OLD PEOPLE DRIVING

Two-and-a-half years ago, I showed you a clip from a 24-minute documentary about three oldest old people – near centenarians – driving. Here it is again:

This week the producer, Shaleece Haas, emailed to tell me one of the featured drivers, Herbert Bauer, died a few days ago at age 103. She sent this photo of the two of them together last year.

In January this year, Shaleece's grandfather Milton, another of the featured drivers in her film, turned 100. Here's a photo of him at his centennial party.

You can find out more about the Old People Driving film here.

SEND YOUR MESSAGE TO MARS

November 18 is the scheduled launch date for an unmanned Mars mission (MAVEN) to study the upper atmosphere of the planet. Here's an artist's animation of what the spacecraft will look like in orbit:

NASA is inviting the public to send their names and messages to be carried via DVD on the spacecraft, particularly messages in the form of a haiku. Every name submitted will be placed on the DVD, but only three of the haiku.

“The deadline for all submissions is July 1. An online public vote to determine the top three messages to be placed on the DVD will begin July 15.”

You can read more about the message program here. The submission page is here.

PASSWORDS ANXIETY

I know just how comedian Don Friesen feels about passwords. They drive me nuts keeping track. The wonderful Darlene Costner sent this video.

DASHCAM SAMARITANS IN RUSSIA

Two weeks ago in this Saturday column, I showed you a video of a good Samaritan stopping his car in traffic to help an old woman cross the street.

Now, I've discovered a compilation of many Russian good Samaritans caught in the act on dashcams. In fact, the one I showed you before is included near the middle of this one – and an amazingly large number of these are protective of elders. It's good to see...

EIGHT YEARS AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED

TGB Reader Cathy Johnson emailed to tell me her husband, Roger, had been laid off suddenly without notice from his job of 20 years. COBRA health coverage costs too much and Roger won't be old enough for Medicare for several months.

That happened to me – a few months without health coverage – and it's so frightening, you don't want to get out of bed for the duration for fear of injury. I wish Roger well.

Meanwhile, he hasn't lost his sense of humor. Cathy sent along this cartoon, by Wiley, her husband had saved from the Bush era in 2005. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

ALAN CUMMING AS LADY MACBETH

If the name is not familiar, perhaps you know Scottish actor, writer, singer, director, producer Alan Cumming as the host of Masterpiece Mysteries on PBS. Or maybe in his brilliantly done turn as the cunning election campaign chairman in the wonderfully written TV series, The Good Wife.

Cumming is currently starring on Broadway in MacBeth. But not just as MacBeth himself; he is playing every significant role in Shakespeare's powerful tragedy making it all but a one-man show.

Here is a short clip of Cumming as Lady MacBeth:

You can find out more about the production in The New York Times review.

”TO FIND BEAUTY AND ART IN DECAY"

My old friend Frank Paynter sent this photo of a sculpture by Charles Sherman.

Sherman explains that this piece, on display at MOCA's Urs Fisher Clay Project, is in a state of gradual decomposition. [emphasis is mine]

”When a sculpture made from clay is not kiln fired it will dry out, lose it's strength, and eventually fall apart,” says Sherman. “Unfired clay work is called green ware and as such may be recycled...

“The decomposition process in the Urs Fischer exhibition raises questions about beauty and decay, art and life.

“As we age, we look at ourselves in the mirror, see wrinkles and make an esthetic choice: Am I beautiful or am I wrinkly and ugly? The lesson in this exhibition is to find beauty and art in decay.”

TWO MONTHS ON AN ANTARCTIC ICE BREAKER

Cassandra Brooks narrates this video of a two-month voyage at the bottom of the world compressed into in less than five minutes. There's a nice little surprise for you at the end.

SEA OTTER'S ABLUTION

Here is another seagoing creature with a much more pampered life at the Lisbon Zoo having a morning scrub.

Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.

You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” in the upper left corner of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I probably won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog if you have one.