the age of the SL user - I wonder who are the oldest ?

[Orwar]

   I'm 1/3rd of the way to 93!

[Rolig Loon]

True, Phil. There are way too many things I wish I had asked my parents, things that weren't secrets but that I  just wasn't curious about at the time. Life is filled with little things that don't seem important but define who we are. 

[Paulsian]

Hi my name is Paul, I'm over 40. Today I got bifocls; the bluryness is no more and i'm awaiting my first cologuard cancer screening (very cool). (long story short poo goes in and mail it off and screens for colon cancer totally worth asking Dr for).

My first computer 286 I was exposed to lucas arts and sierra games in my teens, (I feel like chunk from goonies now) I had a teacher ask me to write a paper about what a super computer was, went to library, that was in the 90s, could not find anything about super computer that was not a fun project, she also told me never scratch itchies with my fingernails only rub them with finger tips, and suggesed we always boil our water before we drink it and never dry body and hair with the same towl.  I never got swatted with a paddle, came close a bully told teacher I was bullying him and was not, and another teacher did not like the way I was progressing in his class and threatned me. I'm glad they got rid of that. If I would have got beat by a teacher prolly would be a different person right now. 

My first brush with second life started many many years ago, it was like the original show tales of the city about a 20 something singleton who moved to san francisco, well was only supposed to be a visit but ended up to be a spring break that lasted 3 years. That was around 2003. Family member was designing shoes and going to parties in second life while I was playing world of warcraft. I installed second life on my computer and it would not run good for me so I went back to dungeon runs. Fast forward a few years same, fast forward a few more and in Jan 2019 I saw the beauty of the starting how to jump fly area and really liked the builds and been lingering and learning ever since. 

Perhaps more and more original players from world of warcraft are coming to second life because doing dungeon runs gets borning and they always change skills and make it so complicated, it's nice not having to do anything unless we want to here. Second Life taught me exactly how World of Warcraft was created. Before I thought games just magically created themselves I guess. Never knew about mesh or scripting animating particles physics. I will never see another game the same way ever again. I learned to build stuff here. 

 

[Mystic Flower]

11 hours ago, Ingrid Ingersoll said:

Quote

What's interesting is how some people are able to manage pretty complex tech as they get older and some can't.

My mother is 79. In the mid 80's she used to teach a computer class at the community college near us. Now she can mostly find her way around on FB and uses whatsapp with her sister. But other than that she can't work a computer anymore, she gets too annoyed with it. My son tried helping her with a laptop but she gave up and returned it. I hope when I am her age I can still keep up with the latest technology!

 

 

[HelenaNavy92]

 I'm 30. I used to think that most people are 40-50, then I met a person over 70. And now I have friends who are 20-25. Which is great because it shows SL isn't dying xd. Oh, I'm active user for 2.years.I joined sl earlier but back then I was too busy with my rl. 

[Nick0678]

44 here.  Registered when 30. 

I have met friends/dated from 20 up to 65, the majority in my verified contacts is 38-52.

But the interesting thing is that i met some people i never expected to find here.

For example 4-5 painters, 1 of them well known (Wikipedia page, exhibitions, etc,)

also 1-2 doctors and 2 ladies who are very successful in real world business.

All webcam/real life verified.

[HeathcliffMontague]

On 11/5/2022 at 6:31 PM, Rolig Loon said:

My mother taught us that it's not polite to ask a woman's age

So how much do you weigh?  

(This is gonna get laughs or get me clobbered...)

[Rolig Loon]

1 hour ago, HeathcliffMontague said:

So how much do you weigh?  

(This is gonna get laughs or get me clobbered...)

Not much more than I ought to, but not necessarily in the places I would choose. 🙄

[LittleMe Jewell]

2 hours ago, HeathcliffMontague said:

So how much do you weigh?  

(This is gonna get laughs or get me clobbered...)

 

[Akane Nacht]

On 11/12/2022 at 5:42 AM, Phil Deakins said:

Quick digression here, but, imo, it's important for those of us who are in later life. Write your life story, with details of how it was back then for you. When you're gone, nobody can ask you about it.

I learned that after my mother died, and I suddenly wanted to know how her father being killed in a mining disaster affected her, but it was too late to ask, and there was nobody else from that generation to ask.

