future

Fun Things Learned By The Accident of Getting Old

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Let’s start with an obvious Fun, senior fact. A June 26, 2026 report in The Scientific American titled “Math predicting humans could go extinct in about 17,000 years” is interesting. The wisdom, acquired by aging, says I don’t have to worry.

A similar warning is issued by the World Wildlife Foundation in an article titled “What is the sixth mass extinction and what can we do about it?” It is curiously undated, but the copyright year is 2026. This article mentions the “extinction” of large sections of our current biodiversity which could/might/probably will affect our own diversity. * The article states the last of five extinction periods, “Fifth Extinction Event”, was 65.5 million years ago and involved dinosaurs. I personally feel safe about this one, too.

Measles and other infectious diseases are on the rise while flu and covid are having another go. As a vaccinated old person, any concern about these issues is only which one might be the most efficient to end my career, or which might be the worst. That debate is probably moot thanks to my 2024 agreement with Prostate Cancer.**

A trial balloon about a military draft was circulated by the current administration in 2025. No need to worry, there.

JP Morgan published an article on August 18, 2026 on Yahoo Finance titled “JPMorgan warns food crisis could hit next year, (sic) unlike oil, there’s no backup plan for fertilizer.” I’m so unconcerned I did not bother to read the entire article and stopped at “The U.S. isn’t among the countries most likely to be directly hit by the food security threats JP Morgan forecasts.” Yes! Another non-worry.

And there is or “soon” will be a severe shortage of doctors and healthcare. I scoff lightly at the threat, having navigated its early days, already.

It sounds callous to not care about these big issues, but isn’t it callous of God/Mother Nature/Allah/The Big Guy to make us grow old? Old age forces us look for a glass half full or go crazy.

Besides, whoever/whatever It is that designed and manufactured humans gave us Real Intelligence (RI). Through our history we’ve used RI to move faster, live longer, see clearer, explore space, and allow hunger to co-exist with haute cuisine.*** Add some Artificial Intelligence (Ai) to our world and watch what happens. We’ll be making nutritional doughnuts out of used tires by 2027.  Lacrosse matches will replace wars with bombs blowing up huge clouds of Skittles instead of debris. Every home will have its own surgery room with second-by-second verbal instructions. Ooh, and its own anesthesia. Think I’d like that one.

Modern life’s instant and chaotic communication can lead to despair and mental doom if you aren’t old enough to have heard it all before and seen it all before. For the younger reader, we’ll find a way out of these messes. We usually do. Not the “us” we as in me and you, but the “us” of all mankind. We**** can sometimes be that smart.

But you never really know, do you. Imagine surprised dinosaurs…

*What an interesting way to root out woke diversity, right?

**If it ever returns it can have me, at my age.

***What is the French word for not-haute cuisine? Bet there is one.

****Again: not the “us” we.

Is it really the end of the world?

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A lot of left leaning friends are distraught, to say the least, about January 20, 2025. Most of them were distraught about January 6, 2021, as well.

Distraught: adjective, deeply upset and agitated.

Distraught is probably the best word to use when a convicted felon becomes president and pardons other convicted felons simply because those “other felons” adore the new president. A whole bunch of MAGAs are getting out of their seats to protest: “What about Biden?” They prove a point about themselves: they can never argue or debate without using the “Whataboutsomeoneelse” defense. Maybe I’ll take the time to illustrate the differences, later, or maybe I’ll just sit in my chair and not waste time.

And so starts another four years of you-know-who. Somewhere in America is a subset of voters wondering if there are any good, decent men and women left in America. One thing not needing debate is that every four years we are going to have half the country feeling “distraught” in January. Except billionaires. They’re happy all the time.

Meantime, science leaps and bounds its way into the future. Northwestern University in Chicago has reported the first “demonstration of quantum teleportation over internet cables”. Look back at my post about Quantum Entanglement this past summer and you’ll see why my brain blew up with this news, and think it far more important than our new, orange disaster.

Mercedes Benz has developed fully operational hydrogen powered engine to replace diesel engines in trucks. Ever been behind a diesel truck chugging up a hill? The WaVe, funded by the German Government, has out-ftted a formerly diesel powered “implement carrier” with the new engine. All that comes out of the tail pipe is water. Finally, something we can all “get behind”. (NO. I swear it’s not pun…on purpose.)

A paralyzed man has flown a virtual drone using brain implants. Another paralyzed man used implants to send texts. Another is learning how to use brain implants to control a “robot exe-skeleton”, and take steps. If you know–and empathize for–a paralyzed person, there is hope. Sidebar: Chinese scientists have “scheduled” the first Robot Marathon (yes, a MARATHON for ROBOTS) for sometime in April, 2025. In China. Along the route will they want water bottle stations? Oil?

Canadian scientists have learned to “disguise” cancer tumors to “look similar to pig organs” and trick our immune systems into attacking the cancer cells. Canada is not our 51st state, yet, but they get kudos for finally–and hopefully– finding the answer to the “immune system attacking cancer tumor” concept that’s been around for some time. No harsh chemo or radiation…hopefully.

There’s more, but the point is the world will keep moving forward no matter what the color of the American President: Black, White, or Orange. And look at the opportunity for more billionaires. We might see a “trillionaire” soon, too. Huzzah!

As long as we stay out of the way of science.

Oh, and logic.

Can’t resist adding–might add one every post– a Steven Wright quote: “If you were going to shoot a mime, would you use as a silencer?”

Logic.