Hacker News Reader

Comment by edw519 | Hacker News Reader

...to make up for a slower brain, less stamina and decreasing memory...

This is NOT normal and should not be accepted as such.

I'm 63 and have been programming professionally for 40 years. I'm currently working on several projects that are as complex as anything I've ever done. I honestly feel that that I get better every year, build stuff I never imagined a few years ago. I know this is subjective, but I feel like my brain is faster, I have more stamina, and better memory than ever. I still do newspaper jumbles and crossword puzzles without a pencil and plan to continue that way indefinitely.

Unless you're managing a serious medical condition, I suggest you do something differently: eating, exercise, lifestyle, medical care, something.

To you kids out there (under 50), do not despair. The best could be yet to come if you make it that way.

View on HN

I agree with this. For me, it was a combination of medical and lifestyle. I have taken a very serious approach at fixing those things and have more energy than ever.

Wow, at age 53 I am definitely slower. I type more slowly and I remember less. On the other hand, maybe I know a bit more than I did when I was young.

To me I would compare it to running. I can't sprint as well / come up with clever algorithms on the spot, but I can manage long distance / far more large scale complexity and pace my self better.

Does being a new parent of twins in my mid-forties count as managing a serious medical condition? I don't have anything to back it up, but I feel your situation is more the exception than the rule. I would like to be proven wrong. I keep plugging away at side projects when I get a chance to take a breath. But even then, it seems to take tremendous effort to get into any kind of productive zone.

I noticed that about "Weird Al" Yankovic. He's in his late fifties and yet -- even as he works in a field where even long-lived artists peak in their 20s or 30s, his music just gets ever more sophisticated, and funnier.

Weird Al is essentially a comedian, and they only really get good after many years of life experience.

The other day, Norm McDonald noted something about Eddie Murphy that I hadn't considered - he was the most talented young comedian ever.

It blows my mind that Murphy was performing at such a high level when he was just 20-21.

I think that was more a sign of the times. Like Andrew Dice Clay's filthy routine. That type of humor was needed during the 80s to distract people from the stress everyone was under. It wouldn't work today. A lot of Eddie's jokes were something that people never talked about or even heard of, like pre-nups, and wives taking half your cash today. I agree he was one of the early greats, but look how quickly his style wore off after that time period. I wouldn't consider him in the realm of timeless like Dangerfield or Carlin.

Eddie's jokes may no longer be PC but his old routines (Raw and Delirious) are still funny as hell. My wife and I regularly quote from them. "He didn't tell you you could take half? Well, he didn't tell you half the story....Oh hi Eddie." If you're not too uptight, watch it again and tell me it's not still funny.

My point was more he had his time, and it's gone. He hasn't lived on past that. Carlin and the likes were relevant until their death.

Carlin did comedy his whole life though. And I don't personally hear Carlin references more than I do Murphy ones. Eddie quit pretty early as you know, so I can't help but suspect his time was over voluntarily. Not long ago, he had to give a speech for the Mark Twain award and his Bill Cosby bit still had people laughing.

This is an unfortunate side effect of being a popular comedian, people will literally laugh at any word you say. The podcast escapes me, and I've read numerous articles, where big comedians often consider just quitting because they can't tell if they are actually funny anymore. Everyone just ends up laughing at everything that comes out of their mouth. It sounds like a good problem to have, but you can see how it would weigh on someone.

Read about Freddie Prinze. He died at age 22, IIRC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Prinze

Went to one of his concerts a couple years ago. Except for his vanity, it was one of the best shows I've ever been to. A lot of fun.

Sleep. Sleep is a big one.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com