Memory And Old Age

[citizenzen]

Let me bore you with a cautionary tale. You seem to believe you're not very likely to develop Alzheimer's.

Based on the odds that I've seen it's simply a statement of fact.

That doesn't mean it won't happen ... just that it's less likely to happen.

And I'm sorry about your mother, some of your story was quite close to what we experienced with my father-in-law.

 

[Carlanga]

I like this table from alz site (http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10_signs_of_alzheimers.asp)

 

[vrDrew]

Compare that to just 100 years ago, when circles of relatives, friends, and co-workers were smaller and most of the other items didn't exist. Perhaps our brains haven't evolved to handle the volume of information

Its an interesting theory - but no. The reason more people have Alzheimers and other age-related mental issues is because people live a lot longer. At the turn of the 20th century life expectancy (in the US) was 46 years. So relatively few people made it to their 80s and 90s - the age when Alzheimers starts to appear. And not only was mental health not so well understood, but the stigma associated with it made it rare for it to be discussed outside the immediate family. But plenty of families had a "crazy old aunt" they kept locked in a back bedroom.

People in an earlier age filled their brains with knowledge too. Just not login passwords and user names. In an age when men and women worked with their hands, in fields, factories, kitchens and nurseries - a tremendous amount of practical knowledge was required. And regular people often knew music, poetry and literature by heart in a way that would astound most people today.

 

[Roller]

Its an interesting theory - but no. The reason more people have Alzheimers and other age-related mental issues is because people live a lot longer. At the turn of the 20th century life expectancy (in the US) was 46 years. So relatively few people made it to their 80s and 90s - the age when Alzheimers starts to appear. And not only was mental health not so well understood, but the stigma associated with it made it rare for it to be discussed outside the immediate family. But plenty of families had a "crazy old aunt" they kept locked in a back bedroom.

People in an earlier age filled their brains with knowledge too. Just not login passwords and user names. In an age when men and women worked with their hands, in fields, factories, kitchens and nurseries - a tremendous amount of practical knowledge was required. And regular people often knew music, poetry and literature by heart in a way that would astound most people today.

As a physician, I'm well aware of the effect that lengthening of life expectancy has on disease prevalence, as well as on changing societal attitudes toward mental illness. However, while I agree that people in the past carried considerable practical and other knowledge with them, I still wonder if the volume of information that must be retrieved very rapidly is greater now than at any previous time in human history.

 

[localoid]

As a physician, I'm well aware of the effect that lengthening of life expectancy has on disease prevalence, as well as on changing societal attitudes toward mental illness. However, while I agree that people in the past carried considerable practical and other knowledge with them, I still wonder if the volume of information that must be retrieved very rapidly is greater now than at any previous time in human history.

Can you give a real world example of this "volume of information that must be retrieved very rapidly" that you're referring to?

 

[chown33]

I generally chalk this up to aging. However, it's also worth noting that folks nowadays have so much to remember, especially in first-world societies: login names, passwords, landline and cell numbers, email addresses, web sites, account numbers, places, people, travel routes... the list goes on and on.

I don't know about you, but I don't remember that stuff. I have a computer that remembers it for me. Or my computer can find it for me.

100 years ago, I would have had an address book (faced in nice black calfskin) that I wrote in with a pencil or fountain pen, and I still wouldn't have bothered to remember it.

I don't think the volume of information is that much different today. It's just the content of what we need to remember that's different. For example, my grandfather at age 14 had a trapline which he knew by memory, frequently made knives and woodworking tools from old broken bandsaw blades, and knew how to forge and fit a horseshoe from iron bar stock. All of that takes more knowledge and skill than one might think, but it's all pretty much useless in today's urban world.

 

[Roller]

Can you give a real world example of this "volume of information that must be retrieved very rapidly" that you're referring to?

I already did in my first post in the thread. To that list I can add PINs, driving routes that change depending on time of day, names and titles of co-workers, and so on. Sure, much of this stuff can be stored and retrieved digitally instead of being committed to memory, but some of it has to be recalled without paper or electronic devices.

----------

I don't know about you, but I don't remember that stuff. I have a computer that remembers it for me. Or my computer can find it for me.

