Brain Health

With age everyone hopes for a brain that remains healthy. And challenging it with new tasks as often as possible is certainly the way to go. Things such as learning a new language, doing crossword puzzles, reading, taking lessons to play a musical instrument, etc. will benefit the brain in myriad ways. However, the computerized world in which we now live may not be best for the brain.

            As I was recently gathering my income tax papers and adding my receipts, I did it the long way by hand (perhaps the last one in the world who still does that!) because I believe it’s a good way of keeping my brain sharp. I worry that the younger generations who now rely solely on calculators may not be doing their brains any favor.

            The same certainly applies to phones today. No one seems to remember numbers anymore because they are entered in our hand-held devices where the name is the identification rather than the number.  When we need to call someone, we only need to push the name. A far cry from not so long ago when we did need to write numbers down on an actual piece of paper. I think it made the brain work as we tried to remember numbers. Another brain activity lost.

            I think brain activity is also diminished when our computer programs go into action as we write letters or messages. They either auto-correct or underline words they do not recognize. I am sure all of you remember when we actually had to check words in a dictionary when unsure of the spelling before having to carefully review letters to catch typos. Of course, today that’s all done for us.

            And then there is GPS, that marvel which helps people find their way. The global positioning system is a great help when we travel a tricky route or are guiding a ship through the Panama Canal, but it has drawbacks. A new study from the University of Kent in the U.K. concluded that when we follow the instructions from a GPS rather than planning our own route, the brain switches off. The end result is that humans will get worse and worse at using their brain for planning and decision making.

            And then, today, instead of having to search for answer, we only need to ask Siri or Alexa or any other robot living in hand-held devices for the information we need. Easy and quick.

            It is speculated that our brains are changing because of all these new realities. Of course we have yet to see to what extent we will be affected or if mankind will simply slowly adapt. Let’s hope for the latter, especially where the children are concerned.

The Death of Privacy

When I tried to explain to my grandchildren that as I was growing up, black-and-white television was the norm, they simply could not believe it. After all, they live in a world of high definition.

            We, of a certain age, have witnessed so much change in the last few years that it is difficult to explain it all to a younger generation. For one thing, I really don’t know how we lived before ATMs, but somehow we did. We all remember a time when we had to go to our own branch to get money. Amazingly today we can access our bank accounts from basically anywhere in the world.

            It is difficult to imagine a time when personal computers and the Internet were unheard of. And not so long ago the idea of today’s wireless technology belonged to the realm of sci-fi. We’ve come a long way, baby.

            When I got my first computer, it took me a long time to learn how to make the most of it. And I’m still trying to do just that with newer versions! On the other hand, computers are second nature to our children and grandchildren.

            If you spend enough time surfing the Internet, there is no information you can’t find. It can be very useful and helpful. But the Internet is also a huge trash dumpster for everything from pornography to fake news. I don’t think we should be ashamed to discuss the less-than-perfect aspects of technology with our impressionable grandchildren because you never know on what site they might end up.

            Many years ago I saw a man walking down the street in Hong Kong while talking on a mobile phone. Of course, it was a huge unit compared to today’s models, but I was witnessing history in the making. When I returned home and tried to explain to those around me that wireless telephones were a reality in Asia, albeit not yet in widespread use, people didn’t believe me. How things have changed!

            Today, cell phones can do so many things, not the least of which is take pictures. For a techno-deficient person like myself who still believes that phones are for talking, I see cameras on phones as dangerous because they show us that privacy is becoming a thing of the past. You could be anywhere talking to someone while another person is taking your picture, taping your conversation and posting it all online for the world to see.

            With all the technology which keeps on marching at a mind-dizzying pace, the future of privacy is looming ever less assured in the 21st century, and I think it should worry all of us. Not only is Big Brother watching, but so is our neighbor, our colleague, our competitor.

            I don’t think I’d like to go back to the time of black-and-white television, but since nothing is ever perfect in this world, we should all pay a lot more attention to what is being loss through the advent of greater and greater technology in order to make sure the slope does not get more slippery.

            Once privacy is lost, it will be almost impossible to recover.

New Beginning

Spring is almost here. I could smell it in the air a few days ago even if the actual date is still a week or so away. The snow was almost all gone except for the piles shoved into the corners of parking lots of malls and such over the last few months.  I was enjoying one of the wonders of  spring: stepping out the door in shoes for the first time after months of heavy boots. That makes me so appreciative of the new season, just like everyone else, I’m sure.

            But like everything else in life, not everything goes according to plan. A couple of days ago my corner of the world was blasted with a miserable winter storm that blanketed everything in a couple of feet of fresh snow. Luckily, unlike an OCDer I know who was sure winter was gone, I had not put my winter boots away! Nor my shovel! In case. After all, experience has taught me that winter can be can quite bitchy on its way out, and that it’s best to be prepared to face it head on.  