I've done it at the request of a daughter, and I add to it as I remember interesting bits. I'm not planning on leaving yet for a while, but it's all there for when I do

<end of digression>
 

Really good idea. Several members of my family were interviewed for various reasons, and when they passed on we have this oral history they left behind. It's a comfort for us who knew them, and informative for the generations to come who didn't get a chance to meet them.

[cunomar]

Part of the fun of SL for me was that nobody believed my true stories so i got to relive in the telling of it .

I now live hundreds of miles from those who were witness and my peers during those adventures were at least 10 years older than me and are dying out .

No shortage of kids who try to pass off their fathers memories as their own when i visit home though , embellished , exaggerated and outright lies most of it but i've forgotten more than i remember so i just smile and nod .

[Jaylinbridges]

There are more of us over 80 than most of you kids realize, but we don't admit it.  Age discrimination and stereotypes rule in RL and SL.

In 1961 I took a grad level math course in machine language programming from a Physics professor (there was no such thing as  Computer Science, and the electrical engineering dept was still teaching vacuum tubes and analog computers.)  The ML exams were all about solving simple problems with ones and zeros , long strings of them, and if they crashed the mainframe test system, you failed.  Been in technology since I built my first crystal radio set at age 9, from a public library book published in 1935. Not much is new for me in technology,  just refinements built on past research.  

 

Edited November 13, 2022 by Jaylinbridges

[Rolig Loon]

There's a limit to how much I can reminisce about the "old days" before anyone under the age of 40 loses interest or starts to roll her eyes. I watch as I describe paper tape readers and sense switch panels to my grandkids. They are respectful but clearly on a different planet. They find it hard to believe that there was a time when we had atomic bomb drills in school, and even that we had cloakrooms to cower in. Or that the first home I remember was a house my parents bought in the suburbs in the late 40s for under $15K. The stories I trade with people my own age are as far from their reality as my parents' stories of the 20s and 30s were for me. They are history. 

I think of this occasionally as we get into discussions here about the future of SL. Some of the features that we "old timers" value -- things that define the character of our world -- are as important to newcomers as punch cards and manual transmissions. They are history, the things that keep us logging in day after day but are curious stumbling blocks for people who grew up with Alexa and Xbox. If we aren't careful, they can divide us.  One of the nice things about our avatars' semi- anonymity, though, is that it gives us a chance to ignore the age differences among us when we choose to. It means, perhaps, that we can avoid a future that is either too trendy or too stodgy to survive another 20 years. 

Edited November 13, 2022 by Rolig Loon
Typos, of course

[Elora Lunasea]

I'm 63+, here since 2007.

When I first arrived I knew someone who was in his 70's. We've lost touch through the years, don't know if he is around anymore but if so, he'd be at least mid-80's now.

And one other, that I didn't know his age for certain but, knew enough to know he was also/is quite a bit older than I am.

Most of my SL friends that I met all those years ago via The Forum Cartel are all more or less same age as me, some slightly younger or older.

I remember one person (who I'm still in touch with out of world) celebrated her 18th birthday with us in those early years and we all had a lot of laughs over how much she didn't know that we all took for granted as being common knowledge. But age really does not matter in SL at all. It's always seemed of so little importance. I have friends of all ages here and in my RL. 

[Phil Deakins]

13 hours ago, Rolig Loon said:

It means, perhaps, that we can avoid a future that is either too trendy or too stodgy to survive another 20 years. 

The future isn't what it used to be 

Edited November 14, 2022 by Phil Deakins

[SlammedSam]

One time, I got to talking with a friend. And somewhere along the line, it turned out she was a good number of years older than I. My response to this was: "That's awesome! Age is a number, and that means that you have that many more cool stories to tell!"

[Krystina Ferraris]

On 11/11/2022 at 9:51 PM, Orwar said:

   I'm 1/3rd of the way to 93!

I’m with you @Orwar! 👵👴

[Katherine Heartsong]

On 11/11/2022 at 4:42 PM, Phil Deakins said:

Quick digression here, but, imo, it's important for those of us who are in later life. Write your life story, with details of how it was back then for you. When you're gone, nobody can ask you about it.

I learned that after my mother died, and I suddenly wanted to know how her father being killed in a mining disaster affected her, but it was too late to ask, and there was nobody else from that generation to ask.

