If We Were Vampires
By 
Peter Thiel just felt a tingle go up his spine:
The authoritarian strongmen Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have mused on how organ transplants might lead to immortality, during a brief exchange of small talk caught on a hot mic at a military parade.
The Russian president was in Beijing on Wednesday with the Chinese leader, who hosted allies for a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war.
As Putin and Xi walked at the head of a delegation of foreign leaders, state media aired live footage that captured parts of what appeared to be a private conversation. While they made their way towards a raised platform in Tiananmen Square, Putin’s interpreter could be heard saying in Chinese: “Biotechnology is continuously developing.”
After a brief inaudible passage, the interpreter added: “Human organs can be continuously transplanted. The longer you live, the younger you become, and [you can] even achieve immortality.”
Xi, who was off camera, could be heard responding in Chinese: “Some predict that in this century humans may live to 150 years old.”
Our tech lords, our brutal dictators, and indeed perhaps our Presidents need an assistant to follow them around and whisper “memento mori!” in their ear…