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Message no. 1
From: bryan.covington@****.COM
Subject: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 16:00:50 -0400
> Actually, I'd be one of the first in line for cybereyes, and I'm the
> only
> person in my family with 20/20 vision.
>
You know something about this struck me. What is
happening as people get older? My dad just went from Wal-Mart reading
glasses to prescription ones and also found out he has cataracts. He is
pissed.
How common do you think it would be to have an older
person with cyberware? This is the last bit of their life. They have
probably saved up some money. They have time to enjoy the things life
can offer an able bodied person. We are already doing knee and hip
replacements, why not?

I'm thinking putting any serious cyber into an older
(60+) person would require a bit more work than a younger person I
imagine. I would think that any sort of joint of appendage replacement
would also involve bone lacing to strengthen the surrounding bone. Why
not just lace the whole skeleton? Saves money in the long run (less/no
broken hips and such). Muscle atrophy could be solved, just replace
them. Arthritis? Get the joint lube from Shadowtech (don't recall the
proper name or page number). Bum heart? Replace it, clonal if you like
or hell just throw some synthacardium in there and make sure it lasts.
Smoker all your life? Replace them. Clonal.

Thinking about this it seems you might have people
living quite a while and being heavily cybered by the time they die.
There is no reason for someone with the money (and it wouldn't take a
whole lot) to keep going full tilt for a good number of years.
There may be philosophical problems...why? WE are the
geezers of 2060, assuming we made it though all the other crap (VITAS,
wars, rabid awakened Chihuahuas). Am I gonna slip into physical
disrepair when my mind is sharp? Hell no! Get my ass a loan and get me
into the chop-shop.
Granted mental disorders aren't as easily solved but
there are a lot of folks who are fine mentally but trapped in a body
that is falling apart.

So who on the list is gonna be a cybergeezer?
Message no. 2
From: Tim Kerby <drekhead@***.NET>
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 16:16:12 -0400
On 27 Jul 98, at 16:00, bryan.covington@****.COM wrote:

> How common do you think it would be to have an older
> person with cyberware? This is the last bit of their life. They have
> probably saved up some money. They have time to enjoy the things life can
> offer an able bodied person. We are already doing knee and hip
> replacements, why not?

I certainly think that cyberware would be used in the medical field,
and most likely where most cyber systems were designed and tested.

The problem with a geezer going whole hog and having a bunch of cyber
installed, is that as a person gets older, surgery becomes much more
dangerous. Deaths and complications from surgery increase
exponentially with a persons age.

--

=================================================================
- Tim Kerby - drekhead@***.net - ICQ-UIN 2883757 -
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Reality is the only obstacle to happiness." - Unknown
Message no. 3
From: bryan.covington@****.COM
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 16:32:19 -0400
> > How common do you think it would be to have an older
> > person with cyberware? This is the last bit of their life. They have
> > probably saved up some money. They have time to enjoy the things
> life can
> > offer an able bodied person. We are already doing knee and hip
> > replacements, why not?
>
> I certainly think that cyberware would be used in the medical field,
> and most likely where most cyber systems were designed and tested.
>
> The problem with a geezer going whole hog and having a bunch of cyber
> installed, is that as a person gets older, surgery becomes much more
> dangerous. Deaths and complications from surgery increase
> exponentially with a persons age.
>
But the reasons for many of these things are the very
things that are being replaced. Heart Failure is one of the more common
problems. Well then the first think you need to swap out is the ticker.
I dunno, I am not seeing street gangs of senior citizens
(there's an image for you), but I think the average rest home might be a
bit more chromed than we might initially think.
Message no. 4
From: Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM>
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 18:58:15 -0400
At 04:00 PM 7/27/98 -0400, you wrote:

> How common do you think it would be to have an older
>person with cyberware? This is the last bit of their life. They have
>probably saved up some money. They have time to enjoy the things life
>can offer an able bodied person. We are already doing knee and hip
>replacements, why not?

True enough.

I'm not sure they'd go in for cybernetics though. I'm thinking that HMOs
and whatnot would far more willing to spring for non-enhancing bioware
replacements, at least in most cases.

