GammaGlobulin

Maybe it is true what is often said: What goes around comes around.

As always, such a stickler for detail. And, IMHO, it's good to be a stickler. (Your visual memory is still not too shabby.)

I have noticed quite a bit of visual memory loss as I age. Visual memory is so key for reading comprehension, and even for recognition and discrimination of icons on a computer screen. Visual memory is critical to all linguistic tasks, and even for using a computer quickly and efficiently. It takes me longer to search through text for what I am seeking, for example. Visual memory decline is a fundamental part of the aging process, as we all know. By visual memory loss, I am talking about the natural effects of aging: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3557412/#:~:text=Results showed that VWM changes,8 and 9 year olds.

Harking back, once again, to the OP: Concerning this idea of decline in linguistic ability as influenced by the aging process, I have, throughout my life, with no factiousness intended, been in search of the perfect paragraph, both in academic writing as well as in the popular English prose written by authors published between the years 1748 (Fanny Hill), 1749 (The History of Tom Jones), and the year 2010 (Philip Roth's novel, Nemesis). My writing abilities, laughable as they may be, have waxed and waned throughout my writing career, and I experienced a resurgence in meager writing ability most recently during a brief few years when I agreed to edit theses, for free, in exchange for the opportunity to save what was left of my mind. These days, I am convinced that the only thing that might help me to forestall more-rapid memory loss and diminishing cognitive function is to do another thesis edit. However, I also realize that my capacity to sit typing for many hours each day is not what it once was. And, engaging in thesis editing usually cannot be done in a piecemeal way; once you begin, there is absolutely no rest for the weary. It's a long process, simply because you are always presented with an unfinished manuscript. You begin on chapters one, two, and maybe chapter three. Then, you must wait for chapter four, five and six. Then you carefully edit four and five. And then you must RE-EDIT chapters two and three, after the student has totally rearranged everything, and added new material. And then you begin editing the conclusion to this mess, chapter six. And then you are asked to re-edit all chapters, about 150 pages. And then the student submits her thesis for defense. And then after many comments, the student will add and subtract great gobs of text and extraneous ideas, sprinkled throughout the entire thesis. And then, FINALLY, you are allowed to RE-EDIT the entire thesis before publication, the deadline-date of which has already passed. And so, this becomes a most hair-raising enterprise for any editor of worth. This is why I will never do another edit of this kind. But still, editing is such good medicine that I would like to, maybe, edit just one paragraph a month. Unfortunately, as I have stated, such opportunities are scarce. You gotta be in it for the long haul, or nothing. There is no pill like an ESL-authored MA thesis in the Social Sciences, for retarding the aging process, is my opinion. And I feel such great nostalgia for the days I was emotionally up to the challenge. Maybe I am becoming too lazy for my own good.

Regarding the vlogger you commented on here, I TOTALLY agree with your assessment of this vlog. He and his content is DEFINITELY not for me, and he lacks the humility required for his job, in my opinion.

I am very picky about the vloggers on UTUBE I spend time watching. However, recently, I have found a UTUBE Dude whose hitchhiking vlogs I find more than refreshing. A very few vlogs remind me of my youth, are informative, and are entertaining. Here is just one short sample of one vlog I recently came across: Note: This vlogger dude is ANYTHING BUT shallow, in reply to the Originally Posted question above... Note2: I just sincerely hope he remains SAFE and SOUND during his unconventional travels around Thailand.

Please let me clarify my remark: When I say "more like you", I mean "civil in discourse, and respectful of others", in case you were in doubt. Regards, Gamma

You are correct. I am trying to be more like you, even if you have not yet mentioned it. Regards, Gamma

Actually, I am using the word externality in its literal sense to describe engaging in behavior which can likely lead to risk while knowing that one will never need to shoulder the burden of such risk. An example might be the petroleum companies of today. The risk is global warming. However, who shall be burdened by this risk? The oil companies will take the immediate profits, today. And, the majority of the risk, which is an uninhabitable world, will be born by our children and our grandchildren. This is just one example of an externality. BUT, I am referring to the externality involved with my being born. My parents did not consider the risk of such a risky proposition, and too few parents do. My parent, probably mostly my mother, wanted only to see the benefits for her. She rarely, if ever, considered the many risks involved. And, these risks are born, mostly, by our children. Farm families, for example, tend to have larger families so that they can have little slaves to work on the farm. The children always bear the burden of most of the risk in being born, and NOT the parents. Therefore, I consider my birth to be a perfect example of an externality, and I do not like externalities. NOTE: As I mentioned previously, EXTERNALITY is a word that I never can remember, even if I might have used the word twice yesterday. I must have some sort of mental block about this word. Maybe there is something Freudian going on, and, in fact, this mental block concerning this single word has nothing to do with age.

