Edward Thorp: How a Pioneering Blackjack Master Beats the Odds of Aging

This bit is especially noteworthy:

> I try to do those things that have a preponderance of evidence in favor of them. For example, smoking. I remember back in the ’80s that I was going to go interview [mathematician and hedge fund manager] Jim Simons to see if I wanted to add him to a fund of funds. And I never went to the interview because I learned that he smoked in meetings. I just didn’t want the exposure.

> It didn’t matter in the early ’80s, because he was losing money then. He didn’t really turn things around until about 1989 or so, when I was no longer looking for people. He’s a very smart guy, but I’m astonished that he would succumb to an addiction like that. By the way, that’s one of the risks that I try to avoid: the whole class of addictions. (Editor’s note: Bloomberg was unable to reach Simons for comment.)

Simons is the Renaissance Technologies guy, for those unaware.

It's weird that the article doesn't mention his support for cryonics. Thorpe not only is a cryonicist, but he and his wife have donated to Alcor: https://www.alcor.org/2008/09/announcement_of_positionsupdat...

I love the photo with the TRX straps even if he doesn't seem to really be using them properly. I just got introduced to TRX and kettlebells and I feel now like I was missing them all these years, especially the kettlebells. Both of them strike me as really good choices for a home gym. (My wife right now is a bit resentful that she helped install a heavy treadmill for a person who is badly out of shape... I was thinking that person would do better with something else.)

Once again someone lucky enough to reach 90 taking credit for it. Do these people not understand statistics?