But I think you're mostly right. More 'wares (regardless of exactly what)
and longer lives than we might currently expect.

> Granted mental disorders aren't as easily solved but
>there are a lot of folks who are fine mentally but trapped in a body
>that is falling apart.

Hell, that happens even to young people who suffer from various nasties
like Muscular Dsytrophy, or are otherwise quadraplegic. And while it's
possible that cyberware might not be able to make a cripple walk again, the
advent of the Matrix combined with solid headware would make for a better,
richer life for those folks.

> So who on the list is gonna be a cybergeezer?

Assuming I don't discover I have the Talent and cure my old age through
magic (the first SR lich... ;-)), I'll be right behind you in line at the
chop-shop.

Erik J.


http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/dungeon/480/index.html
The Reality Check for a Fictional World
Message no. 5
From: Oliver McDonald <oliver@*********.COM>
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 17:06:54 +0800
On Mon, 27 Jul 1998 16:00:50 -0400, bryan.covington@****.COM wrote:

> So who on the list is gonna be a cybergeezer?

Me, my wife, and all my friends. (Even if I have to pay for it all.)

-----------------------------------------------------------
Oliver McDonald - oliver@*********.com
http://web2.spydernet.com

Space. The Final Frontier. Let's not close it down.

Brought to you via CyberSpace, the recursive frontier.
Message no. 6
From: Nexx Many-Scars <Nexx3@***.COM>
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 22:14:39 EDT
In a message dated 27/07/98 18:05:02 Central Daylight Time, erikj@****.COM
writes:

> > So who on the list is gonna be a cybergeezer?
>
> Assuming I don't discover I have the Talent and cure my old age through
> magic (the first SR lich... ;-)), I'll be right behind you in line at the
> chop-shop.

I would, but I live in the Plains states... the NAN is going to nuke me within
a week of starting up...

Nexx
Message no. 7
From: Robert Watkins <robert.watkins@******.COM>
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 12:34:34 +1000
Nexx writes:
> I would, but I live in the Plains states... the NAN is going to
> nuke me within
> a week of starting up...

What, with a name like Nexx Many-Scars? Go join a pinkskin tribe (of course,
using cyber then might be a bit hard).
Message no. 8
From: Nexx Many-Scars <Nexx3@***.COM>
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 22:40:13 EDT
In a message dated 27/07/98 21:38:31 Central Daylight Time,
robert.watkins@******.COM writes:

> > I would, but I live in the Plains states... the NAN is going to
> > nuke me within
> > a week of starting up...
>
> What, with a name like Nexx Many-Scars? Go join a pinkskin tribe (of
course,
> using cyber then might be a bit hard).

Actually, the name is just an affectation... and I doubt a misplaced Neo-pagan
Druid would fit in very well with a pinkskin tribe <g>
Message no. 9
From: K is the Symbol <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 23:32:46 EDT
In a message dated 7/27/1998 6:05:00 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
erikj@****.COM writes:

> > So who on the list is gonna be a cybergeezer?
>
> Assuming I don't discover I have the Talent and cure my old age through
> magic (the first SR lich... ;-)), I'll be right behind you in line at the
> chop-shop.
>
I believe I mentioned this once last year on the list. "Lichdom" is
"Cybermancy" in a variation on a theme, especially with the individual being a
magician and combined with some foci to tie the spirit down more with.

-K
Message no. 10
From: K is the Symbol <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 23:38:55 EDT
In a message dated 7/27/1998 9:38:28 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
robert.watkins@******.COM writes:

> Nexx writes:
> > I would, but I live in the Plains states... the NAN is going to
> > nuke me within
> > a week of starting up...
>
> What, with a name like Nexx Many-Scars? Go join a pinkskin tribe (of
course,
> using cyber then might be a bit hard).
>
Nah, Nexx Many-Scars is welcome within the Papago and Pima ranges of Northern
Pueblo or Southern Ute' (depending on how you read that map). There's gonna
be a troll shaman of Raven living up there in a little cabin near Prescott..