Compos mentis is a word my mother loved to use, beginning back in the 1930s, even though I believe neither she nor anyone in our family, with the exception of one (not I), my brother, was fully sane, if there is such a state.

Speaking of aging and marbles: My grandfather kicked off at 95, my aunt is still alive at over 100, my father died at 93, all with all their marbles. My mother died at 94 with some form of dementia setting in during her late 80s. But then, just because one has all their marbles does not mean that one is not crazy. You must realize, by now, that we are all crazy.

I am not here offering my opinion about Campbell. I am only mentioning that I find various studies involving intake of vitamin D3 to be interesting. Then, one draws one's own conclusions. Maybe, too, Campbell has sometimes been confused by his reliance on metastudies/meta-analyses.

I do agree. Also, I maintain that turning 150 pages of jabberwocky-gibberish, usually found in an ESL-authored MA thesis, into perfectly written paragraphs is even more of a mental exercise than learning passa Thai, which is a piece of cake by comparison. Or, maybe, doing both would be best.

Is it possible that regular administration of vitamin D3 might be beneficial in slowing the advance of cognitive decline, as well as memory-loss related diminished linguistic abilities? One of the most recently-famous UTUBE personalities, a proponent of the benefits of D3, speaks to us again. Thailand is a very sunny place. However, most people stay indoors. And, when they venture out into the hot sun, they wear protective clothing which limits exposure to vitamin-D producing UVB radiation. Some studies show that, even in Thailand, a significant number of the population may have reduced vitamin D serum levels. Please google these studies at your leisure. Personally, since the virus first visited most of the world, I have been ingesting a conservative daily dose of vitamin D3. But, maybe that's just me. I don't go out in the noonday sun, much, à la Kipling. So, I figure a vitamin D3 supplement cannot hurt. And, to counteract any resultant bone loss, I take a bit of K2, as well. I never take megadoses of anything. I have done a bit of research on vitamin D3, and I like what I have read But, that's just me. I am no vitamin supplement freak. However, multivitamins, such as Centrum Silver (not the formula by this name offered in Thailand, I think) seems to be OK. And, I add one Centrum pill, which is quite large, and not so easy to swallow, though not as big as a horse pill. For me, I see no downside to this low-cost regimen. So far, my memory has only deteriorated slightly during the past three years of lockdowns and self-imposed isolation. I will continue to read more about the affects of D3 in future published research. I find this research interesting.

Thank you for the suggestion, and I am downloading this film at over 50 Mbps, at this very moment. I like films about genius, and about young people who have not yet stood the test of time, and who can still enjoy their 15 minutes of fame, minds relatively intact. Please Note: George Kennedy looked a bit better, and less the worse for wear, in the film Cool Hand Luke. Please ALSO Note: In the film, Cool Hand Luke, they all suffered a Failure to Communicate... Which is, of course, the topic of this OP.

Yes. Agree. It's all about the "experience", and capturing the experience on video, and then sharing the experience on social media. This is the new currency of social status. Probably, they see housing as less important because they don't expect the world to last that long, anyway, what with Global Warming, Nuclear Winter, and AI-Armageddon. Sexual Partners? This hasn't changed much since the 1960s. Remember the Key Parties, and such? There is more miscegenation, however, it seems, which they consider great progress.

Rather than buying unproven treatments aimed at preventing cognitive decline, initially, I would prefer to just know the rate of my decline, and to be able to prognosticate some sort of endpoint for complete cognitive collapse, such as entering into a semi-advanced stage of dementia. I am not the prez, and so I have no need to memorize the Gold Codes. However, if I could gauge the rate of decline, and thereby predict the time of onset of significant cognitive dysfunction, then I could better plan the rest of my life much more productively. I just want to know when, if there will be a when. I feel no need to reverse the final outcome.

septuagenarian

I only referred to Trump, who famously and publicly bragged about the "cognitive-function test" he took, a few years ago, to prove the point that we need a better test for all American leaders...BEFORE...we go to the polls....Trump, Biden, etc., should all be thoroughly tested. Reagan should have been tested, for that matter. And, I, too, should be tested, even if I do not plan to run in 2024. We probably ALL should be tested, just for our own peace of mind, and maybe even for the possibility of treatment. But then, nobody ever wants to talk about their losing their minds...except..maybe, for people like me.

I think everybody here already knows my age; it's common knowledge. Periodic testing using a more detailed test, such as the Wechsler, can be useful. The test taken by Trump is a joke of a test, some say. Certainly, we should offer such testing for free to US presidents, and all congressmembers. Some of these guys, especially the prez, is living beyond my present year. This is also what keeps me up at night. What assurance do we have that he can even recall the nuclear codes in an emergency. It's always best to test first, and elect afterwards...There is too much to lose if we do not.

