I'll be 63 in just under a month. I've been programming since the mid-'70s -- my dad bought me a Sinclair Programmable Calculator, and I was hooked! -- and professionally since the early '80s. COBOL, assembler, then C back then.
I'm definitely not as sharp as I was: I struggle to reach for words sometimes, I lose track of which day it is sometimes (I was convinced it was Monday this morning, until I sat down at my desk and saw that I'd already written notes on Monday). But I have 40+ years of experience now and can make more informed decisions, even if I can't make decisions as quickly as I used to. I'm a better mentor than my younger self was.
The "genie" helps me do stuff I'm not familiar with and some of the "trivial" stuff that I would now have to look up the details of, that I used to keep all in memory.
At this point, I'm looking forward to "retirement" (if my job goes away), and just moved from the Bay Area, California to Eastern Ohio so I can afford to do that. I expect to continue doing OSS work (which I've been doing for over 30 years now in various tech communities). I expect to continue mentoring junior developers online (I was involved with ClojureBridge for a while; I'm involved with Clojure Camp now). But I also expect to spend more time in the garden and watching TV and reading.
But the loss of sharpness as I age is at times frustrating and at times somewhat depressing.
Re: not knowing what day of the week it is - I traveled a lot, nearly every week from 2005 to 2020. I joked with people that I rarely knew what day of the week it was or what city I was in. I stayed in way too many Courtyard by Marriott's and woken up several nights in the middle of the night, looked around the copycat room and tried to figure what city I was in.
OMG! Yes! Back in the '90s, I worked for a UK company with offices in Fort Worth, TX and Silver Springs, MD, and they had a policy of using Courtyard by Marriott where possible... so I'd be on these 3-week trips all over the US and wake up every morning in an identical room, walk down an identical hallway to an identical restaurant, with an identical breakfast menu! I'd have to check my watch for the date and look at my itinerary to figure out whether I was in Chicago or Portland or wherever!
"Fortunately for me, young engineers are failing to invent new young-engineer mistakes."
Just turned 67 in May. Semi-retired these days, which I really don't mind (lots more time to do what I want, versus figure out how to get the next gig).
For 25 years I was mostly a management/technology consultant. I can't tell you how many times clients would say something like "I know we are a unique company with unique problems." The last few years I said "I haven't seen a fundamentally new problem/situation in 20 years." That was good, as I usually had a few good, proven ideas on how to attack a problem/situation.
My sister (12 years older than me) began to show signs of dementia and vertigo as she reached her late 60's. That's when I kicked up my reading, writing and studying as well as making a few life changes to hopefully keep the brain working well.
I remember reading that post back in 2015 with a great deal of sadness. We've never met and only recently interacted in even a remotely direct way, but having "grown up" on your writings and programming product (JUnit, hello!), it was, for me, very much like hearing that a beloved teacher was retired or had passed on.
When I re-discovered you here, I was so thrilled to see that you had apparently overcome or experienced a miraculous healing! Thanks for the update, and much praise that you recovered.
At the risk of being That Guy, I'd like to point out the obvious: we are not defined by what we do. That includes people of great public accomplishment like yourself. I'm learning as a parent that we all need to hear things like "Baseball is something you do, it's not who you are." So here I am to repeat what you've probably already figured out: Programming, writing, teaching is not who you are, Mr. Beck; they're things you do. You are more than them, and your value is not wrapped up in how smart you are (or were). My personal faith tells me that your (and my) value is in how God sees us and the more we embrace that the more resilient we are.
Even if you don't share that faith, I'm very glad to witness your recovery; the little slice of this world that you influence is better because of that influence.
I had a scary episode of short-term memory loss before getting to 50, was turned upside down and inside out (got enough images to 3D print a non-functioning copy of my brain). It was diagnosed as depression, and SSRIs helped a lot. I have hopes, in the future, we might have access to AI assistants to give us subtle hints and operate as assistants and force multipliers. I used to call my Palm Pilot my "external brain". I had no idea I was foretelling my own possible future.
Thank you for sharing your experience, and happy to hear you are OK.
Thank you for sharing this. I experienced Long COVID some time ago, with quite similar symptoms. I can deeply relate as I still remember the panic setting in when the abilities that are the very core to my identity started to degrade. I have recovered (I think) and am glad to hear you've recovered as well.
So aging is not like D&D, uh? Not increasing INT, WIS, CHA? I'm 40 and need to start thinking about that "I have value because I'm smart" thing you wrote...
I had very bad Covid 4 years ago this week - nearly didn't make it - followed by several years of long Covid. I *think* I've recovered so that means I'm transitioning from improving intellect to "normal" cognitive decline. Weird. 😁 It's quite unsettling. Strength to you sir - as you have been to me all these years.
Thank you for writing this. I am also experiencing KRS (Can’t Remember Stuff). Dementia and Alzheimer’s is caused by inflammation in the brain. The cure is to remove the inflammation. You can do this thru diet and exercise. This explanation maybe applies to the majority, but of course, not all.
I've been dealing with the frontal-temporal stuff since the early 70's. Terrible memory. Had to keep a yellow note-pad near me all the time. Then when the server side of Java came around in the '90's, I was hooked. It was structured and workable. And then I read a book by a guy named Kent Beck. I was hooked all the more.
Keep up the great writing and treat yourself well. If you're seeing neurologists, talk and befriend the younger ones. They seem more inquisitive.
I'll be 63 in just under a month. I've been programming since the mid-'70s -- my dad bought me a Sinclair Programmable Calculator, and I was hooked! -- and professionally since the early '80s. COBOL, assembler, then C back then.
