
Kurzweil: 3 Supplements To Let You Live Until The Singularity - evo_9
http://singularityhub.com/2011/05/03/kurzweil-3-supplements-to-let-you-live-until-the-singularity-video/
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Prisen
So, according to the article, there is: 1) No scientific consensus whether
these supplements will make you live longer or not. 2) A web page where
Kurzweil sells these supplements.

Can someone explain why I shouldn't think of this the same way that I think
about homeopathy etc.?

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msbarnett
I don't think there _is_ any reason not to lump this in with homeopathy and
the Heaven's gate guys.

It's eschatology via William Gibson.

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kkleiner
I am not sure how helpful most of these supplements really are. I'm more into
exercising and "eating food, mostly plants, not too much". Beyond that, is
there really that much that supplements can do?

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michael_michael
Do you believe in eschewing certain foods and favoring other foods because of
their health benefits? I don't see it as a huge leap in logic to believe that
certain supplements - properly prepared, packaged, and delivered into the body
- can confer similar health benefits.

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Travis
I disagree. Outside of a few specific situations (folic acid for pregnant
women, etc.), most first world people satisfy their nutritional requirements.
Micronutrients aren't a "if a little is good, a lot is better" situation. Once
you meet your daily requirement, you're just passing most of what you take.

Further, of all the science done on CAM (Complementary and Alternative
Medicines), only a couple of studies have shown a positive impact.

I don't doubt Kurzweil is a smart guy. However, there are plenty of smart
people who have had theories like this. Eg., Linus Pauling and Vitamin C
megadose theory. (see wiki for more info).

It may not seem like there's a stretch. But your perception of the logical
continuum doesn't really matter. Most supplements are nothing more than snake
oil. (Again, assuming you have an otherwise balanced diet).

Also, you have a fallacy -- eschewing certain foods is removing potentially
harmful nutrients from your diet. Why would it logically follow that adding
something would necessarily confer a health benefit?

~~~
michael_michael
I never said removing something from your diet is equivalent to adding
something else. Nor did I propose "if a little is good, a lot is better".

I did say this: If the consumption of a particular food can be shown to have a
net positive impact on one's health and longevity, and the properties that
generate that positive impact can be distilled and consumed, it behooves us to
do so.

~~~
Travis
Well, you said, "Do you believe in eschewing certain foods...because of their
health benefits?" Then went on to state how it wasn't a huge leap to go from
that to health benefits. I was just pointing out the logical inconsistency
(irrespective of the CAM/supplement issue).

The evidence I have seen overwhelmingly states that taking supplements has
little to no measurable effect in people with a sufficient diet. The reason
that I wouldn't add it to my diet is the same reason that I don't take oxygen
supplements -- as long as you generally have enough oxygen, there's just not a
whole lot of evidence that you need MORE.

So, youre right -- chances are that there's not reason to NOT take them. But
there's not really a reason to take supplements, unless you've identified
yourself in an at-risk population. But those groups are few and far between
compared to the number of people who take nutritional supplements.

Then again, I'd rather save my money than buy the modern equivalent of snake
oil tonics.

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dogas
Regardless of how you feel about the article, the wikipedia link for
Technological Singularity is just facinating:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity>

~~~
jerfelix
Good link. I find it interesting that some people think that the point of
singularity will be some cataclysmic event.

I use this analogy instead:

Many years ago, prehistoric man was inventing and creating tools at a certain
(slow) rate. Then, one day, they created a tool that could create other tools.
And the rate of tool invention accelerated.

Prior to that first point of "singularity", you could probably accurately
predict the rate at which tools would be created. But you could not accurately
predict what would happen once you had tools that could create other tools.

That "singularity" wasn't some cataclysmic point in time. But the rate of
advancement changed dramatically then. I think we have another one of those
coming up.

Think that analogy holds up?

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artmageddon
"Kurzweil takes 150 pills a day, some 70 to 80 different substances"

Wow, WTF. I can't imagine keeping track of all those, and can only wonder if
he's overdosing on any of them. Doesn't it wreak havoc with your digestive
system?

<Rambling ahead> That said, I do take vitamin D supplements since I'm not
spending as much time outside as I used to(I miss the lazy days of summer in
university), and thus not getting as much Vitamin D. Last year my doctor told
me that my Vitamin D levels were low and prescribed a once-a-week dosage of
10,000IUs of it for a couple months. After that I started consuming 2,000IUs /
day, 4-6 days per week. The consensus is that the minimum amount is 400IUs, so
I do more simply because I know I'm inclined to miss a day here and there.

I suppose time will tell just how effective Vitamin D really is, but I'm
fairly certain that I'm helping myself by taking it. Besides, an ounce of
prevention's worth a pound of cure, and each $5 bottle of the stuff lasts me
several months.

~~~
spydez
Why are you only taking Vitamin D if you believe "an ounce of prevention's
worth a pound of cure"? Shouldn't you be taking a multi-vitamin, at least, in
order to hit all the other vitamins & minerals you might be short on?

~~~
artmageddon
Good point - during my annual exams I find that I'm usually within good levels
on all other nutrients that I get tested on, but I guess I'll find out in a
few weeks when my next one comes around. Every multi-vitamin is different and
I'm concerned about going over the limit on other nutrients like Potassium or
something of the sort(a long time ago, I found myself too high on that
particular one, and I wasn't on any supplements). I simply haven't had a
chance to research each one in detail.

~~~
jacques_chester
Just rotate them. Mix it up. The body is well evolved to handle inconsistent
nutrient inputs.

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angdis
I am very suspicious about "the singularity."

First of all, I don't think that living forever is something that would be as
good as it sounds to us now. Maintaining the viability of the body is one
thing, mental well-being is quite another issue entirely. It may be that
living indefinitely is torture. Or maybe the statistical nature of dumb freak
accidents will give virtually everyone a MTBF of only a couple hundred years?

Secondly, there's a lot of things that could derail the singularity, whatever
it is. Empires collapse. Shit happens. Who is to say that an economic or
ecological catastrophe won't put an abrupt end to everything beyond getting to
the next day?

