LegendaryLife Blog

It has been a LONG road from start to finish but I’m proud to say that you can now purchase a digital copy of 2847AD, the science fiction book I wrote and researched for extensively and physical form of 2847 A.D.: Solar Horizons from Amazon! YAHOO!!! This has been a major accomplishment for me, I never knew publishing a science fiction novel could be so much work but now that it’s done, it feels wonderful to have achieved this major goal of mine.

If you wish to follow the journey pretty much from start to finish, I have chronicled it on my blog. I mention this in several other postings but these are the major ones.

• 2847: Going Science Fiction
• 2847AD: Writing Science Fiction is Hard!
• Getting through the home stretch
• 2847AD is finally done!
• Transforming your life from Blah to Legendary now available on Amazon!

What made the book especially challenging is that I tried to integrate almost everything I knew about science and then some, at the time. There is so much information out there, it’s really astounding and trying to condense it into a readable form, not only for me but for the general public takes a lot of effort.

I wanted to write a book that was scientifically accurate while at the same time, within the realm of possibility AND readable by somebody who has little to no scientific knowledge.

I believe I have accomplished this goal. I already started on a second volume of this book but had to put it on the back burner for several reasons, including but not limited to the amount of work I’ve been putting into my WoodMarvels.com company. I love design so much… it’s a true passion, as is writing but I think a long break is necessary to get most of the ideas fleshed-out. The further you jump into the future, the more difficult it becomes to imagine the unimaginable and this is really taxing mentally as I discovered. Exhausting even!

My delight: Hydrogen Sulfide

In the book, I describe in detail why I used this very toxic gas, hydrogen sulfide, as a mechanism for suspended animation during long space travels. Today, I watched a TED video and much to my delight, what I described and envisioned is actually coming true! Yes, they have human trials of this and the results are astoundingly positive. Watch the video to learn more about this important toxic gas

TEDTalks : Mark Roth: Suspended animation is within our grasp – Mark Roth (2010)

The Bottom Line

Research, hard work and tremendous passion can even bend even the most impossible of challenges into reality.

Brains are as quick as they are beautiful.

When I grew-up, we were taught a few things about the brain, some of which have since been proven wrong.

1. We will only be born with a certain number of neurons which are not replaced as they die. FALSE!
2. Old people can’t learn new things (lead to the expression that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks). FALSE!
3. Our brains cannot change from their genetic potential. FALSE!

Why these past truths are now false ones

It was once believed that all the neurons that developed within our brains when we were infants was all we would have for the rest of our lives, then, a little over a year ago, I read a report that scientists discovered that our brains continue to make new neurons, albeit at a slower pace as we get older, but new ones never the less. That being said, it doesn’t mean you can go get hammered every weekend and have new ones to replace the ones you killed by Monday. Our body produces new skin, bone, cartilage, muscle cells on an almost continual basis, our brains are no different but like these cells, their require stimuli of one type or another to maintain their youthful vigor.

Yes, old people can learn new things, it just takes a little longer as the brain isn’t as quick as it once was due to being increasingly hard wired but just because it takes longer to learn something, doesn’t mean it’s impossible! Our brains actually learn differently as we age. I saw a report once that compared the brains of people who learned two languages when they were young with those who learned their second tongue after reaching adulthood. What they showed was that the brain actually “seeked” the words for their second language in a totally different area for those who learned as an adult vs intertwined when both languages were learned at a young age.

Genetically, we are born with a set of limits, although not impossible, it’s highly improbable that a person born with down syndrome will develop a mental capacity rivaling Einstein but recent discoveries in gene and epigenes suggests that lifestyle has a direct impact on gene expression. In other words, if you change your environment, genes that favor your survival in it will increase in dominance while the ones you were born with will go the other way. I saw a study that showed two twins, born with the same genetic profile, at a later age, one had cancer while the other didn’t… why? Well, after genetic testing, they found-out that although these twins were born as genetic duplicates in every way, their genes, through time, changed to that of two completely different individuals with different gene expressions. AMAZING!

What is true about our brains

As we age, our brains go from acting like sponges to something more closely acting like that of a soggy chunk of wood… it just takes longer for the neuron connections to occur and more stimuli to make their bonds stronger and more permanent. Our brains do change dramatically throughout the different states of life, so they do change, but not as quickly and spontaneously as that of a teenager or infant when you are a senior citizen.

What can you do to keep your brain in tip-top shape?

You want strong muscles, you exercise… our brains are no different. If you want to stay sharp till you are a senior citizen, you need to adopt a lifestyle that will keep not only your brain but entire body as youthful as possible. Don’t drink alcohol, exercise regularly as it improves overall blood flow, challenge yourself constantly both physically and mentally… and don’t forget to eat extremely well all the time.

… but how fast can your brain really rewire itself?

A few seconds! According to a study released by the Journal of Neuroscience, it takes our brain just a few seconds to adapt to new stimulus. The study was pretty straight forward, once the person’s blind spot was figured-out and a patch was put over one eye, they put the picture of a square right next to it, within seconds, the square would morph into that of a rectangle.

The team concludes that the neurons which would normally fill the blind spot using data from the patched eye compensated by stealing data from neighbouring neurons that were “seeing” the square, making it appear like a rectangle.

The Bottom Line

Lifestyle dictates to a large extent what your brain will act like as you age.

Buzvia: Blindspot shows brain rewiring in an instant, Journal of Neuroscience

I really love the speeches given by the TED organization, you learn about huge advances in new technologies and a lot about what makes thing tick. I don’t know why they aren’t required watching for every man, woman and child on this planet as the more we know, the more we can do to help one another solve the world’s issues.