100 years ago, I would have had an address book (faced in nice black calfskin) that I wrote in with a pencil or fountain pen, and I still wouldn't have bothered to remember it.

I don't think the volume of information is that much different today. It's just the content of what we need to remember that's different. For example, my grandfather at age 14 had a trapline which he knew by memory, frequently made knives and woodworking tools from old broken bandsaw blades, and knew how to forge and fit a horseshoe from iron bar stock. All of that takes more knowledge and skill than one might think, but it's all pretty much useless in today's urban world.

I used 100 years as an example of an age when I believe that the average person had to remember and recall less information. As well, it depends on the life situation of any given individual, as it does now. I admit that this is just speculation on my part - if I can find sources to back this up, I'll post.

I also use my computer and mobile devices to store as much as possible to avoid having to remember it - that's why I have 1Password for all my logins, credit card information, and so on. But some things must be accessible by recall.

 

[localoid]

I already did in my first post in the thread.

Yes, I read what you wrote. I was hoping you would elaborate and provide specific examples.

To that list I can add PINs, driving routes that change depending on time of day, names and titles of co-workers, and so on. Sure, much of this stuff can be stored and retrieved digitally instead of being committed to memory, but some of it has to be recalled without paper or electronic devices.

Remembering a few passwords seems insignificant, as does remembering how to follow a well marked route.

I used 100 years as an example of an age when I believe that the average person had to remember and recall less information. As well, it depends on the life situation of any given individual, as it does now. I admit that this is just speculation on my part - if I can find sources to back this up, I'll post.

Dunno 'bout that. Tasks that are simple today were far more complicated for previous generations. For example, decades ago, successfully starting a car required memorization of more steps and more deductive reasoning that with today's automobiles. Circa 1930: if temperature is cold, pull out choke to max, otherwise adjust choke according to temperature by recalling what technic worked well before; engage emergency brake, depress clutch; turn on ignition switch; put left foot on starter button to engage starter; depress gas peddle with right foot; when engine starts, disengage starter and adjust choke for smooth idle; after getting underway and engine warms up to normal operating temperature, disengage choke.

I also use my computer and mobile devices to store as much as possible to avoid having to remember it - that's why I have 1Password for all my logins, credit card information, and so on. But some things must be accessible by recall.

Humans have been using a long string of inventions (the abacus) and systems (written languages) to extend the information processing capabilities of the human mind for centuries -- the Internet is just the latest and greatest system to be added to a very long list...

According to the extended mind thesis the full extent of the human mind doesn't end at the boundaries imposed by skin and skull. Watch for more on this concept, the video below: TEDxSydney - David Chalmers - The Extended Mind:

 

[Huntn]

Yes, I read what you wrote. I was hoping you would elaborate and provide specific examples.



Remembering a few passwords seems insignificant, as does remembering how to follow a well marked route.



Dunno 'bout that. Tasks that are simple today were far more complicated for previous generations. For example, decades ago, successfully starting a car required memorization of more steps and more deductive reasoning that with today's automobiles. Circa 1930: if temperature is cold, pull out choke to max, otherwise adjust choke according to temperature by recalling what technic worked well before; engage emergency brake, depress clutch; turn on ignition switch; put left foot on starter button to engage starter; depress gas peddle with right foot; when engine starts, disengage starter and adjust choke for smooth idle; after getting underway and engine warms up to normal operating temperature, disengage choke.



Humans have been using a long string of inventions (the abacus) and systems (written languages) to extend the information processing capabilities of the human mind for centuries -- the Internet is just the latest and greatest system to be added to a very long list...

According to the extended mind thesis the full extent of the human mind doesn't end at the boundaries imposed by skin and skull. Watch for more on this concept, the video below: TEDxSydney - David Chalmers - The Extended Mind:

YouTube: video

Interesting video. I did not watch the entire thing, and I may have not gotten to his real point (if there was one beyond where I stopped), but it seems to me that the iPhone which he mentioned is just a tool that carries the load for our brains. I'm having difficulty thinking of it as an extension of our brain. I believe that Automation and calculation carried out by a machine that was once required of the human itself, makes us dumber if you are a cynic, or it allows us to use our brains for a more lofty agenda if you are an optimist. The question becomes in what better way do most of us use our brains because we no longer have to remember phone numbers? And what would happen to us if our smart phone suddenly vanished? We might be up the creek without a paddle. Instead of extensions, I prefer to view them as tools and/or crutches.

