Ah, yes, I'll be careful not to over-indulge on alcohol but I'm not a fan of hot alcoholic drinks anyway, not even in winter. I've experienced few good things about growing old but one might be needing less alcohol to achieve a specific effect!
Like I just said, I've found few good things about growing old but in my role as observer-more-than-participant I'm experiencing new situations as my body ages. They're interesting if not enjoyable observations. Often something crops up that leaves me remarking to my wife "How do old people go on with....." whatever new and unwelcome change we're discussing. Then there are everyday frustrations, stuff like needing to use a smart phone to do routine banking and to accept one-time passcodes for a purchase. Or when setting either of our two PVRs the need to remember two sets of procedures and navigate very different, often-baffling menus just to schedule a recording, something that ought to be simple.
I used to be an electronics engineer and I've had a lifetime as a 'fiddler' with small things but nowadays so many items have for me become a triumph of design over practicality resulting in tiny, fiddly, slippery buttons on a remote control or on a microwave oven. Or everyday items so complex we need to keep a user manual to hand. Or jar and bottle tops so tight and slippery we can hardly get them open. Or product security seals that are not only childproof but old-fart-proof! LOL? Well, no, because we don't laugh out loud at the struggles we experience with these and other common items.
I guess such are just a few of the frustrations of getting old but today's designers need to think about those who are less able to deal with their slick but often impractical designs. More thought is now given to helping the mobility-impaired and when things are made less of a challenge for them it usually makes them easier for everyone else.
