Thanks plusaf I've enjoyed our dialog, also thanks for spurring my thoughts on what I've been learning about objectivism which is still in its infantry stage.

Per my First Law, everything is a tradeoff, and virtually all humans do is make choices between alternatives, every waking minute of every day. As do many other species.

When your choices produce results that you like, you're likely to make that choice again.

Enjoy the Gulch. I certainly do, too, but I still like writing and wood-turning, too (and '60's muscle cars...)
:)

To stay true to your work with the philosophy of using epistemology to validate your work. Too much is being written out there ie Internet spreading miss information or skewed information to get a collectivist view across. As far as being a productive person you sometimes make a financial sacrifice in order to become a happier more productive person. Fifteen years ago before I found AR I worked as a network administrator and protect manager I traded that career to become a small rancher in the mid west. I now produce my own food and for others. I now am able to look back on my day and see true productive value in my day and I feel good. As I found as reading in the Gulch what you do in the Gulch is more rewarding than out side the Gulch.

what if that Genetic Editing could be done at any time and that some subculture decided that a characteristic we, today, would consider a 'defect' was extremely desirable?

Like the neck-stretching aborigines on earth today or folks with stretched out ears, lips or nostrils?

Or a 'defect of the month' club where you could change your appearance drastically at whim to follow whatever fad was au courant?

:)
I love brainstorming, too...
:)

and there are tons of starving artists of all flavors out there, too...

If you want to feed yourself through your life, try to match your skill set with markets that are willing to pay you for the use of them.

What do you think AR would say to your comment that I didn't just now? :)

I've done that with our dogs and cats... :)

or place it in 'the future' long from now, and see what the upsides or downsides of genetic tinkering might be on future culture or society.

Heinlein had GMO monkeys as servants in at least one of his stories. I don't know if it was for shock value or a serious perspective on the issue. The one with the Space Elevator....

Yep. Some good recent research has confused (further confused?) the issue by establishing that different cells in your body have telomeres of different lenghts! It is significant, though, that all of the lymphocytes in the bloodstream of the oldest woman in the world were of a single genetic lineage - and those lymphs had short telomeres (the implication was that the other lineages of lymphs had had even shorter telomeres and had died out).

Whatever the eventual solution to longevity is, 'nice long telomeres' will be part of it.

Jan

Thanks Jan. I think I was getting telomeres and telomerase confused. Because having long telomeres typically means better longevity, I think?

Hello Maritimus

It more like feeling out an idea. I have several novels started on paper and a few lounging around in my head. This concept would likely be a sub-plot or an interesting quip to support the mail storyline. While I can think of several stories where Genetic editing could be the central focus at present its just a matter of supportive interest.

All of my works are 100% all in. Anything less would be uncivilized. :)

Hallow AJAshinoff,

I would suggest that you ignore others' opinions. You will just end up confused.

You are contemplating a novel. A work of art. Poor all of yourself into it and only then will it equate the best you are capable of producing.

Just an opinion.

thats already here to a limited degree...designer children (UK I think)

Niven and Barnes' "Saturn's Race" touches on this idea, but there's a lot more that can be said about it.

I find it quite interesting that the one group that actually tried to breed "better" humans -- the Nazis -- didn't even try for any characteristics that would actually make people "better" in any of the ways I'd think of trying it (say, greater strength, or endurance, or being faster on the draw with a weapon, or resistance to damage, or higher intelligence, or ability to concentrate, or just to eliminate the known inherited diseases). They only bred for their preferred racial appearance, which would have accomplished nothing worthwhile even if they had lasted long enough for their breeding program to produce results (perish the thought).

I foresee in a few years that humans will be able to tinker with the genes of their children (Heinlein's "Beyond This Horizon"). And like Heinlein I expect they will use the ability, if at all, to give them more sensible advantages like the ones in parentheses above.

Lots of potential, including: what if those *aren't* the "defects"?

I have. :) Roark didn't have my wife..

If you have cancer, then this may be pertinent. Most cancers are telomerase positive (so that their cells are 'immortal'). Thus, taking Vit D can be associated with decrease in the proliferation of cancer cells.

If this is of personal interest to you or someone you know, there is a lot of info on the internet about it. (I do not want to act as if I know what you should do in response to a medical problem - I am not a doctor. But you can narrow or broaden your search according to the conditions that apply.)

Jan

Wonderful series. My father remembered it being serialized in Astounding when he was a kid...must have been back in 1922. He told me that the serialized version did not have the backstory of the Eich council etc in it. So you did not know what was being planned and it was more of a SF mystery.

Jan

Read The Fountainhead.

Just testing the waters. In the end I'll do what I want anyway, its why I write. Even so, if it was considered too egregious I wouldn't want to lose what audience I have. Building a fan base one has to be careful, but not too careful.

Vit D is an antagonist to telomerase? Is that a good thing, because I've read that low levels of D are linked to many diseases?

Same here. Love the banter between Monk and Ham. I often wonder if his team became the foundation for real superhero groups like the Fantastic Four, etc., since I'm pretty sure this stuff predates anything to come from Stan Lee, etc.

Yeah, got his Doc Savage series mixed up with his last name. Got excited (it is a great sci-fi series, but finding the actual novels is really hard) and clicked Reply before checking my work.

Thanks for the correction.

Have you read the Zecharia Sitchin books too? ;)

Very interesting premise!