Projects Archives - My New Old Self

Unfollowers? Lucky I’m Too Old to have any!

May

7

2015

When I see the word “Unfollow” I immediately think: LITO! Perhaps you’ll recall the internet slang-style acronym My New Old Self coined for those situations where it’s actually better not to be young: LITO, meaning Lucky I’m Too Old. I enjoy finding opportunities to use LITO, if only to mutter it under my breath with ...

Baby Boomers vs their grown-up babies

Apr

23

2015

We are all foreigners somewhere. Here you are part of us, but over there you would be one of them. Somewhere, some day you may be a foreigner. Then you could be a victim of xenophobia. Ageism is unlike any other ism or phobia. You could avoid xenophobia by never leaving your homeland (although poverty ...

Still in the CD past – like a stuck record 1

Apr

10

2015

I remember a day in the 80s when a friend proudly unveiled his new music system. We were still listening to cassettes but he had switched to the latest format. You had to buy new equipment to play those shiny disks, but prices came down and soon we were all listening to CDs. I don’t ...

Device overload? LITO! 1

Mar

11

2015

Here’s an opportunity to use my new acronym for those aging in the digital age: LITO, for Lucky I’m Too Old. There is growing evidence linking overuse of digital devices to memory loss and depression in later life. My response? LITO! Lucky I’m Too Old to worry about things that may happen decades hence. Lucky ...

Call me a Luddite but I choose paper 1

Feb

3

2015

My New Old Self was so pleased to receive this response to the recent post on “Paper vs Digital Calendars” – and even more pleased that Fiona Adams was happy for her comments to be posted here. People in my life who are far more IT-savvy than me have often tried to persuade me switch ...

Top Tech Tips 4 Older People 1

Jan

29

2015

It sounds like a Haiku poem but this is the name of a new research institute on aging (or ageing, as they spell it outside of North America): “Aging Gracefully Across Environments Using Technology to Support Wellness, Engagement and Long Life”. It made me think of all the euphemisms one hears in reference to aging. For ...

What to do (more and less of) in 2015 2

Dec

30

2014

I figured out a few things in 2014 about how to improve life as I get older, which I aim to implement this year. So here are some suggested New Year’s Resolutions for older people: a list of what to do (more and less of) in 2015. Talk more, text less We don’t talk as much as we ...

Older is better to avoid internet dangers

Dec

10

2014

Check out this video on the down side of the net from philosopher Alain de Botton and art curator Sophie Howarth’s School of Life – and see how much older people are doing right. We’re better than young people at doing a lot of the things recommended here to keep a balance between our online ...

LITO: Lucky I’m Too Old 1

Dec

3

2014

This is the first in an occasional series, LITO: Lucky I’m Too Old. (Yes, it is written in the dreaded “listicle” format, a list posing as an article, which has been proven to hook readers. I trust it’s working.) You may have noticed that internet and phone slang relies heavily on acronyms, the most common one ...

To Do and Not To Do: The Non-Bucket List 4

Oct

7

2014

I am proposing an alternative to the Bucket List. You know those lists people make of things they dream of doing before they “kick the bucket”. A term popularized by a mediocre 2007 movie showcasing aging stars Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, the Bucket List has come in for criticism of late. It partakes of ...