Book Review: Super You

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Full disclosure:  I met Andy Walker and Sean Carruthers a long time ago at one the first podcast conventions.  It was an absolute pleasure.  They even treated me to lunch.  Andy sent me a copy of this book himself.  Having said all that my review of this book is my own.

Who should read this book?  As the authors themselves say “…there’s a good chance you’re interested in ways to use science to make life better for yourself and your offspring…”

The authors of Super You are Andy Walker, known technology journalist, tv and radio personality, and podcaster.  You may know him from Call for Help, a tech television show he starred on with Leo Laporte.  Andy writes this book with co-authors Kay Walker, his wife and Sean Carruthers, a long-time friend, and partner in many of his endeavors.

I enjoyed watching their many videos on youtube and listening to their podcast.  Even watching their tv shows back when ZDTV or TechTV was still a channel.  Speaking about podcasts, check out this interview about the book from Triangulation one of Leo’s many podcasts.

Back to the book.  The chapters are mostly about how you can improve yourself through technology for the first portion of the book.  Altering the genes of your baby before it is born to make sure you have a boy with blue eyes.  The book moves on to discuss beauty hacks like plastic surgery and a few people who are injecting themselves with RFID chips.

Most interesting to me was the bit about living longer through technology and how that is about 30 years away.  What happens in 30ish years?  By then, the authors say, we should have access to the technology to extend our lives by double what people are living now.  It shouldn’t be a stretch to live past 100 if you are younger than the baby-boomer generation.

That’s all great, but will it really happen?  And what do we do to ensure that we make it that last 30-year stretch?  The book speaks to both of these questions.  I suggest you read it, with a glass of red wine, you’ll see why after you read the book!  Enjoy!