12 ms·

It is hard to escape the feeling that in 80 years the average 20 year old will consist of four parts frail, flabby skin and bone with three parts metal, wire an

by TrevorJ 17y ago

It is hard to escape the feeling that in 80 years the average 20 year old will consist of four parts frail, flabby skin and bone with three parts metal, wire and battery holding the whole cobbled mess together till the next (computer) virus takes out some vital system and lands the whole Frankensteinien creation in the Geek-squad staffed wing of the local hospital.

berntb 17y ago
Sigh. Already, there is quite advanced work on controlling stem cells (Google for e.g. growing human organs). Medicines to recreate the effects of exercise and good eating will certainly be done inside a decade or two. (-: Needed, since human laziness is harder to change. :-) In less than 20-30 years, young people can probably be much healthier than today. (What happens after that, neither you nor I can even begin to guess.) EDIT: Please note my point above that medicines will be able to emulate exercise... It is sad, but obviously needed. (Also, I don't really see why a 20 year old coach potato would be that much worse in the future than now.)
- TrevorJ 17y ago
  In response to both the preceding comments. My point is that technology is useful when we've reached the limits of what the human body can withstand from aging, disease or genetic problems, but that it's never a good idea to use it to take you places you should be able to get to through good habits and taking care of your body. What I'm afraid of is that people will just rely on it instead of staying in good shape. "Oh well, I don't need to watch what I eat cause I can get this implant that will fix my blood pressure problem." It's situations like this where I think technology is rarely as good as the biological, natural solution. In contrast indeed, it's clunky and cobbled together.
  - asciilifeform 17y ago
    > it's clunky and cobbled together You mean, just like the natural human body? Visit a nursing home.
    - TrevorJ 17y ago
      As clunky as we may be biologically, our technology rarely if ever approaches being as good as the biological equivalent that it seeks to improve on. Not saying it never will, just saying it hasn't yet. Even when we think we've beaten the system we usually end up paying for it in spades with some trouble that pops up someplace else. Things that work WITH our biology tend to be more elegant. (Laser eye surgery vs. chunky bits of optical glass in frames perched on our noses for instance).
      - berntb 17y ago
        >>our technology rarely if ever approaches being as good as the biological equivalent that it seeks to improve on Well, in just a few decades airplanes will be faster than birds... :-) Integration tech/biology is a problem still, for a while.
dmix 17y ago
Nano technology will make body implants much less cruder then your description.

by TrevorJ 17y ago

berntb 17y ago

Sigh. Already, there is quite advanced work on controlling stem cells (Google for e.g. growing human organs). Medicines to recreate the effects of exercise and good eating will certainly be done inside a decade or two. (-: Needed, since human laziness is harder to change. :-) In less than 20-30 years, young people can probably be much healthier than today. (What happens after that, neither you nor I can even begin to guess.) EDIT: Please note my point above that medicines will be able to emulate exercise... It is sad, but obviously needed. (Also, I don't really see why a 20 year old coach potato would be that much worse in the future than now.)

TrevorJ 17y ago
In response to both the preceding comments. My point is that technology is useful when we've reached the limits of what the human body can withstand from aging, disease or genetic problems, but that it's never a good idea to use it to take you places you should be able to get to through good habits and taking care of your body. What I'm afraid of is that people will just rely on it instead of staying in good shape. "Oh well, I don't need to watch what I eat cause I can get this implant that will fix my blood pressure problem." It's situations like this where I think technology is rarely as good as the biological, natural solution. In contrast indeed, it's clunky and cobbled together.
- asciilifeform 17y ago
  > it's clunky and cobbled together You mean, just like the natural human body? Visit a nursing home.
  - TrevorJ 17y ago
    As clunky as we may be biologically, our technology rarely if ever approaches being as good as the biological equivalent that it seeks to improve on. Not saying it never will, just saying it hasn't yet. Even when we think we've beaten the system we usually end up paying for it in spades with some trouble that pops up someplace else. Things that work WITH our biology tend to be more elegant. (Laser eye surgery vs. chunky bits of optical glass in frames perched on our noses for instance).
    - berntb 17y ago
      >>our technology rarely if ever approaches being as good as the biological equivalent that it seeks to improve on Well, in just a few decades airplanes will be faster than birds... :-) Integration tech/biology is a problem still, for a while.

dmix 17y ago

Nano technology will make body implants much less cruder then your description.