While in Cambridge to teach an MIT Aero/Astro class, I got together with some old friends who are, in some cases, also fairly old. One was born in 1940 and, therefore, is 85 years old. He’s on Mounjaro (Ozempic, basically, I think). “I’ve lost 40 pounds and went off two blood pressure meds. My A1c is back to normal and my sleep apnea went away.”
What else isn’t he too old for? Coding with AI. He likes to shoot air rifles and, despite minimal tech background, used vibe coding to generate 20,000 lines of code to process data from a wind/weather sensor. “I uploaded a photo of the circuit board and the AI said ‘I understand what this board is doing’ and told me where to solder.” (not sure why he had to modify the hardware, but I guess he did)
He’s reasonably rich and wants to move to Florida, at least on the 183 days/year plan, but his wife refuses to leave Maskachusetts.
20,000 lines of what to do what? Assembly language to convert the sensor data into artificial meat? Does anyone vibe code anything more than what a typical search result on github produces?
> 20,000 lines of what to do what? Assembly language to convert the sensor data into artificial meat?
Exactly right. Also what is the Mounjaro prescribed for? Diabetes or just weight loss?
This seems like quick-fix syndrome which Americans are so fond of. Many boards are already supported by open source — a lot of what he is doing has probably been published by a human. Learning to code and read circuit diagrams would be better for his brain health than some AI crutch. Learning and puzzle-solving are known to delay dementia in older people. AI is also thought to atrophy the brain.
And of course a preventative healthy diet and exercise regimen is better for the body and brain then a taking monoculture pharmaceutical after gaining a lot of weight or developing type 2 diabetes. “Science” to the rescue, bah, more like Marketing.
lion: That’s a great question. It was a dinner with two other guys, though, so I didn’t think I could dig too deep into the computer nerdism questions.
> He’s on Mounjaro (Ozempic, basically, I think)
Mounjaro is the brand name for tirzepatide and is manufactured by Eli Lilly (Indianapolis), while Ozempic is the brand name for semaglutide and is manufactured by Novo Nordisk (Denmark). How similar the drugs are is unknown by me but they are distinct
SN: Everything on the market is Ozempic, a copy of Ozempic, or a tweak to Ozempic, I think. Mounjaro has one extra function, according to Dr. ChatGPT: “Dual-acting: mimics both GLP-1 and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide).”
@philg
I only mentioned this because Wegovy and Rybelsus are actual rebrandings of Ozempic, albeit with slightly different doses and on-label uses
“He’s reasonably rich and wants to move to Florida, at least on the 183 days/year plan, but his wife refuses to leave Maskachusetts.”
Two birds, one stone?