For the future of the human race, it simply means we are more reliant on our technology to function in a modern way. Yes, some of us are brilliant, but most of us are just being "carried" along with the advances.

As far as prosthetics, I would not describe them as extensions of our bodies, but simply tools that allow us to overcome the loss or absence of an ability. Tools give us greater abilities, to produce a product that our brain can imagine, or for the disabled, provides capabilities or mobility. They can be great tools, but they are just tools. Think of a hammer that allows us to drive a nail. We can only do it, if we possess the equivalent of a hammer.

 

[localoid]

Interesting video. I did not watch the entire thing, and I may have not gotten to his real point (if there was one beyond where I stopped), but it seems to me that the iPhone which he mentioned is just a tool that carries the load for our brains. I'm having difficulty thinking of it as an extension of our brain.

Do you consider a grocery list as an extension of your memory?

If you type in a grocery list on a "to do" on your iPhone does your phone not act as an extension of your memory?

I believe that Automation and calculation carried out by a machine that was once required of the human itself, makes us dumber if you are a cynic, or it allows us to use our brains for a more lofty agenda if you are an optimist. The question becomes in what better way do most of us use our brains because we no longer have to remember phone numbers? And what would happen to us if our smart phone suddenly vanished? We might be up the creek without a paddle. Instead of extensions, I prefer to view them as tools and/or crutches.

Do you view "language" as a "crutch"? For millennia, humans have been offloading some of their cognitive functions onto various sorts of “cognitive technology.” For example, around 5000 years ago, Sumerians were using clay tablets to extend human memory.

The most pervasive cognitive technology is language. Imagine trying to learn a complex process without the use of language. Language amplifies the thinking of the learner. (Jonassen, Technology as Cognitive Tools: Learners as Designers)​

Cognitive technology would typically be defined as "any medium that helps transcend the limitations of the mind, such as memory, in activities of thinking, learning, and problem solving" (Pea, 1985).

However, it's important to note that "cognitive technology" doesn't imply that a given tool or technology is itself cognitive. As Dror and Harnad noted in Offloading Cognition onto Cognitive Technology:

"Cognizing" (e.g., thinking, understanding, and knowing) is a mental state. Systems without mental states, such as cognitive technology, can sometimes contribute to human cognition, but that does not make them cognizers. Cognizers can offload some of their cognitive functions onto cognitive technology, thereby extending their performance capacity beyond the limits of their own brain power.​

For the future of the human race, it simply means we are more reliant on our technology to function in a modern way. Yes, some of us are brilliant, but most of us are just being "carried" along with the advances.

Humans have been gradually becoming more and more reliant on tools, systems, and technology to better function within the world they live in for thousands of years. It's part of this thing we call progress.

Even something as simple as a phone book is an example of "cognitive technology"...

A reporter interviewed Albert Einstein. At the end of the interview, the reporter asked if he could have Einstein's phone number so he could call if he had further questions.

“Certainly” replied Einstein. He picked up the phone directory and looked up his phone number, then wrote it on a slip of paper and handed it to the reporter.

Dumbfounded, the reporter said, "You are considered to be the smartest man in the world and you can't remember your own phone number?”

Einstein replied, “Why should I memorize something when I know where to find it?”

(source)​

As far as prosthetics, I would not describe them as extensions of our bodies, but simply tools that allow us to overcome the loss or absence of an ability. Tools give us greater abilities, to produce a product that our brain can imagine, or for the disabled, provides capabilities or mobility. They can be great tools, but they are just tools. Think of a hammer that allows us to drive a nail. We can only do it, if we possess the equivalent of a hammer.

There are tools that help us build things, such as a hammer, and then there are tools that help us transcend the limitations of the mind, such as language, telecommunications and
computing.

A blind man's cane is "just a tool" but does it not also act as an extension of the blind man's mental perception of the world?

