The Invincible Man

Washington Post ^ | Oct. 31, 2007 | Joel Garreau

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Aubrey de Grey may be wrong but, evidence suggests, he's not nuts. This is a no small assertion. De Grey argues that some people alive today will live in a robust and youthful fashion for 1,000 years.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Book review of Aubrey de Grey's "Ending Aging". I especially liked the end of the review:

On Oct. 9, 1903, the New York Times wrote:

"The flying machine which will really fly might be evolved by the combined and continuous efforts of mathematicians and mechanicians in from one million to ten million years."

On the same day, on Kill Devil Hill, N.C., in his diary, a bicycle mechanic named Orville Wright wrote:

"We unpacked rest of goods for new machine."

[rbg81]

If man could figure out a way to live forever, or near forever, it would be a societal disaster. Lots of fields would stagnate—held in statsis by people who got to the tops of their field and would refuse to relinquish power. A better way to go would be to give people a choice: die a natural death or migrate to another world and live forever.

[Teflonic]

If this comes about it will not be long before we aren’t working for money anymore - we’d be working for extra time to live.

Worked a full week with no absenses? You get your weekly youth pill.

Out of a job? You’ll be aging until you can get back to work.

[the_devils_advocate_666]

From too much love of living,
   From hope and fear set free,
We thank with brief thanksgiving
   Whatever gods may be
That no man lives for ever;
That dead men rise up never;
That even the weariest river
   Winds somewhere safe to sea. 

[ikka]

And you thought Social Security was in trouble before!

[theFIRMbss]

>some people alive today will live in a robust and youthful fashion for 1,000 years

Will we all have to dress as cheerleaders and save the world from evil?

[AnotherUnixGeek]

And you thought Social Security was in trouble before!

Solving the aging problem would mean no more Social Security or other pension programs. If you can afford to retire for a while, have fun. Otherwise, get back to work.