15 hours ago, birdguy said:

The technology has passed us by because our learning curve flattens out with age.  If we don't already know how to do it we don't do it.

 

Yep, I appreciate that. Its the effort that's important though. It may be harder to learn new things, but we know that making an effort to do so is very good for the brain and helps to slow neurological decline. 

 

15 hours ago, birdguy said:

You, Martin, are a technocrat.  You love new technology and that's fine.  But when you age your learning curve becomes flat.  You can still do things you already know how to do but it is very difficult to learn something new...especially if it is complex like the touch screen on my car.

 

I think that's a natural reaction, when things become hard we avoid them. But we do know that struggling to learn something new is beneficial, even if we don't master it. Its akin to when I used to pump iron, in that to stimulate muscular hypertrophy requires effort, training close to momentary muscular failure stimulates an adaptive response, an uncomfortable thing but beneficial.

 

16 hours ago, birdguy said:

When your learning curve flattens out, and it will, the new technology will not stop coming and you are going to find yourself lost in the techno forest

 

If that day comes, hopefully I will still try to fathom out the new tech and thus reap some benefits. 

 

7 hours ago, martin-w said:

Yep, I appreciate that. Its the effort that's important though. It may be harder to learn new things, but we know that making an effort to do so is very good for the brain and helps to slow neurological decline.

Personally speaking my effort fell flat a few years ago.  If I had a good use for the new technology I might be motivated to make that effort.  But as long as I what I have works for me now why?  Chalk it up to old age or laziness or just not caring anymore.

You see, if I die tomorrow that's OK with me.  If I go another five or ten years then that's OK too but I'd rather not.  I and my neighbors here in the old folks home live in the past.  That's what we talk about.  Our memories are our comforts and we talk about them and compare them.

I could program in BASIC and Clipper one time.  I was an electronic development engineer.  But those days are gone and won't be returning.  Trying to keep up gets more difficult with every passing year.  So we stop trying and start remembering the days when we did make a difference.

This forum and a few friends not quite as old as I am and communicate via e-mail are my only contact with the outside world anymore.  And that is fine with me.

I gave up on P3Dv5 and went back to P3Dv4 because the old FSX aircraft I know about but don't work in v5 do work in v4.  I'm at a comfort level I can live with.  I know Orbx sceneries.  I can live with those.  But I'll not jump into something I am not familiar with like FS2020.

Ever since the early days of the Microsoft simulators I always customized the panels of almost every aircraft I downloaded.  I still do that because it's something I already know how to do. 

Let me be with I have become because I don't care about neurological decline.  At my age why should I?

In December I leave the 80s and enter the 90s.  I might well be the oldest flight simmer still alive.  I don't know.  I'm not reading any new books, only rereading old familiar ones.  My TV fare goes back to the old Westerns like Gunsmoke and Wagon Train and the guys at the Ponderosa.  Old friends. 

Martin, I've already walked in your shoes.  Don't try to walk in mine and tell me what I should do about neurological decline.  There comes a time when it doesn't matter to one anymore.  I'm living in a community of people for whom it doesn't matter anymore.  We are in a warehouse for the aged.  We are all comfortable with that.

The only new thing in my life is the calico kitten I adopted more than a month ago.  He keeps me on my toes now.

Noel

On 8/14/2023 at 2:39 PM, Fielder said:

People chatting away on phones must be annoying to tour guides declaiming on the wonders of the exhibits, or the parson giving his sermon. The defendant in court while the judge is speaking. 

 

We were on a 3-week European tour and had a couple with us who brought their early teen girl with them. All throughout the tour, the teen did nothing but stare at her phone. And the parents didn't seem to mind. 

16 hours ago, birdguy said:

  Don't try to walk in mine and tell me what I should do about neurological decline. 

 

I haven't and never would.  Just letting people know what the science says and that there's a potential means to slow such decline.... if somebody chosses to employ it. 

On 8/17/2023 at 8:27 AM, birdguy said:

I could program in BASIC and Clipper one time.

Love that language along with dBase. I used to own and sysop a BBS which had nothing but Clipper stuff and topics called The Clipboard BBS. The BBS ran 24 x 7 x 365 days for about 5 years. No anti-virus software running also. I'm sure these would jog your memory... dClip, Blinker, ntx files, Foxtrot, xBase, etc

Kudos to you on everything else. You make a lot of sense. Everyone should aspire to reach your age and still be able to do what you love to do.