 

[Huntn]

Do you consider a grocery list as an extension of your memory?

If you type in a grocery list on a "to do" on your iPhone does your phone not act as an exxtension of your memory?



Do you view "language" as a "crutch"? For millennia, humans have been offloading some of their cognitive functions onto various sorts of “cognitive technology.” For example, around 5000 years ago, Sumerians were using clay tablets to extend human memory.

The most pervasive cognitive technology is language. Imagine trying to learn a complex process without the use of language. Language amplifies the thinking of the learner. (Jonassen, Technology as Cognitive Tools: Learners as Designers)​

Cognitive technology would typically be defined as "any medium that helps transcend the limitations of the mind, such as memory, in activities of thinking, learning, and problem solving" (Pea, 1985).

However, it's important to note that "cognitive technology" doesn't imply that a given tool or technology is itself cognitive. As Dror and Harnad noted in Offloading Cognition onto Cognitive Technology:

"Cognizing" (e.g., thinking, understanding, and knowing) is a mental state. Systems without mental states, such as cognitive technology, can sometimes contribute to human cognition, but that does not make them cognizers. Cognizers can offload some of their cognitive functions onto cognitive technology, thereby extending their performance capacity beyond the limits of their own brain power.​

Humans have been gradually becoming more and more reliant on tools, systems, and technology to better function within the world they live in for thousands of years. It's part of this thing we call progress.

Even something as simple as a phone book is an example of "cognitive technology"...

A reporter interviewed Albert Einstein. At the end of the interview, the reporter asked if he could have Einstein's phone number so he could call if he had further questions.

“Certainly” replied Einstein. He picked up the phone directory and looked up his phone number, then wrote it on a slip of paper and handed it to the reporter.

Dumbfounded, the reporter said, "You are considered to be the smartest man in the world and you can't remember your own phone number?”

Einstein replied, “Why should I memorize something when I know where to find it?”

(source)​

There are tools that help us build things, such as a hammer, and then there are tools that help us transcend the limitations of the mind, such as language, telecommunications and
computing.

A blind man's cane is "just a tool" but does it not also act as an extension of the blind man's mental perception of the world?

I enjoy my discussions with you, but will avoid a lengthy debate on this one.
Much of this can be attributed to symantecs

A great example to use is your example of language to counter my premise that the iPhone is a tool instead of an extension of our brains. If it's language we've learned, we get credit for it as a personal achievement and is part of the person who learned the language. If it's a language translator sitting on our iPhone, it's an extension of nothing, just a tool that is doing work for us instead of our brains doing the work.

When I use a computer to do a complicated math program, I may have memorized the particular formula such as HxWxD=V, (used as a non-complicated example). I may take the time to manually calculate the volume of a rectangle, I understand the formula and how to calculate it. But when I use a calculator, it's a time saving tool. That is not an extension of my brain. Especially if it's being used by someone who does not understand the formula, but are just plugging in requested data, as I think of calculus. Am I smarter because I can plug data into a calculator that produces the right answer for me? How about when the computer becomes so smart, it does not need me to plug in data? Is it still an extension of my brain?

However I do agree that with a calculator doing the work for me, it allows the conceptual part of my brain to work on others aspects of a goal I am trying to achieve.

So no, in my opinion, the iPhone is an extension of nothing, but just a tool. A time saving tool, a tool that increases my abilities (which are how and why tools are used). We can access what is on it, like a todo list. But when we can't find it, a particular ability to recall a phone number may be poof.

When prosthetics are strapped on or connected to us, for practical purposes, they do become extensions of our bodies, for example the the runner with the artificial legs or artificial eyes. But they can still be rightfully viewed as tools that increase an individual's abilities- semantics. Would you describe an airplane as an extension of our bodies?

 

[Arran]

I wonder how much short-term memory loss is due to:

• Daily information overload (Thanks Internets! )
• Sleep deprivation (Thanks 24-hour Internets! )

 

[localoid]

I enjoy my discussions with you, but will avoid a lengthy debate on this one.
Much of this can be attributed to symantecs

Symantecs, in part perhaps. I think it's also a matter or perspective or even philosophical views. Personally, I agree with philosophers that view the mind as something that spreads itself out into the world. I consider language as being a tool, but as very different type of tool from a hammer -- it's a "cognitive tool" that describes our thoughts, that can change, influence, and augment the way we think. Maybe it boils down to a materialist vs. spiritualist worldview...

