It’s time for us to do another upgrade on Greypath’s content management system (CMS). We hope it will cut in, on or about the end of May.

This will make site management much easier for us.

As mentioned in an earlier editorial, we are moving to Greypath ‘Lite’.

Our forums and competitions will not be affected  though and will form the core of the new site. There will be no change to the usual way you access the site.

It seems to me that, with the accelerating medical developments, especially due to our understanding of cellular behavior, no-one knows what longevity we will soon enjoy. Since 1900 we have been getting, on average, 1 extra year for every 5 lived. That figure may soon become outdated.

This will have profound implications for our descendents, and some for us too, as the age support cost burden may increase.

Most arguments I read, take no note of the increasingly better health of seniors;  they only extend the current costs of ageing, as a crisis number to be coped with, as if the number of us is the only criteria, not the wonderful rapidly emerging cures and more.

That said, I do think we need to work longer and therefore retire at a later age.

65 was the figure selected by the Germans around 1900 when they are purported to have introduced the worlds first age pension, as hardly anyone made such advanced age!

I was thinking that this brave new world doesn’t quite suit me.

Soon we will have more of our brain power resources in those various  hand held things  than in our heads. People on my morning train are now 70% away in la la land with their headsets on. Empathy for others has to be declining.

The young struggle to meet partners so have to go on line for a computer programme to match them up.

Catastrophes and dramas tumble out of my big screen TV each night making me think the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Mary Poppins is no longer news - it has to be city stabbings, nuclear catastrophes or major graft.

Important stuff, but well out of balance with the good new stories that don’t make it anymore.

Information comes in staccato bites with no depth or qualification. The young are losing the ability to write in long hand. It’s nearly all twitter bits and more via keyboards these days. People don’t drop by or send a thank you note.

Young families are losing their sense of job security and the reasonable  possibility of home ownership, as we export jobs.

Maybe I’m just having a bad hair day!

Folks, we are making some changes to Greypath to simplify its daily administrative demands and will concentrate on the areas of most interest to seniors as evidenced by our hits data.

That means a few things that are of interest to some only, will soon be gone. E.g the Newsletter, all advisories other than  the computer advisory, SIG’s and more. These changes aren't substantial, but  will steadily appear on your screen.

Also we are ageing (!) and will soon be looking to handing over the Greypath baton to ensure its continuity on your behalf.

A greypather, Terry, has kindly written up a paper on collecting,  when you are not collecting, called virtual collecting.

It's a sign of these electronic times I fear,  and goes to the heart of why we collect!

How do you feel about this?

I need to look at, touch, and mostly have usability associated with what I collect. What about you?

Click here to read what Terry has to say

Well the Mayans say the world will end this year, and if you believe this, do let me know, as I have a bargain buy or two for you. Most notably the London Bridge.

Otherwise it seems we might brace ourselves for another volatile year of world drama.

Without the use of a crystal ball, we can however, forecast  upheavals continuing in the  Middle East and Africa for those long suffering people, European financial crisis flare ups,  a troubled stock exchange and pension impacts, extreme weather events, extremist fundamentalist violence, continued personnel losses in the war in Afghanistan and more Julia vs Tony nonsense .

A  repeat of 2011 I would suggest.

That said, where else would you want to be, than here in Terra Australis, way down south of the world, surrounded by oceans and with no common borders with anyone?  A place where the care of a football players crucial ligament, [described in the third person], gets more on-going coverage than an earthquake or  tsunami elsewhere else in the world!

Happy New Year to all Greypathers

Twitter, GoogleX, Facebook, Skype, Linked in, Ipad, Ipod, Iphone, Tablet, Bluetooth, Android, X Box, G Mail, apps, convergence and more, seem to litter the wordscape of the developed world now.

Does anyone have an over-arching and simple explanation of what it’s all about and where it’s all headed, for we poor seniors?

If you do, then please mail us with a comprehensible explanation and we will put  it up on line for all to consult...

  It could be a sort of modern day oracular pronouncement perhaps!

STOP PRESS. As at 19th January we now have such an explanation kindly supplied by Graham N. It can be found under the SOCIAL tab on this page

I recently had a sad request from a lonely older lady who sought to share with another, and it reminded me to consider, "How can anyone in Australia, who is entirely pension dependent, live on a single pension of $14 000 per year? $270 a week?"

Not really much point in asking that question here though as none of those people will be able to afford the internet anyway.

First and foremost we humans need food and shelter, followed by companionship, stimulation, activity and not the least, hope.

I would like people to respond here with ideas as to how our less fortunate comrades might survive and make some sort of life on such a pittance.

If anyone does have any ideas, I would be pleased to consolidate them and pass them on through our various associations.