Cryonics "Noah's Ark"

Baldrson writes: "The New York Times reports that architect Stephen Valentine has been commissioned to build a $180 million cryonics "Noah's Ark" theme park and hospice. The purpose will be the preservation, and amusement, of all manner of biological samples, including humans. Among the supporting groups is the nonprofit Stasis Foundation which has been involved in bail-outs of cryonics companies (euphemism for cryonics companies in necrosis). This announcement is particularly timely given this weekend's Foresight Institute Senior Associate Gathering. Biblical themes may evoke religious contributions from aging boomers to push the envelope, but never underestimate the passion of the dog breeders." The vision that comes to mind is Michael Jackson's head in a glass jar.

Comments

Cryonics will fail

[perdida]

in a capitalist society.

Let's assume the technical problems are solved..

As long as the service of being cryogenically preserved is a commodity, unsubsidized by the government or most insurance, the rich, prominent, and powerful will be the people self selected to undergo the service.

These people will also set up bank trusts, etc. to preserve their interests as they lie dead and frozen. They will influence politics to preserve their property rights as they lie dead, concentrating more and more property and political control in the hands of the dead and their trustees.

I can even imagine the trusteeships being battered back and forth in the marketplace, as the companies that control the wealth of the dead compete with each other.

All in all a fucked up scenario. What do people think about existing or prospective national and international law to deal with this problem? Mind you, I'm partial to the belief that either we have to live in a differnet economic system, or we must make cryogenics a state supported medical service available to all - decided by lot, democratic selection, condition of health or some other scientific standard.

Re:Cryonics will fail

[blair1q]

Yeah. Sure. Socialized lunacy.

Unless you believe that cryonics is capable of paying off in reanimation.

Then your model falls apart, because the frozen will return to manage their money.

But your fear is already doomed to be realized. Inheritance preserves wealth almost as surely as Trust does. We're already overrun with inbred billionaire brats. So whether their parents are popsicles or worm-food is moot.

--Blair

A $180 million what?

[L Fitzgerald Sjoberg]

"Theme park and hospice," there's a phrase you don't find in many business plans.

Anyhow, if this is a Noah's Ark of Cryonics, will the storage areas be measured in Ice Cubits?

The Long Run?

[nlh]

I think this whole notion of cryonics is a wonderfully optimistic and exciting prospect, but I am extremely skeptical as to whether any of the current practices or organizations can last in the long-run, if only from a pure business perspective.

Look at it this way: In order to be frozen, one must be involved in one of these organizations, as the article discusses. These organizations involve resources to maintain themselves and their "members".

The NYT article mentions that Timeship will need to have be "energy self-reliance (solar or geothermal), as well as resistance to natural and man-made disasters like earthquakes and terrorist bombings."

But no mention is made of *business* self-reliance.

How long is it going to be until our medical knowledge progresses to the point where we can un-freeze the people currently frozen and "fix" them? 50 years? 100 years? 300 years?

And how many technology businesses do you know that have been around for that long?

Unfortunately, unlike a cemetary, a cryonics business involves continuous financial need and maintainance, as well as personnel training (who's going to un-freeze all of these people/things?).

Even with organizations like Stasis (non-profit that's supposed to solve this problem), who's to say that they're going to be around in 300 years? One of the guys in the Cryocare annual even says:

"Paul said he simply disagreed that a non-profit company is more secure than a for-profit company."

I'm a skeptic.

Any thoughts on this?

nlh

Biological Samples

[zaius]

The vision that comes to mind is Michael Jackson's head in a glass jar.

No, no, michael. The purpose is to preserver biological samples, not plastic. They'll have plenty of that in the future.