From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: William Case Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: OT -- An extremely dumb curiosity question? Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 10:20:54 -0500 Message-ID: <1171207254.2888.39.camel@CASE> References: <87y7n8y2z4.fsf@thalassa.informatimago.com> <878xf8xlbx.fsf@thalassa.informatimago.com> <878xf4aomb.fsf@lion.rapttech.com.au> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1171207312 25495 80.91.229.12 (11 Feb 2007 15:21:52 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 15:21:52 +0000 (UTC) Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org To: Tim X Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sun Feb 11 16:21:45 2007 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1HGGWO-00012l-0f for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sun, 11 Feb 2007 16:21:44 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1HGGWN-0001ua-A2 for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sun, 11 Feb 2007 10:21:43 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1HGGW7-0001uH-SJ for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sun, 11 Feb 2007 10:21:27 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1HGGW6-0001u5-OT for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sun, 11 Feb 2007 10:21:27 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1HGGW6-0001u2-7v for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sun, 11 Feb 2007 10:21:26 -0500 Original-Received: from smtp107.rog.mail.re2.yahoo.com ([68.142.225.205]) by monty-python.gnu.org with smtp (Exim 4.52) id 1HGGW5-00044B-Uz for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sun, 11 Feb 2007 10:21:26 -0500 Original-Received: (qmail 86016 invoked from network); 11 Feb 2007 15:21:24 -0000 DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=rogers.com; h=Received:X-YMail-OSG:Subject:From:To:Cc:In-Reply-To:References:Content-Type:Date:Message-Id:Mime-Version:X-Mailer:Content-Transfer-Encoding; b=TdjIbV8q5vEcEFx5zHqsyM1F4QSU8PvJfuFVHLpQDws47be1rnq7wmqHi4E7guiR27juz+mQceQpUq7udCKcPo7VF87Qy+qVr0ipAl7/pXVTWpdRfV0aU57VnX4jLeX3Pi7c5QTw/vCYJR9selsSCCWETGoEgx0eDYgPHjQ5Af0= ; Original-Received: from unknown (HELO ?192.168.1.3?) (billlinux@rogers.com@74.104.100.126 with plain) by smtp107.rog.mail.re2.yahoo.com with SMTP; 11 Feb 2007 15:21:24 -0000 X-YMail-OSG: Cv2wavsVM1mMfiAFEAv9r_a8wONizyFolAOf5LtfXrlcc.VnfEaIo41bOcOqBOxPig-- In-Reply-To: <878xf4aomb.fsf@lion.rapttech.com.au> X-Mailer: Evolution 2.8.2.1 (2.8.2.1-3.fc6) X-detected-kernel: Genre and OS details not recognized. X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:41087 Archived-At: Hi Tim X; [big snip] > Bill, if your still reading this thread, I envy your position - I cannot wait > until I am retired and can spend time working on all these sorts of projects > for no other reason than they interest me. Unfortunately, the concerns of aging > baby boomers and increasing tax burden on those still working means the > Australian government (like many others) is tending to slowly increase the > retirement age. While I expect to have enough super to not depend on a > government pension, I can't see retirement arriving much before I'm 70! > > Tim > Yes Tim, I am still reading this. When I first tried Emacs (Xemacs), I tried many of the programs mentioned here. None of them seemed as easy or 'intuitive' as the equivalent desktop gui applications. But I have resolved to try them once again after reading what everyone has to say. As for wishing for retirement, I have learnt some things that can make life better retired or not. I had to retire for health reasons, but have had the very good fortune to see my health steadily improve over the last four years rather than deteriorate. The most important thing in retirement is to keep intellectually stimulated; but on the other had, the most important thing in life is to keep intellectually stimulated. The tools to do that are on the computer and the Internet. I have learnt more in the last four years about an endless list of subjects; that leave me excited over things that I never knew, in all kinds of fields, than I ever took time for when I was younger. Its a question of time allocation not age. As a sidebar, it doesn't have to be expensive, but create a nice, clean comfortable den or office for yourself and one for your spouse so that your surroundings make it a joy to take on long periods of concentration and so that your projects feel like your doing something workman like. Like you say you want, now I live from one self-imposed project to the next. I make sure that some of the projects are about things that I know (keeps up the self confidence and lets me run the smart-assed kids into the ground) and projects about which I have not had any previous interest or experience (keeps the juices flowing, the head working and supplies me with a huge number of Eureka! moments). But then you don't need to retire to do that. I am Canadian, but our governments position on pensions etc.is no different than the problems in Australia or anywhere else. I used to do some work in the Canadian Health Care system; the problem of the cost of healthy elderly has been coming for a long time. For example, I am 63 and I have another 20 years to go before I am elderly. In any case, there should be an international movement to get older citizens using computers, the young will naturally take care of themselves. Technology and the Internet are the perfect solution (for work or play) to healthy ageing. -- Regards Bill