            Now spring won’t appear quite as fast as I had hoped just a few days ago, but all is not lost, because as we all know the longer the wait the sweeter  the reward. The snow will melt as it always does and spring will warm up the earth exposing the filth mankind manages to leave behind in the   cold months.

           With the melting snow, litter appears in the streets and on the lawns. I was noticing on my daily walk before the storm just how much of it there is, from newsprint blowing in the wind, to empty cans of soda, to miscellaneous bags, to mitts without their mates and scarves people hang on fences so owners can see them and hopefully retrieve them. The last two is something I don’t understand. It seems to me that if you lost a mitt you would notice that one of your hands is getting cold. No matter your age. And how can a scarf just blow away?

           But not to worry, streets will be cleaned and lawns raked as soon as the sun is once again warm enough, and we will all feel the renewal of a new season, a new beginning. It makes me wonder how people who live in climates where the weather is essentially the same all year long can truly appreciate nature. The lucky bastards!!

           

Time For a Bit of Fun

So I said to a friend, I have nothing to say. She replied: you should blog about that!

People don’t stop laughing because they grow old, they grow old because they stop laughing. And besides, laughter is contagious. Share a joke with your spouse, your neighbor or your friend and the day is bound to be brighter.

Notice at entrance to park: Please pick up your dog’s alternative fact.

My grandchildren think I’m very funny. One of the reasons I can make them laugh is that I’m quite relaxed when I’m around them. They fill my life with love and it colors my world mirthful. Although I do not feel like it at all times, I do make an effort to look at the funny side of life.

            I bought a packet of peanuts, and on the packet it says ''may contain nuts.'' I’d be annoyed if an apple fell out!  

Nobody wants to be around people who are always complaining about something or the other, no matter their age – or perhaps especially when they’re on the downhill side of 50. The longer we live, the more physical problems we face, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a bit of sunshine even in a long cloudy cycle.

A man walks into a bar with a roll of tarmac under his arm and says: Pint please, and one for the road.

The cliché Laughter is the Best Medicine may be overused, but that does not make it less true. Medical research shows that laughter has an immediate positive effect on the main organs of the human body. In my experience those who have mastered the art of laughing at life and its foibles have an easier time than people who focus all their energy on the less-than-perfect moments we all experience. One of the reasons is certainly that laughter relaxes the whole being.

So the man said, My mother-in-law fell in the wishing well. Boy, was I surprised that it actually worked.

I have always found it interesting that we are all inclined to compare ourselves to others, in one way or another. The neighbor is prettier, richer, happier, and so on, we think. What we tend to forget is that we are all different, and that appearances can be quite deceiving. The prettier neighbor might be estranged from her children. The richer neighbor could very well a secret drunk.

Slept like a log last night. Woke up in the fireplace.

It seems to me that to be happy, we have to dwell on the good things in our lives at this moment in time. And laugh at the rest. An arthritic knee should not prevent us from enjoying life. And we can all use humor to diffuse the irritations of life.

Two doctors are conferring. One of them said, She hasn’t been able to get pregnant, but with both of us on her case, that should change.

Notes on medical charts:

The patient refused an autopsy.

           On the second day, the knee was better, and on the third day disappeared completely. 

The patient has been depressed ever since she began seeing me in 2000.

The patient has no past history of suicide.     

Telephones

The evolution of the telephone has been mind boggling, don’t you think? It’s not that long ago that the home phone was a black thing on the wall in the kitchen. Or in the hall. Then came table phones, and lo and behold you had your choice of colors. You could not move around the house while engaged in a phone conversation because of the limitation of the cord, although some people installed longer cord so it could reach into another room or in a closet where one’s conversations were private and not to be overheard by the rest of the family. This was especially welcomed by teenage girls.

          Compared to days of yore, though, the home phone of today is partly wireless so you can take it with you anywhere in the house. Even in the yard as long as you don’t stray too far. No more restrictions of cords. Practical, of course, but not always pleasant for the person at the other end of the line, like when you’re  talking to someone and you hear that they are in bathroom relieving themselves. I don’t know about you, but I can do without that type of multitasking!

          These days, of course, most people have phones they carry in their pockets. While younger people are dispensing with home land lines all together, that’s not the case for everybody. I still have mine, like most people I know. It just seems practical since cell connections are not always reliable especially when you forget to recharge the battery.

          The nice thing about mobile phones is that you can turn them off when required, for example, when you are in a movie theater or at your doctor’s office. However, not everyone bothers to do that when they should. I was visiting a funeral home recently to pay my respect to the mother of a friend, and while the son was praising his deceased mother, a phone rang in someone’s pocket. Without missing a beat, he said: “I take it my mother is calling to say how pleased she is that so many people came to visit.” The guilty party quickly left to take the call outside while the rest of us could not help but chuckle. I’m sure it pleased the deceased who, like her son, had a quirky sense of humor.