A great example to use is your example of language to counter my premise that the iPhone is a tool instead of an extension of our brains. If it's language we've learned, we get credit for it as a personal achievement and is part of the person who learned the language. If it's a language translator sitting on our iPhone, it's an extension of nothing, just a tool that is doing work for us instead of our brains doing the work.

Well, at this point I feel compelled to quote the premise that Andy Clark presents in his book, Natural-Born Cyborgs. A brief description of it follows:

In Natural-Born Cyborgs, Clark argues that what makes humans so different from other species is our capacity to fully incorporate tools and supporting cultural practices into our existence. Technology as simple as writing on a sketchpad, as familiar as Google or a cellular phone, and as potentially revolutionary as mind-extending neural implants--all exploit our brains' astonishingly plastic nature. Our minds are primed to seek out and incorporate non-biological resources, so that we actually think and feel through our best technologies.​

Personally, I agree with Clark's premise, that ever since first beginning about two millions years ago, humans have been incorporating more and more tools and supporting cultural practices into their existence and routine, and that process is likely to continue in the future to include more extreme examples of "mind augmentation".

When I use a computer to do a complicated math program, I may have memorized the particular formula such as HxWxD=V, (used as a non-complicated example). I may take the time to manually calculate the volume of a rectangle, I understand the formula and how to calculate it. But when I use a calculator, it's a time saving tool. That is not an extension of my brain. Especially if it's being used by someone who does not understand the formula, but are just plugging in requested data, as I think of calculus. Am I smarter because I can plug data into a calculator that produces the right answer for me? How about when the computer becomes so smart, it does not need me to plug in data? Is it still an extension of my brain?

However I do agree that with a calculator doing the work for me, it allows the conceptual part of my brain to work on others aspects of a goal I am trying to achieve.

So no, in my opinion, the iPhone is an extension of nothing, but just a tool. A time saving tool, a tool that increases my abilities (which are how and why tools are used). We can access what is on it, like a todo list. But when we can't find it, a particular ability to recall a phone number may be poof.

I can't agree that an iPhone is "just another tool" (similar to a hammer), neither would I label an iPhone as being "just another phone"...

There are ordinary "phones" and then there are "smart phones". There are also "tools" and then there are also "cognitive tools", e.g. "any medium that helps transcend the limitations of the mind, such as memory, in activities of thinking, learning, and problem solving."

Humans have long since relied on "cognitive tools" to extend human memory.

Here's a quote from the book, that seems appropriate....

... we never say of the artist, or poet, or scientist, "Oh, poor soul -- she is not really responsible for that painting/theory/poem; for don't you see how she had to rely on pen, paper, and sketches to offset the inadequacies of her own brain?"​

Do you think of the Internet as a tool that extends human knowledge? I do. If I can't recall the formula for figuring the volume of a cylinder, I can search of it and find it online, or even better yet I can simply use Google "volume of a cylinder calculator".

If that's a form of "cheating", then I suppose my parents use a thesaurus and/or dictionary back in the 1950s was also a form of "cheating" or relying on a "crutch"...

When prosthetics are strapped on or connected to us, for practical purposes, they do become extensions of our bodies, for example the the runner with the artificial legs or artificial eyes. But they can still be rightfully viewed as tools that increase an individual's abilities- semantics. Would you describe an airplane as an extension of our bodies?

An old family friend used to constantly refer to his single-engine Cessna as an extension of himself. In college, I and many of my friends would talk about how we considered our automobiles to be extensions of ourselves. My grandmother used to speak of her horses as an extension of herself.

Again, I suppose it's a mater of perspective...



But then again, there seems to be evidence that people fuse with their tools, a topic covered in the Wired article, Your Computer Really Is a Part of You

An empirical test of ideas proposed by Martin Heidegger shows the great German philosopher to be correct: Everyday tools really do become part of ourselves.