Bacteria

We all know that bacteria play a vital role in our lives, without them, we would starve and die rather quickly as they help with food digestion and play a pivotal role in just about every aspect of our lives. Sure, they can be bad, very bad, but usually, the little bacteria that inhabit our bodies are good.

Interesting bacterial facts

• there are a trillion human cells that make-up a human body
• there are 10 trillion bacterial cells on or in the human body
• humans have 30 000 genes
• 3 000 000 bacterial genes playing a direct role in your life
• bacteria talk to one another to co-ordinate “attacks”
• bacteria are able to quickly adapt to new environments that would normally kill them
• bacteria are the oldest living creatures on Earth
• bacteria can be our best friend and worst enemy, so they need to be respected
• bacteria work for free!

The Bottom Line

Humans are like the Earth, they can be confused as being alive but are really homes for other organisms to live on.

Buzvia: Bonnie Bassler: Discovering bacteria’s amazing communication system

Cancer is a disease that, in a high portion of cases, is completely avoidable with proper diet, exercise and healthy living choices (including where and how you live). But for those unlucky enough to be diagnosed with cancer, I found this video that has some promising results. Screw chemotherapy, hello radio waves!

The Bottom Line

The best cure is avoidance.

I have developed a list of habits and thoughts on healthy life extension over more then half of my life… it’s interesting that only NOW are studies beginning to come out proving the logical conclusions I had come to so long ago.

Fit people stay younger then sedentary ones

Just this week, a study was reported by ABC News that found out that chronological age isn’t related to cellular age. If you abuse your body taking drugs (including tobacco), alcohol (more then one drink every few days) and just live the couch potato lifestyle, the cells within your body are quickly deteriorating. As a result, organs that become “sick” loose their efficiency, kinks begin to form in the bodies armor and voila… a few decades down the line, you are in a wheelchair gasping for every breath. The study reported that people who exercise regularly have cells that are actually younger then their sedentary counterparts by up to 10 years! Yes, the fountain of youth begins at the cellular level! This isn’t news to me, I have observed this all my life.

Why this is true?

Although I have explained this many times, repetition is the mother of retention as, Anthony Robbins often says. Our bodies are MEANT to be active, no, I am not talking about walking from the television to the fridge to get a bear, I mean ACTIVE like walking for HOURS each day, straining your muscles lifting heavy objects and eating incredible amounts of whole food. It’s no secret that our modern lifestyles are killing many humans off, our bodies are optimized for hunter and gatherer type activities. What do hunters and gatherers do all day? Well, they WALK, RUN, FIGHT, CRAWL, BUILD and MONITOR their environment, in other words, they are incredibly active in every sense of the word. The mind is always racing along with the body. The body is incredibly nimble regarding resource allocation… it doesn’t want to waste one ounce of energy towards activities that will not lead towards living another day. For example, your body would far prefer that you sit and wait for prey to come in your sights instead of running for hours on end to capture the same prey. Why? Because out in nature, energy is a very valuable resource, the body doesn’t want you to become a muscleman with 2% fat, it wants you to become a typical couch potato because it guarantees you will have enough energy to get you through the typical abundance / starvation cycles found in nature. The entire purpose of your body and mind is to make you live long enough to pass on your genes, it doesn’t care what you look like or your emotional well being as long as you… PASS ON YOUR GENES!

How to improve the health of your genes

This is rather easy, just think of yourself living 20 000 years ago before modern conveniences existed. I am not saying you need to throw away your toilet and replace it with a hole in the ground anymore then to begin hunting the neighborhood squirrels for you super but there are some things you can do to extend your healthy lifespan.

1) Throw away the Junk!

If you don’t know what you are eating, the ingredients don’t make sense and the packaging says “now lower in xyz”, throw away this junk! You cannot expect a long, healthy life eating garbage. Eat every few hours, small portions and every once in a while, eat everything you see… you want to keep your body guessing and try to mimic what nature built our bodies for… survival.

2) Lift heavy weights!

Get yourself a personal trainer if you must, but you must lift heavy weights throughout your lifespan, not only does this improve your central nervous system but it also increases bone density and muscle strength. You really need to strain your muscles on a continuous basis, if you never worked-out before, you need to educate yourself so that you don’t over-train or injure yourself. You need to be as strong as possible when you are young so that your muscle mass when you are older (when it’s needed the most).

3) Stress your heart and lungs

I am lucky, where I live now, there are mountains up to a kilometer high… I climb up them without taking a break… I can actually HEAR my heart beating loudly while climbing, my legs are mush, it’s difficult to breath and I am sweating profusely but you know what… it feels great afterwards! I am still young so this is fine but it beats any type of treadmill out there in every possible way. You need to optimize your cardiovascular systems (heart, lungs) as much as possible when you are young so that you can stave off common diseases when you are older.

4) Get outside!

We are not meant to live our lives in self-contained static environments (ei: office or home)… get outside every chance you can, if you live in a big city, get out and move to the country (or another country if you can). Everyday, the weather is different, the temperature, humidity etc… this keeps your body optimized so that you keep your internal calibrations constantly guessing. If you live in a place plagued with unhealthy air, you need to move! Your health is worth far more then any high paying job in a polluted environment.

5) Keep thinking

Get lost on purpose, when you realize that you have no clue where you are, the mind instantly focuses on the task at hand… getting you back home! This can be exhausting but it’s well worth it to do every few weeks to keep you sharp! We all have an internal compass that falls into disrepair due to lack of use, you need to get it back into shape. I know for me, it’s getting ever more difficult to get lost because I am starting to memorize, without my knowledge, key points that help me find my way back.

The Bottom Line

Stressful situations are essential to a long, healthy life… as long as they are from within.