whole sections of the population bypassing the drug.
Agers -- similar to above, some people will reject the drug and die young (relatively speaking).
Boring -- a completely homogeneous very pretty society. Yawn.
]]>Some women prefer some older men. But actually in my experience, it's that they want someone who's grown up, who behaves in a mature way, and I don't expect men whose apparent age is returned to this range to suddenly shed all their experience.
There may also be a slight holdover from the era when a lot of men couldn't afford to marry until they were into their forties or so, so women frequently ended up with much older men for economic reasons. Again, I don't expect that to be an issue for apparent age, not in the long term.
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