The findings come from a deceptively simple study of people using a computer mouse rigged to malfunction. The resulting disruption in attention wasn’t superficial. It seemingly extended to the very roots of cognition.

“The person and the various parts of their brain and the mouse and the monitor are so tightly intertwined that they’re just one thing,” said Anthony Chemero, a cognitive scientist at Franklin & Marshall College. “The tool isn’t separate from you. It’s part of you.”

Chemero’s experiment, published March 9 in Public Library of Science, was designed to test one of Heidegger’s fundamental concepts: that people don’t notice familiar, functional tools, but instead “see through” them to a task at hand, for precisely the same reasons that one doesn’t think of one’s fingers while tying shoelaces. The tools are us.

 

[Huntn]

Symantecs, in part perhaps. I think it's also a matter or perspective or even philosophical views. Personally, I agree with philosophers that view the mind as something that spreads itself out into the world. I consider language as being a tool, but as very different type of tool from a hammer -- it's a "cognitive tool" that describes our thoughts, that can change, influence, and augment the way we think. Maybe it boils down to a materialist vs. spiritualist worldview...



Well, at this point I feel compelled to quote the premise that Andy Clark presents in his book, Natural-Born Cyborgs. A brief description of it follows:

In Natural-Born Cyborgs, Clark argues that what makes humans so different from other species is our capacity to fully incorporate tools and supporting cultural practices into our existence. Technology as simple as writing on a sketchpad, as familiar as Google or a cellular phone, and as potentially revolutionary as mind-extending neural implants--all exploit our brains' astonishingly plastic nature. Our minds are primed to seek out and incorporate non-biological resources, so that we actually think and feel through our best technologies.​

Personally, I agree with Clark's premise, that ever since first beginning about two millions years ago, humans have been incorporating more and more tools and supporting cultural practices into their existence and routine, and that process is likely to continue in the future to include more extreme examples of "mind augmentation".



I can't agree that an iPhone is "just another tool" (similar to a hammer), neither would I label an iPhone as being "just another phone"...
Image

There are ordinary "phones" and then there are "smart phones". There are also "tools" and then there are also "cognitive tools", e.g. "any medium that helps transcend the limitations of the mind, such as memory, in activities of thinking, learning, and problem solving."

Humans have long since relied on "cognitive tools" to extend human memory.

Here's a quote from the book, that seems appropriate....

... we never say of the artist, or poet, or scientist, "Oh, poor soul -- she is not really responsible for that painting/theory/poem; for don't you see how she had to rely on pen, paper, and sketches to offset the inadequacies of her own brain?"​

Do you think of the Internet as a tool that extends human knowledge? I do. If I can't recall the formula for figuring the volume of a cylinder, I can search of it and find it online, or even better yet I can simply use Google "volume of a cylinder calculator".

If that's a form of "cheating", then I suppose my parents use a thesaurus and/or dictionary back in the 1950s was also a form of "cheating" or relying on a "crutch"...



An old family friend used to constantly refer to his single-engine Cessna as an extension of himself. In college, I and many of my friends would talk about how we considered our automobiles to be extensions of ourselves. My grandmother used to speak of her horses as an extension of herself.

Again, I suppose it's a mater of perspective...

View attachment 489767

But then again, there seems to be evidence that people fuse with their tools, a topic covered in the Wired article, Your Computer Really Is a Part of You

Semantics... I don't believe we have a disagreement as far as the potential of human intelligence, and our ability to create devices that are labor saving, that expand our awareness, and facilitate expansion of human knowledge. The disagreement is based on how we chose to describe it, which in the big scheme is more of a preference than a disagreement. I believe we both end up in the same intellectual and scientific location.

