One of the fun things about doing a sci-fi comic is that the research leads me into all sorts of weird and unexpected places. Probably moreso than any other author, I find a lot of my ideas for Neptune's posthuman society tend to overlap with the ideas of computer scientist and author Ray Kurzweil. He's a very interesting guy.
Kurzweil is a big believer in the Technological Singularity – also known as the Nerd Rapture – a point at which artificial intelligence dramatically surpasses human intelligence to the point where advanced A.I.s are able to self improve and create exponentially smarter A.I.s with near-godlike problem solving capabilities. The post-Singularity world, he predicts, will be a time of endless surplus and eternal life for those humans lucky enough to be alive at the time.
Sounds neat and all, but… how does that help any of us? I mean, that's gotta be a hundred years in the future, at least so we're all S.O.L., right? Right? Well, Kurzweil's not so sure about that. Kurzweil is an advocate for trying to prolong your life as long as possible, just in case you manage to squeak by into the Singularity's ground floor. It's not an entirely crazy idea when you think about it. People alive today live about seventy to eighty some years on average. People just now being born will probably live mostly into their nineties. But ninety years from now – in the year 2106 – imagine what kind of life-extending technologies will be available for our lucky nonagenarians… maybe they can upgrade to some shiny new 3d printed stem cell organs and such, and tack on another thirty years? And thirty years from then, medical technology could do even more… and jeez, what about those lucky bastards just getting born at that time? How long are those freaks gonna keep on ticking?!
So he's not entirely crazy. In fact, Kurzweil optimistically predicts that anyone alive 34 years from now has a good shot at catching the Singularity Train when it rolls into town. So how does he plan to extend his life until the Singularity comes? Well, among other things, he takes over 250 vitamins and supplements every single day. Here's a list of some of them he provides in his book Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever…
For antioxidation and general health Comprehensive multi-vitamin, Coenzyme Q10, Grapeseed extract, Resveratrol, Bilberry extract, Lycopene Silymarine, Linoleic acid, Lecithin, n-acetyl-cysteine, Garlic, l-carnitine, Pyrodoxal 5 phosphate, Echinacea, B12 shots
For LDL and HDL levels Policosanol, Gugulipid, Plant sterols, Niacin, Oat bran, Grapefruit powder, Psyllium, Lecithine, Lipitor
For blood vessel health Arginine, TMG, Choline
To lower blood viscosity Aspirin, Lumbrokinase
To reduce inflammation EPA/DHA, Curcumin
To reduce homocystein levels Folic acid, B6
For detoxification EDTA, DMPS
For the liver Intravenous glutathione
For cell membranes Intravenous phosphatidylcholine
For testosterone levels PtC, DHEA, Testosterone, l-3-C, Chrysin, Nettle, Ginger
For prostate health Saw palmetto complex
For stress l-theanine, Beta-sitosterol, Phosphatidylserine, Green tea extract
For brain health GABA, Melatonin, Glycerylphosphatidylcholine, Nextrutine, Quercetin
For eye health Lutein, Bilberry extract
For skin health Antioxidant skin creams
For digestion Betaine HCL, Pepsin, Gentian root, Peppermint, Acidophilus bifodobacter, Fructooligosaccharides, Fish proteins, l-glutamine, n-acetyl-d-glucosamine
To inhibit glycolsylated end products n-acetyl-carnitine, Carnosine, Quercetin, Alpha lipoic acid
And you thought you were taking all your essential vitamins and supplements!
You were not taking all your essential vitamins and supplements. You were playin'. Like a little punk.
That's 74 of the 250 supplements he takes, but it should be enough to get you started. That's your shopping list for the day. Now off to the pharmacy you go!
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