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Reading stories like this, makes me certain that one of the biggest breakthroughs the human race will achieve is when we cure cancer. Our progress will start i

Reading stories like this, makes me certain that one of the biggest breakthroughs the human race will achieve is when we cure cancer. Our progress will start increasing even more. Imagine what our world would look like if the average person lived to over 90 and was still mentally sharp. Imagine an additional 40 years of Neumann, 20 years of Einstein, even from the more modern times also, Steve Jobs or my personal favorite Paul Allen. Paul Allen is one of my personal heroes, and I cannot help but drop a tear whenever I think of how the techonology world would look like if Paul Allen didn't get cancer and had to retire from Microsoft before the age of 40.. If anyone is interested, I implore you to read Paul Allen's autobiography, The Idea Man. One of the best books I have ever read, you are amazed at what kind of man Paul Allen was. One of my favorite stories is when Allen and Gates made their first BASIC and had to go pitch it to Albuquerque to get their first customer. Gates did not dare leave Harvard yet, so they sent Allen alone to go deal with it, and while Allen was on the plane, he realized that while they had developed the BASIC, they didn't make the bootstrap loader. So Allen minutes before landing, grabbed a steno pad and started writing the code in machine language, all from the head... And it worked... I mean what can say to that, except feel insignificant?

confidantlake 6y ago
I agree it will be big breakthrough, but more because it will improve the quality of life of the average person. Don't most of these geniuses produce their best work in their 20s? Not sure if adding another 20 unproductive years would help much.
kaba0 6y ago
It is a dark view, but I’m not sure the general population living longer would be necessary beneficial to society. But it has more to do with all the implicit propaganda around us and the flaws of democracy. And that older people seem to have a more rigid world view. So all I’m saying is that we have to understand the human brain’s psychology as it gets older.

confidantlake 6y ago

I agree it will be big breakthrough, but more because it will improve the quality of life of the average person. Don't most of these geniuses produce their best work in their 20s? Not sure if adding another 20 unproductive years would help much.

kaba0 6y ago

It is a dark view, but I’m not sure the general population living longer would be necessary beneficial to society. But it has more to do with all the implicit propaganda around us and the flaws of democracy. And that older people seem to have a more rigid world view. So all I’m saying is that we have to understand the human brain’s psychology as it gets older.