Search found 224 matches

by jordansparks
Fri Dec 15, 2017 6:08 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Intermediate Temperature Storage
Replies: 7
Views: 18294

Re: Intermediate Temperature Storage

It's been cooled down to -135, now. The thermostat is set so that if it warms to -131, it will start a cooling cycle with liquid nitrogen. The cooling cycle is gentler than I thought it would be, and takes well over an hour. Even more surprising to me is that it only has to cycle about once every 15...
by jordansparks
Fri Dec 15, 2017 5:34 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Forum is up again
Replies: 8
Views: 26996

Forum is up again

I had to move the server that runs this forum over to a different building on the other side of town. It took a lot longer than I anticipated. I had to deal with some really complicated issues like permits, fiber, radios, new IP address blocks, etc. I didn't feel any huge urgency, because there aren...
by jordansparks
Sat Sep 23, 2017 12:25 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: When Oregon Cryonics will accept Credit Cards ?
Replies: 4
Views: 14896

Re: When Oregon Cryonics will accept Credit Cards ?

We don't currently accept credit cards. We do have a truck.
by jordansparks
Mon Sep 18, 2017 3:56 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Small planes
Replies: 3
Views: 11461

Re: Small planes

I tried. I really did. But every pilot I met seems to have a story of a crash. Engines fail for many different reasons. There are visibility issues. There are instrument issues. You can't just slow down and pull over if something goes wrong. The statistics are out there. The risk is acceptable if yo...
by jordansparks
Thu Sep 14, 2017 2:33 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Craniotome
Replies: 1
Views: 12562

Re: Craniotome

In spite of the usefulness of these tools, we are now going back to leaving the brain within the braincase, if at all possible. As I'm working on these brains, I just keep thinking, "would I want this done to me?" The answer is clearly no. There's too much human error, and just too much da...
by jordansparks
Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:26 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Payment Plans
Replies: 0
Views: 24179

Payment Plans

Normally, payment plans are never allowed in cryonics because it's not ethical to remove a patient from liquid nitrogen and cause the additional inevitable severe damage. But… things might be changing. If we have strong evidence of adequate fixation and cryoprotection, and if ITS is used, then subze...
by jordansparks
Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:40 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Intermediate Temperature Storage
Replies: 7
Views: 18294

Intermediate Temperature Storage

Our ITS dewar arrived last month, and we are trying to find time to test the LN2 consumption rate, etc. http://www.oregoncryo.com/intermediateTempStorage.html I'm really curious to see what the cost is to keep it running. I was really excited about it last year. But as I've thought hard about the pr...
by jordansparks
Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:33 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Cannulation
Replies: 3
Views: 14538

Re: Cannulation

Under one minute, now, with a clear path to achieve 30 seconds before too much longer. Just need to fabricate the newly-designed cannula.
by jordansparks
Tue Jul 25, 2017 4:32 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Cannulation
Replies: 3
Views: 14538

Re: Cannulation

We are now down to under two minutes.
by jordansparks
Mon May 01, 2017 12:36 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Craniotome
Replies: 1
Views: 12562

Craniotome

We only preserve brains, so it's important to have good tools for removing the skullcap in order to safely remove the brain. Over the last few years, we have tried a number of different tools, including an electric reciprocating autopsy saw, a cordless electric craniotome, a nitrogen-powered craniot...
by jordansparks
Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:39 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Cannulation
Replies: 3
Views: 14538

Re: Cannulation

Done! After years of work, we finally have a safe, reliable, and tested cannulation procedure. http://www.oregoncryo.com/manual/surgicalProcedures.html It currently takes about 8 minutes from start to finish for cannulation of the first carotid artery and beginning of washout. It should easily be po...
by jordansparks
Sun Apr 02, 2017 7:01 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: I'm Not Dead Yet!
Replies: 0
Views: 24093

I'm Not Dead Yet!

This is a response to the following article which was just reposted by Aschwin de Wolf: http://www.evidencebasedcryonics.org/2017/04/01/im-not-dead-yet/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DepressedMetabolism+%28Institute+for+Evidence-Based+Cryonics%29 But of course t...
by jordansparks
Tue Mar 28, 2017 7:16 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: The Case for Brain Cryopreservation
Replies: 2
Views: 9514

The Case for Brain Cryopreservation

Aschwin de Wolf has reposted an article from 2014: http://www.evidencebasedcryonics.org/2017/03/27/the-case-for-brain-cryopreservation/ Now that I have experience with the removal of dozens of brains, I have a lot to say about this article. Brain removal is not a good idea in traditional cryonics. I...
by jordansparks
Wed Mar 15, 2017 10:59 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Singularity
Replies: 2
Views: 9223

