Sessions at SXSW Interactive 2012 about Aging

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Monday 12th March 2012

• How to Live Forever

  by Laura Deming

  It’s been decades since we first made an organism live longer. What have we done in the interim, and how does it affect you? Can we slow human aging? Covering everything from the secrets of the centenarians to hacked lungs and livers, this talk will illustrate how we plan to tweak genes and engineer tissues to extend the human healthspan. Laura Deming, Thiel Fellow with the 20under20 program, stopped out of college to start commercializing anti-aging research. Find out why the science is exciting enough to take the leap.

  • Aging
  • Genetics
  • organism
  • Science

  At 3:45pm to 4:00pm, Monday 12th March

  In Room 10AB, Austin Convention Center

• A Bigger World: The Dreams of Youth Realized

  by Benjamin Yu

  There is more opportunity today than at every point in the past combined. As technology and innovation drive us forward, the scope of human potential increases exponentially. But the amount of time we have to experience such opportunities stays constant. And that's the heart of the dilemma - as the world becomes more expansive, we're forced to keyhole ourselves ever more into narrower and narrower domains. I don't think that's right. My dream is for everyone in the world to be able to experience as much or as little of it as they desire. There are two ways to do this: increase the amount of time we have, and increase the amount we can do in the time we have. And so those are the two first life goals I'd like to present to everyone here: longevity and cognitive augmentation. Solving these two problems opens the gate to everything else. This is the leap humanity has been waiting for to take us to the next stage in our evolution. So how do we do it? We don't have all the answers, but we know the problems, and we know that they're solvable. Physical aging is 100% biological just like any other disease (and really - it is a disease. "Age-related" diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, heart-disease, and more are all better seen as "symptoms" of the over-arching disease of aging which is the true cause of our ailments). And as such, we can cure it just like any other disease. There are numerous promising leads as expounded on in the stellar exposition "Ending Aging" by leading biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey. The problem is - we're not going to be able to tackle any of them at the level of intensity we should without mainstream support. Not only is funding critical, but so is widespread acceptance. Drugs that treat aging won't even be approved by the FDA as aging isn't recognized as a disease. The same is true for cognitive augmentation. Until we come to terms with the possibility of a technological singularity, we won’t be able to prepare for it to the extent that we need to. And so now is the time to begin our movement. If we truly want to live in a world where freedom of all opportunity is extended to everyone, this is where we start. Come hear the talk and connect with likeminded dreamers!

  • Aging

  At 4:00pm to 4:15pm, Monday 12th March

  In Room 10AB, Austin Convention Center

Tuesday 13th March 2012

• Transforming Social Media for the Senior Community

  by Brian Lang

  Today 40 million people are over 65 - the largest and fastest growing demographic in America. With Baby Boomers retiring, over 10,000 people a day turn 65, a trend that will continue over the next decade. Americans age 50+ are increasingly likely to have a cell phone, a laptop or tablet, or a game console, and represent the fastest growing age segment to adopt to social networking and hypernet technology. What’s the opportunity? A connected lifestyle that blurs boundaries across home, work, leisure, and retirement, smoothly connecting our online and offline lives. Unfortunately, this tech-enabled lifestyle is not yet widespread among older age ranges, hampered by technology choices that are complex and difficult to use. To enable a connected living and social aging experience for older consumers, vendors need to begin to design for all, and entrepreneurs and the venture community need a more dynamic relationship with this huge and underserved growth market.

  • Aging
  • Social Media

  At 9:30am to 10:30am, Tuesday 13th March

  In Capital Ballroom, Omni Downtown

  Coverage audio clip