Slashdot Mirror
Do You Want to Live Forever?
Jamie McCarthy writes "In 1918, Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Daly inspired his weary men to attack by yelling, 'come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?' But how would the world change if we could? This month's Technology Review introduces us to the computer scientist, and self-taught biologist, Aubrey de Grey, who thinks immortality could be within our grasp by 2030. Thinking like an engineer, he's broken aging down into seven specific problems, like cell atrophy and mitochondrial mutation, which he believes can all, in principle, be solved. And he has good reason to think those seven are the only 'bugs' standing in the way of a thousand-year lifespan. De Grey is clearly both a genius and a little nuts, but I'm not sure in what proportion..."
Until you realize that ailments like Cancer and Aids, and research into Stem Cells and other controversial subjects, have not had enough funding devoted to them, and you contract and die from one of them without a cure in sight.
It was nice that you left such a legacy of debt to your loved ones.
Find Nearby Indie Events
If we live forever, we can work forever.
Spoken like a true Democrat.
Ha, ha! Nobody ever says Italy.
Number 1: Presumably, part of the way to achieve immortality would be to stay younger (i.e., more vigorous) longer. Not, as you suggest, to grow old and feeble in 70 years and then stay old and feeble for an addition 930 years. The result: people would work longer and retire much later. I do not, however, deny that there would be ecomnomic and humanitarian crises due to a shortage of jobs, livable land, and food supplies.
Number 2: You are repeating Republican spin points. Please attempt to actually learn some actual facts about the actual Social Security system and the actual report by the Social Security Trustees. In reality, SS is completely solvent until the mid 2040s unless Bush rapes the trust fund again to give more handouts to the rich. Nice troll you piece of shit right-wing liar; keep repeating those talking points you get from Faux News.
"What we elect to call imagination is mere combination of things not heretofore combined." - Frank Norris
Jesus was a myth built on earlier godmen myths
eat shiat and bark at the moon
Glad to hear that you know what's best for everyone else.
You should run for the chairman of the DNC; they love people like that.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
I guess you aren't paying attention, Anonymous ostrich Coward. After Bush mangles SS by handing it over to Wall Street, his main policy du jour, of course it will be his fault that it all collapses. Though he and his "base" (the "haves" and the "have mores") will think of it as "credit", rather than "blame".
--
make install -not war
Even without the immortality component, what you describe has been tried. It's called communism. Doesn't work.