How old is old?

[Tyrn]

How old is old in the BC reality?

Each year, a person has to be older and older to be considered old. 50 used to be considered advanced old age and is now considered the uppper end of middle age. 1000 years is a long time for the human condition to improve, so what are your thoughts? How old is old in 3000 AD?

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Commander Tyrn Marcel

GCV Falcon, Wraith HQ (Lyrius)

Wing Leader - Wraith Fleet/S.O.G.

"Hard, Fast, Furious... FIRST!"

S.O.G. Home

[Rattler]

"Uncle Rattler" is old in the BC world!

I know you were talking about what age would be considered old in a world that really was happening in 3000A.D. I just thought I'd throw in a little humor. I shared this with another elite group of gentlemen the other day and think it appropriate here as well.

In real life I'm a retired Navy CWO. On my last, and I do mean LAST ship that I served on I had young Airmen working for me that, I suddenly came to realize, hadn't been breathing as long as I had been walking the decks of carriers! That was an eye opener for myself. What really was the kicker though was when one of these young Airmen suddenly came up to me and, with a serious look on his face, asked "Warrant, Is it true that you were a cabin boy on Noah's Ark?" He paid dearly for that,.....and so did the Chief that put him up to it!

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Insurgent One, Rattler

ICV Necromancer, Spectre HQ (Antis)

Commander-In-Chief,

Insurgency

Official Tester,Battlecruiser Series

[email protected]

ICQ 12894104

[Gallion]

Assuming of course that we manage to survive the next 1,000 years as a species and society, age will not be a factor IMO. Look at the medical and technological breakthroughs in the past 100 years, heck the past ten years even. The sky is the limit and the only things that can stop it is ourselves as a society and our imagination.

TTFN

[This message has been edited by Gallion (edited 09-19-2000).]

[Guest aramike01]

I dunno...in the BC universe, people be dying artificially all the time! I'd say 40's a good age to get to!

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Vice Admiral Michael Kristophers

ICV-Intrepid Spectre (Antis)

Fleet Leader

Spectre Fleet

[Steve Schacher]

I always felt that "old" is defined as: the day after the warranty runs out. For people, this would be at age 18, the day that Mommy and Daddy are no longer legally responsible for your actions.

An anecdotal story: about 8 or 9 years ago (I was 32 or 33 at the time), I attended a triple-bill concert -- New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen, and a group that I can't even remember the name of -- at the Greek Amphitheater in Berkeley. During the show, a group of kids sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked, "We were just wondering. What is it about a concert for young people that attracts someone from your generation?!?"

The first concert I ever attended was Kiss in 1976 at the Hollywood Sportatorium in Florida (my high school years) and I've been going to shows ever since, but that day in Berkeley I was of another generation...

[Guest]

Now thats a scary thought... or reality aramike. But you got a point there.

Me? Heck, im only 22 and in college, and when a good looking girl (guess 16-19 years old probably) called me "Sir"... blew my head off.. geez.

Hey Rattler! Pass the hair dye!

3000ad? Old? i'd say 200 years could be a norm... after all, life expectancy went from 45 to 80 years old from 1920's to 1980! Think on that... do the math... and remember that aspirin scan save your life if you have a heart attack

[Maxamillian]

Hey Rattler-I think old is relative. I married in my thirties and now my 25yr. old daughter is telling me to grow up. I must be doing something right. Getting younger every day.

Tac-I would agree, with cloning and other techno advances, one should live for a very long time in BC3000 world, of course you would have to avoid getting blown away by some over anxious Cmdr. out for your blood ------------------

Cmdr. Maxamillian (MAX)

GCV-Dreadnaught, GALCOMHQ (Earth)

Prime Fleet

G2 Intelligence/Security; G3 Tactics (Acting)

"Retreat? Hell!"

[This message has been edited by Maxamillian (edited 09-20-2000).]

[Blades]

Sheesh, right now Im feeling old at 27. Still, you only meant to be as old as the woman you feel, so I guess Im still kickin it at 19. But in my humble opinion, I would say the average life expectancy in say, the year 3000 would be to the ripe old age of about 110. You'd be considered old by 80 and eating food through a straw by 100. Medical science may keep you alive younger, but what really defines your age is mental competency, which can go early if you are unfortunate, or last as long as the flesh on your bones.

Character wise, Savage took over as FC of Orion back in 3004, when he was a mere pup of 35. So by 3015 (BCM current date if thats still accurate) he would be 46 - still nimble enough to go chasin da ladies.

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Fleet Cmdr. Karl Savage

GCV - Tsunami, Orion Starstation (CENTRIS)

Fleet Leader, ORION FLEET

www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk

'Here cometh the storm!'

[Whisper]

Hm! All valid thoughts. Dang, I love this board!

Medical scinece in the last 100 years has progressed from the point of educated witch doctors to people having a general idea of what they're doing, in my opinion (of course in 2100 they'll be saying the same thing!). But what we have seen in terms of life expectancy is the result of medicine beibg treated as throughly and methodically as, say, mathamatics.

It strikes me that at some point in the future (giving a WAG of maybe 75 years) the "boom" will slow down, revolutionary medical techniques will become less common, and the increase of lifetimes will slow down.

However, BC takes place 1000 years in the future. That's a really long time. A thousand years ago, monks were still the prima donnas, the curved plow was cutting-edge technology, and the Angles were having a rough time of it with the Normans and Saxsons. Could any of those folks possibly have imagined the current state of anything?

And back then, they was no fast, quick way of exchanging ideas, like today. Innovations to any one field would come once every (WAG) 10 years or so. Now they happen practicly every day! At this rate, folks in 3000 who live to 200 won't even be begining to start there lives!

On the other hand, aramike has a point. When was the last time we saw anyone over 40 in BC? Darn Gammulans!

[Tyrn]

Very interesting thoughts, and one predominant dark one: Cloning..."Hi Doc, how'd I die this time?" Duncan Idaho anyone?

If you remember your BC3K history, cloning is useless in prolonging life. You might also remember that in 2919 a breakthrough was achieved whereby we can control a body's metabolic rate. What other natural clocks can we modify this way? Given this ability, it is not too much of a stretch to believe that the aging process would also have been hit hard by technology and would also be controllable to some degree.

I would have to believe that like the breakthrough of 2919, this assumed breakthrough in age control would also have to be quite recent and so it will be unlikely to see any "young" centenarians yet; however, there is nothing short of death to prevent our characters from easily reaching the 200 mark.

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Commander Tyrn Marcel

GCV Falcon, Wraith HQ (Lyrius)

Wing Leader - Wraith Fleet/S.O.G.

"Hard, Fast, Furious... FIRST!"

S.O.G. Home

[This message has been edited by Tyrn (edited 09-20-2000).]

[Steve Schacher]

quote:

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I would have to believe that like the breakthrough of 2919, this assumed breakthrough in age control would also have to be quite recent

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Naahhh...

It must have been from 1000 years of free prescription drugs for the elderly...