That said, when I pick up my iPhone, I gain the abilities of a computer with access to the expanses of human knowledge, including being able to call 200 phone numbers, but not remember a single one. What really counts is what is going on in my brain, not that the phone can call Aunt Laura for me.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

At the age of 61, I have a good overall sense of my situation, for most things life goes normally. But there are some troubling instances when I'm forgetting short term stuff. For example recently I ordered 2 items from Amazon, a small box came, and while I could remember I had ordered a new paper shredder, I could not remember the item in this small box, until I opened it and remembered I had ordered a AA battery charger. I'm having no issues with passwords and such, but I've started taking notes to help my retention when reading novels. And I seem to be dropping the ball with bill paying, not horrendously so, but I usually get a couple of late payments per year. Most of my recurring bills are now on auto pay,

And for the last 30 years I've been walking into rooms for a reason forgotten, until I return to where I started and the reason magically reappears. Decades ago, I asked my doctor about it, walking into a room and forgetting why and he reassured me that this is a factor of modern life, multi-tasking, not focusing on a single task. Keep in mind this was when I worked as an airline pilot, and did not have memory or organizational problems in the flight deck.

Upon the Amazon incident , I decided research is in order and plan on taking the SAGE test. My Mom suffered from Dimentia, (not Alzheimer's) and was always concerned about her deteriorating memory. From that aspect, the good thing is that if you are worried about it, Alzheimer's, then that is not what is plaguing you.
Just looking for perspective from our MRs senior citizens.
Thanks!

Glad you joined the club, at 66, my life is your life, we all will be where we are.I have taught myself to dump junk to free my mind, ( there are apps for that) and to focus on a Grandaughters Kiss, teaching the girls to Trout fish, working on my Bucket list, (white Water Rafting,Parachuting from a plane,all done),Kayaking the rivers of Florida with my Chocolate Lab, Never wearing a watch, eating fresh Sea Food,Left the Church BS, established a personal relationship with GOD,
Sure I forget stuff, but none of it important. I no longer fear death and punishment, (there is NONE), just LOVE.
Start everyday, with a home made Cappachino, homemade Biscotti, Fruit for Lunch, and whatever I feel like cooking.
I LOVE my life, I hope you all can free yourself from the crap of life, focus on whats important, dump the rest. The Peace and happiness we all seek, lie within your simplified life

DAVID

 

[Huntn]

Glad you joined the club, at 66, my life is your life, we all will be where we are.I have taught myself to dump junk to free my mind, ( there are apps for that) and to focus on a Grandaughters Kiss, teaching the girls to Trout fish, working on my Bucket list, (white Water Rafting,Parachuting from a plane,all done),Kayaking the rivers of Florida with my Chocolate Lab, Never wearing a watch, eating fresh Sea Food,Left the Church BS, established a personal relationship with GOD,
Sure I forget stuff, but none of it important. I no longer fear death and punishment, (there is NONE), just LOVE.
Start everyday, with a home made Cappachino, homemade Biscotti, Fruit for Lunch, and whatever I feel like cooking.
I LOVE my life, I hope you all can free yourself from the crap of life, focus on whats important, dump the rest. The Peace and happiness we all seek, lie within your simplified life

DAVID

Thank you. As long as I'm married it will never be simple. Going on 35 years.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

Thank you. As long as I'm married it will never be simple. Going on 35 years.

Going on 45 here, since 8/22/70

 

[Huntn]

June 2019- Five years later (I’m 66), I have good awareness, and I can’t say there have been any serious mental changes since starting this thread, however I think it is harder for me to recall names of people that I just met, without going through a mental exercise to establish that name in a recallable slot, while acknowledging, I’ve always had trouble remembering names of just introduced people, and I’m just not social, where I make remembering a name, a priority. However, I am still excellent at remembering faces.

My set of daily used passwords remains intact and accessible, but for backup, I maintain an extensive file full of passwords and logins, (also rely on 1Password a Mac program) and where I record business transaction, models, serial numbers, track bills, warranties, conversations I had with customer support about a particular issue, etc and, I never put water on the stove to boil, without setting a timer.

So I have established a system where I can stay on top of personal matters.

 

[Gregg2]

I'm a little behind you in years, and I've just quickly skimmed over this thread.

I use my computer to help me remember to pay credit card bills just before they are due. I could just pay them when they come! My utilities, phone bill, insurance are on AutoPay.

I used to do Sudoku a lot, but now I prefer Kakuro. I think it's better mental exercise.

lunch break over

 

[JamesMike]

My memory is still good at my age, but it takes time to get started.