prog | (no subject)

OK, so part of what I was referring to was the fact that I've been revisiting some earlier thoughts about aging and clinical immortality, topics to which Singularity thinking is often interlinked and with good reason.

While performing some insomnia-fueled Wikipedia wandering just now, I found that in 2004 Ray Kurzweil, the author of one of the books I was thinking of in my previous post, co-authored another book called Fantastic Voyage. It specifically encourages middle-aged and younger people to take up a longevity-boosting regimen now so that they'll be alive while technological progress, advancing at the exponential rate that Kurzwell believes that it is, slows down and finally vanquishes human aging.

The book has a website, and so far I have only skimmed the overwhelmingly long chapter-by-chapter outline that is posted there. I see enough to whet my curiosity to read more. I also see a banner ad for a line of "longevity products" that the authors sell under their own tagline. More drumming of fingers. But still... here is something exactly filling an informational niche I was looking for, and can I blame a bit of entrepreneurial spirit on the side?

Quite reasonably, the bulk of their advice involves diet, and it largely seems to overlap with the low-carb, low/no-sugar diets that many of my friends already practice. Alas, it looks "diffcult" to a lazy lout like me. Like many people in my civilization, my current diet is based on a philosophy of maximum convenience and fast energy bursting. You could caricature my ideal meal as a loaf of corn-battered Wonder bread soaked in coffee and dunked in powdered sugar. Delivered piping hot to my door! Mmmm.

All these delights would be out the door in Ray and Terry's scheme. Just the thought of bidding farewell to my coffee seems difficult enough. (At least they subscribe to the moderate-alcohol-is-good school.) But I've been awake too long so I think I'll drink a tall cool glass of filtered tap water and consider this further in the near future. Maybe, meh, over some coffee.

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Ultra-low calorie diets do seem to have potential at increasing life span. The catch seems to be that sex drive and other feelings of energy, ambition and joy go away.

That's not what they're suggesting at all, fortunately. To my understanding the caloric restriction diet means keeping oneself on the threshold of starvation, and being perpetually hungry. No thanks.

ideal meal as a loaf of corn-battered Wonder bread soaked in coffee and dunked in powdered sugar. Delivered piping hot to my door! Mmmm.

You forgot that it is supposed to be a deep fat fried piece of Wonder bread. But otherwise, you are correct. Most of the food we humans currently consume is actively bad for us. Have you seen "Super Size Me"? It is really eye opening, and once you see it, you will never want to eat at McDonald's again.

I have had to make many changes in my diet over the last few years. I am trying to eat as low carb as possible, but this is often inconvenient and expensive. High carb meals are quick and easy to either procure or make yourself.

Of course, it is not just carbs that are the problem. I have the suspicion that many of the food additives that go into the commercial processed long shelf life products are probably not good for us. I am not a rabid organic vegetable nazi by any means, either (but my wife is!). I just find myself more and more subscribing the belief that if I cannot easily pronounce or understand the chemical makup of the list of additives, perhaps I should not be eating it. So give me lots of good steaks and fresh greens and sushi and rice.

Other than actually getting real exercise on a regular basis, there are two other things that I think have improved my health over the last few years. I have made a point to do now are to stay hydrated as much as possible with real H2O and not other stuff (you know the drill -- if your pee is medium yellow or darker, you are not hydrated enough). I have also been taking some vitamin supplements on an semi-regular basis, in particular this stuff as a liquid drink, which is actually pretty decent tasting and also provides the important hydration factor.

I have seen Kurzweil speak before (you can probably guess where). He is interesting, but I am not sure I agree with all of his projections and assumptions. I do think that life spans are improving dramatically in the developed world, and that a singularity type event will someday occur. But I think it might be several hundred more years away or longer, as the rate of progress will slow the closer we get to the goal.

Super Size Me convinced me of only one thing: don't eat 5000 calories a day. It didn't convince me at all that it makes a big difference whether you get those calories from McDonald's or Whole Foods.

the blood test results and increased cholesterol numbers and other such things convinced me.

maintaining a high-protein diet without sufficient animal sources generally means over-reliance on soy or gluten protein sources. high soy intake is increasingly contributing not just to food sensitivity issues (note increase in allergies to soy, wheat, corn and peanuts -- the most popular filler foods) but to the assorted metobolic damages that soy can cause (a more immediate concern for people like me who are already diagnosed with thyroid suppression issues), and higher intake of whatever the highly absorbent soybean draws from its soil (it's like vegan liver in terms of potential impurities, really).

generaly, you want to vary your food as much as possible, both with proteins, fats and green vegetables. a better goal is to prioritize cutting processed (trans) fats over saturated fats.

(for all my legendary love of bacon, I rarely consume more than a serving of it a week, and only when I feel a need to vary from my usual fish, bird, dairy or bean protein sources.)

My doc agrees with you on the variety-in-diet thing. That's a goal I can consciously spend more effort on without pain.

Mm... vegan liver. :b

You can also combine things, like rice and legumes being one classic example, to get good quality protein. "Diet for a Small Planet" has lots of those recipes, although I wish they had more recipes without dairy (or without soy) in them. Anyway - other options for good, balanced protein besides the delicious flesh of animals. (I'm not a vegetarian, I just like having options.)

Argh, no, it's "Recipes for a Small Planet" that has the recipes. Duh.

green tea is not a suitable replacement for coffee. coffee has its own benefits, distinct from tea.

coffee also does not contain fluoride, unlike tea. fluoride can impede the thyroid gland. (if you are already reducing sugar and carbonated beverage exposure to your mouth, you're doing more for your teeth than adding fluoride would.)

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the soy issue

Re: the soy issue

Re: the soy issue

correction

the coffee issue