I'm definitely not as sharp as I was: I struggle to reach for words sometimes, I lose track of which day it is sometimes (I was convinced it was Monday this morning, until I sat down at my desk and saw that I'd already written notes on Monday). But I have 40+ years of experience now and can make more informed decisions, even if I can't make decisions as quickly as I used to. I'm a better mentor than my younger self was.
The "genie" helps me do stuff I'm not familiar with and some of the "trivial" stuff that I would now have to look up the details of, that I used to keep all in memory.
At this point, I'm looking forward to "retirement" (if my job goes away), and just moved from the Bay Area, California to Eastern Ohio so I can afford to do that. I expect to continue doing OSS work (which I've been doing for over 30 years now in various tech communities). I expect to continue mentoring junior developers online (I was involved with ClojureBridge for a while; I'm involved with Clojure Camp now). But I also expect to spend more time in the garden and watching TV and reading.
But the loss of sharpness as I age is at times frustrating and at times somewhat depressing.
Re: not knowing what day of the week it is - I traveled a lot, nearly every week from 2005 to 2020. I joked with people that I rarely knew what day of the week it was or what city I was in. I stayed in way too many Courtyard by Marriott's and woken up several nights in the middle of the night, looked around the copycat room and tried to figure what city I was in.
OMG! Yes! Back in the '90s, I worked for a UK company with offices in Fort Worth, TX and Silver Springs, MD, and they had a policy of using Courtyard by Marriott where possible... so I'd be on these 3-week trips all over the US and wake up every morning in an identical room, walk down an identical hallway to an identical restaurant, with an identical breakfast menu! I'd have to check my watch for the date and look at my itinerary to figure out whether I was in Chicago or Portland or wherever!
Glad it wasn't just me! :)
"Fortunately for me, young engineers are failing to invent new young-engineer mistakes."
Just turned 67 in May. Semi-retired these days, which I really don't mind (lots more time to do what I want, versus figure out how to get the next gig).
For 25 years I was mostly a management/technology consultant. I can't tell you how many times clients would say something like "I know we are a unique company with unique problems." The last few years I said "I haven't seen a fundamentally new problem/situation in 20 years." That was good, as I usually had a few good, proven ideas on how to attack a problem/situation.
My sister (12 years older than me) began to show signs of dementia and vertigo as she reached her late 60's. That's when I kicked up my reading, writing and studying as well as making a few life changes to hopefully keep the brain working well.
I remember reading that post back in 2015 with a great deal of sadness. We've never met and only recently interacted in even a remotely direct way, but having "grown up" on your writings and programming product (JUnit, hello!), it was, for me, very much like hearing that a beloved teacher was retired or had passed on.
When I re-discovered you here, I was so thrilled to see that you had apparently overcome or experienced a miraculous healing! Thanks for the update, and much praise that you recovered.
At the risk of being That Guy, I'd like to point out the obvious: we are not defined by what we do. That includes people of great public accomplishment like yourself. I'm learning as a parent that we all need to hear things like "Baseball is something you do, it's not who you are." So here I am to repeat what you've probably already figured out: Programming, writing, teaching is not who you are, Mr. Beck; they're things you do. You are more than them, and your value is not wrapped up in how smart you are (or were). My personal faith tells me that your (and my) value is in how God sees us and the more we embrace that the more resilient we are.
Even if you don't share that faith, I'm very glad to witness your recovery; the little slice of this world that you influence is better because of that influence.
I had a scary episode of short-term memory loss before getting to 50, was turned upside down and inside out (got enough images to 3D print a non-functioning copy of my brain). It was diagnosed as depression, and SSRIs helped a lot. I have hopes, in the future, we might have access to AI assistants to give us subtle hints and operate as assistants and force multipliers. I used to call my Palm Pilot my "external brain". I had no idea I was foretelling my own possible future.
Thank you for sharing your experience, and happy to hear you are OK.
Thank you for sharing this. I experienced Long COVID some time ago, with quite similar symptoms. I can deeply relate as I still remember the panic setting in when the abilities that are the very core to my identity started to degrade. I have recovered (I think) and am glad to hear you've recovered as well.
So aging is not like D&D, uh? Not increasing INT, WIS, CHA? I'm 40 and need to start thinking about that "I have value because I'm smart" thing you wrote...
Peace to you and Allah's mercy and his blessings.
I had very bad Covid 4 years ago this week - nearly didn't make it - followed by several years of long Covid. I *think* I've recovered so that means I'm transitioning from improving intellect to "normal" cognitive decline. Weird. 😁 It's quite unsettling. Strength to you sir - as you have been to me all these years.
This "normal aging" stuff sucks, boss. Somebody should code us a patch for that. Your genie got DNA answers yet? 😏
I apparently descend from a long line of men who stop being able to sleep through the night after we top 50. Cognition gets harder without enough Zs.
Metta to you. 🪷
Thank you for writing this. I am also experiencing KRS (Can’t Remember Stuff). Dementia and Alzheimer’s is caused by inflammation in the brain. The cure is to remove the inflammation. You can do this thru diet and exercise. This explanation maybe applies to the majority, but of course, not all.
I've been dealing with the frontal-temporal stuff since the early 70's. Terrible memory. Had to keep a yellow note-pad near me all the time. Then when the server side of Java came around in the '90's, I was hooked. It was structured and workable. And then I read a book by a guy named Kent Beck. I was hooked all the more.
Keep up the great writing and treat yourself well. If you're seeing neurologists, talk and befriend the younger ones. They seem more inquisitive.
Really happy to hear you're ok. Thanks for writing this.