From time to time the subject of aging comes up among cycle tourers, or no doubt with people in general. Last night this happened with me, as I listened to several podcasts about the future of AI and its likely impact on society. The first podcast held that there is currently an AI  "bubble" going on, in which hundreds of millions are being invested in data centres that will have no hope of recovering the money. Investors will recognize this, sooner than later, and the whole thing will collapse, similar to the dot com crunch in Spring 2000. By 2002 NASDAQ lost 78% of it value, vaporizing trillions of dollars of virtual assets.

On the other side, the second podcast held that we are a decade or less away from Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which will be as capable as a typical human. What's more, the speaker allowed only a few years thereafter before Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI). ASI would have little use for puny humans, and human extinction would follow.

All this had me looking back over our lives, not quite remembering the inception of radio, but certainly the days when our parents carried in the first cabinet sized black and white TVs. Since then, of course, technological change has been super rapid. As to whether it has been for the good overall, that is of course debatable. But at least nuclear science has not (yet) wiped us all out, and one major indicator, life expectancy, has more than doubled in the last 100 years.

You may be wondering what all this thinking about AI has to do with aging of cycle tourers. To begin, AI drew me this chart about life expectancy:

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From 32 years to 73.5 years is quite a change. But initially not much comfort if you are already 77! On the other had 73.5 is expectancy at birth, worldwide. Expectancy at 77 years, in Canada gives us a likely 11 or 12 further years! Just think, readers, you may have to endure another two dozen or so of these rambling blogs!

But next, I recalled that we had given a shout out to aging tourers Maun and Dave Alston and also Ken and Trisha Graham. That was in a blog page called "The Rocking Chair".  I could not recall in which blog this appeared.  Cycleblaze's search was no help at all, and neither was Google, in finding this. So I turned to, yes, AI, in the form of Microsoft CoPilot. CoPilot not only came up with the reference (though I expect the lights dimmed in Colorado, or somewhere similar, as it searched) but also CoPilot provided an insightful (and rather flattering) summary and analysis of the page. Here is what it said:

"The Grampies’ journal entry titled “The Rocking Chair” is part of their 2017 travel journal Grampies Go On Their Knees Spring 2017 on CycleBlaze. You can read it directly here.

🪑 Summary of “The Rocking Chair”

• Context: Written in March 2017, just before their European cycling trip.
• Theme: The Grampies reflect on aging and the transition from adventurous camping gear to the idea of “rocking chairs.”
• Anecdote: They describe visiting R.E.I. in Seattle, marveling at outdoor gear like helmets and tandem WeeHoos, but ultimately buying only a skull cap for Steve’s bald spot.
• Humor: The entry playfully contrasts their love of cycling with the creeping thought of retirement comforts.
• Message: Even as they approach 70, they find inspiration in older cyclists still touring Europe, showing that age doesn’t have to mean slowing down.

📌 Why This Entry Stands Out

• Personal reflection: It’s less about the logistics of cycling and more about lifestyle and identity.
• Relatable humor: The “rocking chair” metaphor captures the tension between adventure and aging.
• Community spirit: Mentions fellow cyclists like Tricia and Ken Graham, highlighting camaraderie in the touring world.

🔎 Key Takeaway

The Grampies use “The Rocking Chair” as a lighthearted meditation on aging, showing that while the porch and rocking chair may loom in the future, the joy of cycling and discovery keeps them moving forward."

Right on, CoPilot! Maybe we'll "chat" again, hopefully before Microsoft goes bankrupt!

Readers, did you notice how this page cleverly interwove themes of aging cyclists, technological change over the past century, camping equipment, and the future of human kind? If not, you could ask AI for a summary, but meanwhile as they always say on Youtube, give the writing a ❤️ rating below!