If anyone was wondering what happens to old electrical engineers, technicians and so forth this may be of interest ...

 

63 and in an old folks home? Shoot by the time I'm 63, I'll be considered to have 20-30 more productive (working) years in front of me.

 

I wish you well.

I'm surprised at the gentleman's longevity given it was purportedly 1729. He must have had a good healthcare plan.

 

What? We play with wet string and try to remember when it wasn't limp?

 

In 1729, 63 was old. According to wiki, the average life expectancy in the 18th century was 35.

 

In 1729, 63 was old. According to wiki, the average life expectancy in the 18th century was 35.

Agreed. It's interesting how things evolved. Rewind several hundred years, and people worked until they dropped dead. Then we started to live long longer and spend the final few chapters of our lives taking it easy. Then fast forward, and we are living even longer, but moving back toward working till we drop dead. Retirement age keeps getting pushed back, even totally out of reach for a lot of folks. We got a longer life expectancy in exchange for a longer chain to the grind. There's no point in me planning for retirement at 59.5 years old. When I'm 63, in 2048, I'll still have a ways to go. I won't be getting any social security, and if I manage to save up a couple million dollars in my retirement account, that might be enough to pay my hospital bills for the last few geriatric years of my life. I can't see myself stress free, relaxing on a beach sipping pina coladas in good health with no work to do. It was a nice break for humanity, now back to work; and by the way your shift has been extended by 3 lifetimes.

 

In 1729, 63 was old. According to wiki, the average life expectancy in the 18th century was 35.

I'm here to testify! If it weren't for modern medicine, I would have been dead 3 times by now. I would have died from appendicitis at 8 years old, and again in 1988 when I had pneumonia.

Lessee...2 deaths in 62 years is 31 years average for a lifetime without modern medicine. Good thing I wasn't born in 1850 instead of 1950!

(For those that know, I left out the trauma caused by a modern auto accident because that wouldn't have happened before cars existed.)

 

63 and in an old folks home? Shoot by the time I'm 63, I'll be considered to have 20-30 more productive (working) years in front of me.

Shoot...63 is next year for me

 

MINUTE PARTICALS OF DNA DUST forever.

 

In 1729, 63 was old. According to wiki, the average life expectancy in the 18th century was 35.

But that is completely misleading. Consider that in the Constitution they put the minimum age needed to run for President as 35 years old. Then consider that we have never elected a president that was younger than 42 years old (and that was Kennedy) and that the median age at the time of election is 55.

The average life expectancy for most of history has been dominated by infant mortality rates and other causes that preyed preferentially on the young. From the prehistoric times to the beginning of the 20th century, average life expectancies at birth vacillated in the 25yr to 35yr range. Yet even in the Peleiolithic it is estimated that a person that survived to the age of 15 would be expected to survive to their mid 50s on average. This was almost the same for someone in ancient Rome. By the the middle ages, average life expectancy at birth hadn't changed but someone that made it to late teens would be expected to live to be in the mid 60s on average.

Throughout recorded history people that lived to be in their 70s and 80s were not noted as being particularly rare or old. You pretty much always have had to hit the century mark to warrant that.

 

And to hammer that point, look at this:

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005140.html

The odds of you living longer increase the longer you live.

 

I sometimes feel I was born in the 1700s.

 

63 and in an old folks home? Shoot by the time I'm 63, I'll be considered to have 20-30 more productive (working) years in front of me.

The problem is that nobody in the industry will agree with you. There is a very strong prejudice against "old" people in an industry that thrives on innovation. You may find you have a brain in good working order with no place to use it.

Guess how I learned that.

 

We have laws in my country that supposedly forbid discrimination on the basis of age. There's a substantial gap in the letter of the law and it's implementation - unfortunately.

I was surprised they had "homes" for the elderly in the 1700's. I thought this was a relatively recent phenomenon. As a resident it seems you got a very long piece of string to play with.

 

Remember when every county had a "poor house" and a TB sanitarium?

 

63 and in an old folks home? Shoot by the time I'm 63, I'll be considered to have 20-30 more productive (working) years in front of me.

I might, possibly, hope to have another 10 to perhaps 15. But saying that I would be considered to still have working years ahead of me when I'm 83 to 93? Don't know how many people achieve that. Some, certainly, but not many.

 

Remember when every county had a "poor house" and a TB sanitarium?

I think your memory goes back farther than I do.

 

Washington was 57 when he was elected President. At the time of the Declaration, he was 34.

He did live most of the 18th century from 1732 to 1799.

I didn't consider the infant mortality rate when I quoted wiki.

 

Remember when every county had a "poor house" and a TB sanitarium?

Yep, and a septic ward too. You don't want to know what that is.