If you want to be super polite, and in Traditional Chinese: 我愛您

How many of us would wish to establish the rate of decline of our verbal memory? Of course, most of us would rather know than not know, maybe hoping that we might modify our behavior in order to slow the decline. But then, should we not first take some test, now, in order to establish a baseline? And then, periodically, we could re-test, and just see if we are declining as fast as we might fear? What test might be useful? I am toying with the idea of taking The Logical Memory (LM) subtest. This is the most frequently administered subtest in the Wechsler Memory Scale, the 4th edition (WMS-IV). I, like you, have taken the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) several times after reaching puberty, or almost puberty, as I first took this test when I was eleven, and I was sort of in the middle of becoming fully pubescent. But, as far as I know, this Logical Memory (LM) subtest might just be the ticket, for me. If you want a short blurb about this Memory Scale, then here is a link at ScienceDirect: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/nursing-and-health-professions/wechsler-memory-scale (This article is from 2010, but I guess it's still fairly valid, today.) My only question, now that I have decided to establish my baseline, is....WHERE can I have this test administered reliably in my city, in Thailand? I am now in the city overlooked by Doi Suthep. It's good, too, 'cause....tests like this are far cheaper to pay for here in Thailand, than if I were getting the same test in Manhattan, I would imagine. My unbiased belief is that I am declining far more slowly than I would have expected. Definitely, it would be a plus to take this test now, for baseline purposes, because...I really doubt that I will be able to score higher in coming years. So...yes...I will take this Wechsler Memory Scale, 4th edition, first chance I have. I have nothing to lose, and much to gain, through further insight into my aging process. Aging is normal, but it sometimes feels to me...abnormal. Not sure if you feel as I.

You are correct: The linguistic term, I guess, for mixing up languages is.... INTERFERENCE In other words, there is interference experienced by the learner when learning and speaking more than two languages. If one's native language is English, and one is using an L2 and an L3 that one has learned, then there is often interference experienced between L2 and L3, so that, for example, when speaking Thai, often one's generated utterances will include both Chinese and Thai. This is often annoying to the utterer, and most confusing to the listener. For the listener, it sometimes seems as if the utterer is almost speaking in tongues. How best to avoid this problem of interference between L2 and L3 is a mystery to me.

In the Original Post, I asked the question: "What's to be Done?" And unlike in a minority of my other topics, I am trying to rigidly adhere to the original question. And so, I have another warning for you old guys who are wannabe editors. Give a consideration to the joints and muscles in your hands, because, you just might exacerbate any existing symptoms of arthritis that you are experiencing during long typing sessions. I type about 65 words per minute on a good day. However, after 12 hours of solid typing for weeks on end, either my fingers become more limber, or they begin to ache. Sometimes, I even experience shooting pains in my thumbs, although I have never been stricken with carpal tunnel syndrome. Therefore, one must be confident that one's hands can go the distance, pounding away, day after day. The student is, during the thesis writing process, full of anxiety, and you must also help her to stay relatively calm in an encouraging and supportive way. You become even more important than her thesis advisor, IMHO. Obviously, so much can go wrong for the conscientious editor. And this remedy for our aging brains is a medicine only accessible to a very few of us. Still, it's worth it if one is confident in one's abilities. I have done over five full edits, and I have always sworn that the most recent edit has been my last. I now believe that my editing days are behind me. But you might be a more resilient editor than I, and you might be in need of some stimulation, especially if you are a high-sensation seeker. Good luck if you are among the willing.

A word of caution to readers here who might now be considering donating their time to helping an ESL-author edit her MA thesis for the purpose of slowing one's inevitable progress toward linguistic and cognitive decline: Helping an MA student in this final challenge of her degree is not a joking matter. You have her academic life in your hands, and you are the surgeon offering victory or doom. You absolutely CANNOT back out and change horses halfway through the race. You must see the edit through to the bitter end, like a true gunga-din, though you may die by a thousand cuts in the process. Also, even before the race begins, you will need to obtain approval from the headman of her village, the thesis advisor. This will involve showing your academic credentials in the form of a CV, or something. Therefore, it's always best to have some sort of advanced degree, like maybe an MA of your own, or even a PhD. Likewise, it's good to have experience in the students topic, and therefore one should have spent time at university studying both the Social Sciences and the Natural Sciences, maybe some Environmental Sciences, and the like. If you are the type of person who is slow to reach utter exasperation, then this is another important qualification. In my humble opinion, an MA-thesis edit is worth its weight in gold if one seeks to avert overly-rapid waning in the "brain department". But, again, so crucially, one must see the project to its final conclusion, the publishing of the final chapter. Many MA students are on their way toward writing a PhD dissertation, eventually, probably within another few years. And, you can even help her with her PhD thesis, too, if you live that long....