Comments on: How to Live Forever* http://www.kurzweilai.net/how-to-live-forever Accelerating Intelligence Tue, 21 May 2013 17:28:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: How to live forever film opens in S.F. Friday | KurzweilAI http://www.kurzweilai.net/how-to-live-forever/comment-page-1#comment-3907 How to live forever film opens in S.F. Friday | KurzweilAI Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:40:46 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=118143#comment-3907 [...] Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness Ave. (check www.liveforevermovie.com for tickets and exact showtimes).As noted, the film features interviews with centenarians and longevity experts, including Ray Bradbury, [...] [...] Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness Ave. (check http://www.liveforevermovie.com for tickets and exact showtimes).As noted, the film features interviews with centenarians and longevity experts, including Ray Bradbury, [...]

]]> By: Logic http://www.kurzweilai.net/how-to-live-forever/comment-page-1#comment-3717 Logic Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:56:22 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=118143#comment-3717 Just saw this film and was extremely disappointed. So many fascinating people and areas of exploration, but ultimately the filmmaker doesn't do much more than point a camera at them, extract the weakest part of what they have to offer (if he even grabs that much), and moves on to the next person. Understanding Kurzweil's ideas, one can't help but be frustrated at the 20 seconds or so of screen time he gets, and why his ideas aren't given any real thought, considering the basic premise. For that matter, it's frustrating that NOBODY's ideas were given any real thought. This is one of those "here are a whole bunch of puzzle pieces; you figure it out" style documentaries. The lingering shots of supercentenarians and meandering moments of what-does-it-all-mean are intended to make the viewer introspective and ponderous, but there's no real narrative thread here, which completely undermines any potential effect it could've had. The narrative question posed above ("What's your secret [to living a long time]?") isn't even the driving narrative here. It's more a narrative of, "We're all getting older, and there's no rhyme or reason to any of it." What's most disappointing is that the film isn't really the pursuit or examination the title implies. I assumed from the trailer that the title was meant humorously (even ironically), so I didn't go in expecting any real exploration of longevity issues. But the film doesn't even explore the humorous possibilities available here. Buster, the 101-year-old chain-smoking, beer-drinking man on the poster has an amusing segment, but it just highlights how uneven this film is, and how much time is spent on stuff that doesn't add up to much. I commend Wexler on making his film, and anyone who spends his own money to take a project like this to completion has my respect. Watch it to support that effort, if nothing else. But to anyone that's already thought about these kinds of questions (as I assume readers of this blog have), it misses its mark thoroughly. In the end, there are some entertaining segments, as you would expect in a grab bag of vignettes, but without a clear focus, you can't help leaving with the real sense that you've just witnessed a huge missed opportunity. Just saw this film and was extremely disappointed. So many fascinating people and areas of exploration, but ultimately the filmmaker doesn’t do much more than point a camera at them, extract the weakest part of what they have to offer (if he even grabs that much), and moves on to the next person.

Understanding Kurzweil’s ideas, one can’t help but be frustrated at the 20 seconds or so of screen time he gets, and why his ideas aren’t given any real thought, considering the basic premise. For that matter, it’s frustrating that NOBODY’s ideas were given any real thought. This is one of those “here are a whole bunch of puzzle pieces; you figure it out” style documentaries. The lingering shots of supercentenarians and meandering moments of what-does-it-all-mean are intended to make the viewer introspective and ponderous, but there’s no real narrative thread here, which completely undermines any potential effect it could’ve had. The narrative question posed above (“What’s your secret [to living a long time]?”) isn’t even the driving narrative here. It’s more a narrative of, “We’re all getting older, and there’s no rhyme or reason to any of it.”

What’s most disappointing is that the film isn’t really the pursuit or examination the title implies. I assumed from the trailer that the title was meant humorously (even ironically), so I didn’t go in expecting any real exploration of longevity issues. But the film doesn’t even explore the humorous possibilities available here. Buster, the 101-year-old chain-smoking, beer-drinking man on the poster has an amusing segment, but it just highlights how uneven this film is, and how much time is spent on stuff that doesn’t add up to much.

