Old Age Simulator

quackking writes "Tired of being young and healthy? Now you can simulate your own old age. This story describes a sensory-modification suit which, among other things, selectively blocks out certain sound frequencies, and lets you experience arthritis."

Comments

Simulating an infirmity or handicap

[imrdkl]

Is sometimes useful to gain understanding about it.

This doesn't sound like a very good simulator

[wiggys]

Cycling at 70? Impossible," concluded 23-year-old Julia, testing the suit for the benefit of the readers of the mass-selling Bild newspaper. The joints, deliberately stiffened, prevented her getting even one leg over the bike.

Well how come my finacee's grandmother cycles 4 miles per day most days? She's far fitter than I am, and I'm 27!

Not to mention this guy. He's 86 and would probably make most Slashdotters look about 186...

Ford uses these...

[BSDevil]

According to this Wired article, Ford has developed one of these systems (they're calling it the third age suit), designed to add thirty years to your age so that their designers can get a sense of how old people feel in their cars. The guys that designed the Focus all had to wear these things for a while and play with Ford's other cars when they were in the design stages of teh interior, to get a sens of what worked and what didn't for older people.

I also find it neat that the Toyota Echo was expressely designed for older people (or says the dealer). Personally, I thought older people liked to drive huge cars like Buicks and Caddies (even ones from the eighties), but my grandmother has an Echo and loves it. The seats are high up and the hood is short for more visability, and all the nobs and dials seem bigger than usual for cars that size. Makes me laugh seeing twenty-somethings driving them...

Batman suit

[ciurana]

This article reminded me of Val Kilmer's interview in an episode of Inside the Actor's Studio.

Kilmer was asked about his experiences while shooting Batman Forever. The first thing he said was "Now I know what being old means. I couldn't hear inside the suit, so I had to guess my cues from watchint people's lips move. I couldn't move or turn your head. You think you move your hand and then you slowly watch it go up. I could barely see." (paraphrased a bit)

Ah, another shattered illusion. I used to think that the Batman suit was soooooo cool...

E

Re:You know what?

[mesocyclone]

Apple slices with peanut butter?

Haven't you heard of aflatoxins? Almost all cases of liver cancer in the US (other than those caused by alcoholism) are caused by aflatoxins - most commonly found in peanut butter.

Moderate amounts of alcohol appear to have a number of beneficial health effects - drink *some*.

Computer programming causes chronic nerve cell migration in the brain - avoid it.

(all right, I made that up... but I'll bet it is true - maybe harmful, maybe beneficial :-)

Face it... there ain't no way to guarantee that you are living well into your 120s or 130s.

But if it makes you feel better to believe so... go ahead.

Re:You know what?

[Joe Tie.]

(all right, I made that up... but I'll bet it is true - maybe harmful, maybe beneficial :-)

From what I've read, continuing to solve puzzles and integrate new concepts is an extreamly important component to keeping ones mind from degrading,diseases aside, as you get older. From that perspective, I'd place programming right into the same catagory as getting a workout and eating right for me.