-K
Message no. 11
From: Danyel N Woods <9604801@********.AC.NZ>
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 17:36:27 +1200
Quoth K is the Symbol (1533 28-7-98 NZT):

<<SLICE>>
>> Assuming I don't discover I have the Talent and cure my old age
through
>> magic (the first SR lich... ;-)), I'll be right behind you in line
at the
>> chop-shop.
>>
>I believe I mentioned this once last year on the list. "Lichdom" is
>"Cybermancy" in a variation on a theme, especially with the individual
being a
>magician and combined with some foci to tie the spirit down more with.

'Tie the spirit down.' Why is it that I heard a Rolf Harris song when I
read that? <g>

Danyel Woods - 9604801@********.ac.nz
'No, I'm Chaos and he's Mayhem. We're a double act.'
Message no. 12
From: bryan.covington@****.COM
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 09:21:17 -0400
> > How common do you think it would be to have an older
> >person with cyberware? This is the last bit of their life. They have
> >probably saved up some money. They have time to enjoy the things life
> >can offer an able bodied person. We are already doing knee and hip
> >replacements, why not?
>
> True enough.
>
> I'm not sure they'd go in for cybernetics though. I'm thinking that
> HMOs
> and whatnot would far more willing to spring for non-enhancing bioware
> replacements, at least in most cases.
>
> But I think you're mostly right. More 'wares (regardless of exactly
> what)
> and longer lives than we might currently expect.
>
Yeah but say you get the non-enhancing stuff and the doc
says, "Look man, for another two grand I can slap some serious chrome in
you. Wait'll the boys at the YMCA see this baby on the court."
Plus, I think we are going to see people getting
replacements for various ailments and then having them tweaked up as
their natural abilities decline. I suppose the net effect is the same,
but it'd be an interesting thing to see. Would you have chop-shoppers
looking through the retirement homes for folks on their last cyberlegs?
(sorry)
We've also seen the equivalent of cyberware already. Bo
Jackson was the first person to get a joint replacement he didn't really
need, but wanted in order to continue playing ball. I think this sort of
thing will become more popular in the years leading up to 2050.


> > Granted mental disorders aren't as easily solved but
> >there are a lot of folks who are fine mentally but trapped in a body
> >that is falling apart.
>
> Hell, that happens even to young people who suffer from various
> nasties
> like Muscular Dsytrophy, or are otherwise quadraplegic. And while
> it's
> possible that cyberware might not be able to make a cripple walk
> again, the
> advent of the Matrix combined with solid headware would make for a
> better,
> richer life for those folks.
>
> > So who on the list is gonna be a cybergeezer?
>
> Assuming I don't discover I have the Talent and cure my old age
> through
> magic (the first SR lich... ;-)), I'll be right behind you in line at
> the
> chop-shop.
>
> Erik J.
>
>
> http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/dungeon/480/index.html
> The Reality Check for a Fictional World
Message no. 13
From: Grahamdrew <mnemonic25@*********.COM>
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Thu, 28 May 1998 13:01:34 -0400
From all this talk of more complications in surgery and stuff, it kinda
souds like a natural degredation of essence. They say (one definition)
it's the integrity of your neural system, so it kinda sounds like the
older you get the more essence you lose.. I guess that could kinda
explane death by natural causes (0 essence). Sound good or crackpot?

Grahamdrew, who is trying to get out of the lurker catigory
Message no. 14
From: bryan.covington@****.COM
Subject: Re: CyberGeezers (was: willingness to get bio/cyber)
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 13:27:30 -0400
> From all this talk of more complications in surgery and stuff, it
> kinda
> souds like a natural degredation of essence. They say (one
> definition)
> it's the integrity of your neural system, so it kinda sounds like the
> older you get the more essence you lose.. I guess that could kinda
> explane death by natural causes (0 essence). Sound good or crackpot?
>
To be honest this was the one hurdle I saw to my army of
aging cyberzombies and I was hoping no one would notice. :)

Yeah it makes sense to me that your essence naturally
declines. I would imagine you magic would go with it (thinking of the
aging magi fighting off time with grade after grade of initiation until
it finally catches up with them).

Further Reading

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Thwap!