I commend Wexler on making his film, and anyone who spends his own money to take a project like this to completion has my respect. Watch it to support that effort, if nothing else. But to anyone that’s already thought about these kinds of questions (as I assume readers of this blog have), it misses its mark thoroughly. In the end, there are some entertaining segments, as you would expect in a grab bag of vignettes, but without a clear focus, you can’t help leaving with the real sense that you’ve just witnessed a huge missed opportunity.

]]> By: melajara http://www.kurzweilai.net/how-to-live-forever/comment-page-1#comment-3654 melajara Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:18:56 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=118143#comment-3654 As for now, there is unfortunately ABSOLUTLY NO PROGRESS in human life extension defined as human lifespan extension. The proof is in the pudding. The current crop of super-centenarians are still passing away at 115 or before, i.e. 7 years before Jeanne Calment died, in the last century. Of course, there are more and more people achieving 100+, but so far no progress at all for 110+. What we have is stronger cohorts of centenarians but no more. IMHO this gives credentials to the theory of aging as the progressive unfolding of a genetic program, notwithstanding the application of the most advanced "therapies" like e.g. the use of Telomerase supplementation to bypass the Hayflick limit. So much money wasted in "cosmetic" dubious products and still almost nothing on basic research. What a shame. As for now, there is unfortunately ABSOLUTLY NO PROGRESS in human life extension defined as human lifespan extension.
The proof is in the pudding. The current crop of super-centenarians are still passing away at 115 or before, i.e. 7 years before Jeanne Calment died, in the last century.
Of course, there are more and more people achieving 100+, but so far no progress at all for 110+. What we have is stronger cohorts of centenarians but no more.
IMHO this gives credentials to the theory of aging as the progressive unfolding of a genetic program, notwithstanding the application of the most advanced “therapies” like e.g. the use of Telomerase supplementation to bypass the Hayflick limit.

So much money wasted in “cosmetic” dubious products and still almost nothing on basic research. What a shame.

]]> By: Amara D. Angelica http://www.kurzweilai.net/how-to-live-forever/comment-page-1#comment-3470 Amara D. Angelica Fri, 20 May 2011 07:09:10 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=118143#comment-3470 Maria Entraigues http://www.facebook.com/maria.entraigues reminds me that "How to Live Forever" is opening today (Friday May 20) in Los Angeles. (@ the Laemmle Monica 4Plex 1332 2nd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401 at 7pm). Director Mark Wexler will be presenting the movie and answering questions afterwards. Review: http://www.facebook.com/l/095d5-ZZFjESxHy3d-JKGqpkcxg/movies.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/movies/how-to-live-forever-review.html?ref=movie Website: http://www.facebook.com/l/095d5rbK7i49vbVjocQYOrmCv3A/www.LiveForeverMovie.com Maria Entraigues http://www.facebook.com/maria.entraigues reminds me that “How to Live Forever” is opening today (Friday May 20) in Los Angeles. (@ the Laemmle Monica 4Plex 1332 2nd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401 at 7pm). Director Mark Wexler will be presenting the movie and answering questions afterwards.

Review:
http://www.facebook.com/l/095d5-ZZFjESxHy3d-JKGqpkcxg/movies.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/movies/how-to-live-forever-review.html?ref=movie

Website:
http://www.facebook.com/l/095d5rbK7i49vbVjocQYOrmCv3A/www.LiveForeverMovie.com

]]> By: Singularity Utopia http://www.kurzweilai.net/how-to-live-forever/comment-page-1#comment-3369 Singularity Utopia Thu, 12 May 2011 10:13:03 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=118143#comment-3369 For a while I thought the idea of Cryonics was great but then I read about fracturing: http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/CryopreservationAndFracturing.html Despite the fracturing issue I feel cryonics is better than nothing thus if I had the money I would opt fro cryo-preservation but the fracturing issue doesn't make me feel confident that 100% perfect reanimation will be possible. For a while I thought the idea of Cryonics was great but then I read about fracturing: http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/CryopreservationAndFracturing.html

Despite the fracturing issue I feel cryonics is better than nothing thus if I had the money I would opt fro cryo-preservation but the fracturing issue doesn’t make me feel confident that 100% perfect reanimation will be possible.

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