Being a Star Trek fan, I was watching TOS (The Original Series) yesterday with my son. As was the norm for that show, in every episode Kirk somehow managed to f

Being a Star Trek fan, I was watching TOS (The Original Series) yesterday with my son. As was the norm for that show, in every episode Kirk somehow managed to find an alien planet with a beautiful woman on it that needed some sort of help. [insert long discussion about misogyny in 1960s TV shows]. I'm a bit of a movie buff, so I started using IMDB to look up some of these actresses to see what they're doing now. Dang. They're either dead or in their 80s. We are becoming the first generation to have a multi-media reminder of how short life is. In previous generations once grandpa died, you might have a painting and/or some family stories to share. Perhaps a tombstone to visit. Over time the memory faded away. In this generation and future ones, when grandpa dies? Hell, he might still be online, a bot posting his musings for the next 50 years. I don't see a reason grandpa can't send the grandkids a "Happy Birthday! Now you're 60!" message decades after he passes. This is a good thing overall, in my mind, but this constant reminder of how short life is has the effect of making people really stingy about their time. That's probably not such a good thing, as many important connections happen when we're not looking for them. As I get older, I find the need to orchestrate my time instead of conserving it: spending some time on high-energy, deeply-focused tasks and spending some time purposefully _not_ focusing and instead spending time socially with others I care about. Working in a good technology team is good for the former, exercise, outdoors, and family is good for the latter, at least for me. Being mindful of time is fine. Being stingy with it or bitter about losing it? Not so much.