As it happens, I am in the Neurodiagnostic equipment business and am attending the American Academy of Neurology meeting in Seattle later this Spring. I think I should try and meet the authors from the Mayo clinic and lobby for a study on our fine breed!
Makes me think of that recent commercial for hulu.com starring Alec Baldwin, “TV Star” (his words). He scoffs at the idea that TV rots your brain. "I just softens it, like a ripe banana. To really go all the way, they “beam TV shows directly to your portable computing device, to watch any time.” Then tell you it is inevitable because “What are you going to do, turn off both your TV and portable computing device?” Then they can scoup out the mush with a mellon baller and gobble it up, wrapping up with the admission the he’s an alien and “that’s how they roll.”
So turn off the TV and “Portable computing devices” and BACK TO THE TRAIN ROOM!!!
I thought people learned about this from their portable computing devices[%-)]–if not this then–Oh to google with this–I don’t know what I’m talking about—back to the train room-----[swg][:-^]
So, comprehensive health care reform should include tax credits and other incentives for model railroading, right?
“Here’s a prescription. Take it to your LHS on the way home and get it filled.”
“What’s it for?”
“It’s a sound decoder. Medical research has shown that installing a sound decoder in a locomotive will significantly reduce the risk of whatever it is you’ve got.”
I wonder of 'Knitting delays Memory Loss…’ in that article translates to a model railroader trying to insert Kadee knuckle springs(or helps the eyes ‘find’ them on the floor)!
Jim Bernier - Living in ‘Mayo Clinic Land’, and working for ‘Big Blue’…
The idea that keeping the brain active, rather than passive, will delay memory loss shouldn’t be surprising. Anything that is used regularly keeps working as designed, while things that are set aside and neglected deteriorate rapidly to uselessness.
My father once told me that a person who stops learning starts dying. His continuous interest in historical research was probably a major factor in his outliving the best estimates of his doctors by 20 years - with a mind that was needle-sharp right up to his final days.
Come to think of that, we model railroaders are pretty much in that same boat…
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - and researching every detail on an ongoing basis)
I think that everyone intuitivly knows that keeping the mind active is a good thing. I think it is one of the reasons that I like this hobby so much. There are so many aspects to occupy ones mind. My Wife and I are to some extent witnessing a mini case study. Our Fathers are close in age. One spends time oscillating from the coffee shop to the TV, the other spends time in planning and executing the restoration of a classic automobile. One is fading a lot faster than the other. If nothing else, a good hobby gives a person a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
I suspect hobbies are good not only for reducing risk of memory loss for aging people, but also are good for sound mental health in general. My Dad, who was a model railroader, had a sign in his workshop saying: "It may be expensive, but it is cheaper than psychiatry. (Actually, he was not a big spender, but he liked the sign.) I find the hobby can be helpful during the rough times in life, and I sometimes will say “I am taking a sanity break” as I head for the layout rooom.
Vindication at last! Talk about studies of the obvious. [:)] Or maybe it is just obvious to hobbyists… Been telling people for the last 8 years that model railroading is part of my retirement plan. The idea is to get a layout well underway before then so I have something to do when working for a paycheck isn’t taking up so much of my time. I would rather skid sideways into the end of life instead of falling in all rusted up and creaking.
As you get older, it is best to stay active and continue doing what you like for as long as possible. The good news for us Model Railroads is we enjoy the hobby and the availability of wanted models has never been greater than today. In the past ten years, DCC has really come alive. Since the first RTR installed sound in HO came out about that time from BLI, the whole industry has jumped on the bandwagon so to speak and sounded off with new models of every type.
We now have so many choices compared to any prior time in the model train history, the only problem is deciding on which one and how to pay for them.
Yes, I realize there are many more different models that many of us still want, but we will probably see many more soon like the UP MTH 4-12-2. Who would have guessed that one?? Now for the EM1 and M4, Z5, and just to add good measure to the mix, a PRR S2.