I've done it at the request of a daughter, and I add to it as I remember interesting bits. I'm not planning on leaving yet for a while, but it's all there for when I do

<end of digression>
 

This is a great idea, btw. My late father in law never fully explained his exploits in WW2 to me (even though I'm a keen WW2 history buff) and I failed to ask some critical questions, though he was understandably reluctant to talk about certain parts of the war. The records of his medal of heroism are now lost, and no one to turn to for the full details. My own father (86) signed in MLB back in the late 50s and I am getting him to write all his experiences down, and he's gone at it full tilt, thankfully. Writing down his life story with gusto. But never too early to start writing down memories.

Edited November 14, 2022 by Katherine Heartsong

[Phil Deakins]

23 hours ago, Katherine Heartsong said:

My own father (86) signed in MLB back in the late 50s and I am getting him to write all his experiences down, and he's gone at it full tilt, thankfully. Writing down his life story with gusto. But never too early to start writing down memories.

Absolutely never too early to start writing it down.

It's not just letting the children know how we lived, and what we did. It's for the grandchildren, and beyond, too.

When I was a boy, only one person in the community had a TV, and I was forced to watch the king's funeral and the queen's coronation on it, along with a room full of neighbours. Bored silly lol. My father had died, so I got a free set of clothes and boots every year. That's part of how I lived that my children would never have imagined and, imo, it's interesting for them. It's the sort of thing I would like to know about my parents.

It's brilliant that your father is writing it all down for you

 

[Qie Niangao]

5 hours ago, Phil Deakins said:

letting the children know how we lived

 

[Ags Falconer]

On 11/6/2022 at 2:24 PM, Rolig Loon said:

Nothing will make you feel quite as old as remembering all the computers you have left behind over the years.  My first was an Apple IIe also. I bought it in the early 80s (82?) when my daughter was still in diapers. I've gone through a garbage pile of IBM, Dell, Gateway, and Acer machines since then and have upgraded the homebuilt desktop I use today continually since 2007. 

First computer game I played was Zork. On my 1st pc--a dual floppy CPM PC.

[Phil Deakins]

On 11/6/2022 at 7:24 PM, Rolig Loon said:

Nothing will make you feel quite as old as remembering all the computers you have left behind over the years.  My first was an Apple IIe also. I bought it in the early 80s (82?) when my daughter was still in diapers. I've gone through a garbage pile of IBM, Dell, Gateway, and Acer machines since then and have upgraded the homebuilt desktop I use today continually since 2007.

That predates my first computer, which was an Oric-1 in the mid 80s. I didn't play games on it though. I bought it to learn programming. After that, it was various PCs until a couple of months ago when I changed almost completely to a Raspberry Pi. 'Almost' because I still have to use the tower PC when I need a full viewer running, but that's not often and mostly only for a few minutes.

I beg to differ with this statement...

On 11/6/2022 at 7:24 PM, Rolig Loon said:

Nothing will make you feel quite as old as remembering all the computers you have left behind over the years. 

Remembering watching the king's funeral (1952) live on TV must make me feel older than what you feel with computers .

[Rolig Loon]

6 hours ago, Phil Deakins said:

Remembering watching the king's funeral (1952) live on TV must make me feel older than what you feel with computers .

True.  We didn't have a TV until 1957, so I missed that. I was in kindergarten at the time, too, and not terribly aware of worldly things. 

[Jinx Lavarock]

How my 25 year old ass looks popping in here to make a dumb joke

 

Jokes aside that's interesting so many of y'all are older. Explains some things about how sl works which makes it honestly more unique than places like imvu

Edited November 16, 2022 by Jinx Lavarock

[tingelater]

On 11/10/2022 at 6:32 AM, Mystic Flower said:

I have a few avatars I have made over the years. Recently I decided to make this one look 'old' as nearly every time i log in someone comments on how old I am lol. So why not make her look old.   I have my other avatars that look young and beautiful, that's easy to do. This look was more challenging. 

My avatar has mature age just like me  -  i'm born in the start of 1969 so it makes me 50+ and my avatar looks  kinda like my RL me ... my RL hair is a bit grayer than the avi and but i still haven't found a SL hair that looks like my RL hair ...

 

back to my original post  .... do we know of OTHER  very mature SL-residents or is my friend who will turn 90 years   THE oldest resident in all of sl ?    *grin*