Re: Singularity

Kurzweil just gave an interview: https://futurism.com/kkurzweil-claims-that-the-singularity-will-happen-by-2029/ His new definition of the singularity (there are many shifting variations) is the point at which some computers could achieve roughly human-level intelligence. Well, that would be a miles...
by jordansparks
Fri Mar 10, 2017 12:02 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Tissue cryopreservation with inductive heating
Replies: 8
Views: 16539

Re: Tissue cryopreservation with inductive heating

There is a fallacy in argument called appeal to authority. It does not apply in this case because the authorities in question are experts on this topic. Now, I'm not aware of anyone having done a poll of the experts to see what their actual opinion of suspended animation is. If some of the experts t...
by jordansparks
Thu Mar 09, 2017 9:34 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Tissue cryopreservation with inductive heating
Replies: 8
Views: 16539

Re: Tissue cryopreservation with inductive heating

Thank you for your thoughtful post. On any given highly specialized topic like this, there are only a handful of scientific experts in the world who deeply understand the topic. They have spent their entire lives learning all the nuances of the topic from all angles. Deep understanding matters. Thei...
by jordansparks
Wed Mar 08, 2017 10:44 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Cannulation
Replies: 3
Views: 14538

Cannulation

Cannulation refers to the surgical procedure of inserting a cannula (tube) into a major artery. This then allows various solutions and chemicals to be perfused (pumped) into the circulatory system. Cannulation remains our most urgent unsolved problem. We've spent years working on this problem, and i...
by jordansparks
Wed Mar 01, 2017 9:39 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Tissue cryopreservation with inductive heating
Replies: 8
Views: 16539

Tissue cryopreservation with inductive heating

This paper was published today: http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/9/379/eaah4586.full I have been skeptical that it might be possible to develop organ banking technology, and I have been vocal about my skepticism. After reading this paper, I will now admit that organ banking is theoretically possibl...
by jordansparks
Wed Mar 01, 2017 9:51 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Small planes
Replies: 3
Views: 11461

Small planes

As part of my presentation at Laughlin a few years ago, I talked about using small planes to create a regional cryonics service. Shortly after that talk, I finished some advanced pilot training and got my instrument rating so that I could be just a few hours from any patient in need, between Seattle...
by jordansparks
Fri Feb 24, 2017 1:18 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Dr. Jose Cordeiro
Replies: 0
Views: 24188

Dr. Jose Cordeiro

Dr. Jose Cordeiro just gave a talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vyw34o7KLo At 26:38 in the video, the three laws of the future were shown from Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Let's add another one. When someone says a fantastic new technology is coming in only 20 years, he is almost certainly wrong. Inst...
by jordansparks
Wed Feb 22, 2017 3:12 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Singularity
Replies: 2
Views: 9223

Singularity

The term "singularity" has been used quite a bit recently to describe a supposed runaway technological growth due to an AI. It's complete nonsense with no good supporting evidence. It seems to be based loosely on Kurzweil's exponential growth graphs or on Moore's Law. In the real world, gr...
by jordansparks
Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:32 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: RAAD Festival
Replies: 1
Views: 9246

RAAD Festival

RAAD Fest 2017 is being promoted, and it makes me sick. What a bunch of suckers. http://raadfest.com/ To be absolutely clear, there are ZERO life extension technologies currently available. So here's how they advertise it: "Learn everything from the latest life extension science, to how to stre...
by jordansparks
Wed Feb 22, 2017 9:54 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Dr. Michio Kaku
Replies: 0
Views: 23943

Dr. Michio Kaku

New conversation was posted with Dr. Michio Kaku, regarding digital immortality: http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/5271009970001/?#sp=show-clips Dr. Kaku has discussed cryonics in the past: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUjWcOGb8AE His critique on cryonics was basically correct if you assume he was o...
by jordansparks
Tue Feb 21, 2017 4:35 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Community and volunteers
Replies: 0
Views: 23792

Community and volunteers

I've pretty much given up on forming any sort of "community". For a while, it seemed like a good idea. Having lots of people around might allow us to get more done. These people might help build things or volunteer during cases. Unfortunately, that vision of community now seems unworkable ...
by jordansparks
Tue Feb 21, 2017 12:02 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB)
Replies: 0
Views: 29024

American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB)

The article in Quartz https://qz.com/914490/theres-a-completely-legal-reason-this-american-dentist-has-an-office-full-of-human-heads/ discusses the AATB, but it leaves out some of the nuances. The AATB started out strictly to regulate the industry that handles tissue for transplantation into living ...
by jordansparks
Tue Feb 21, 2017 8:21 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Article in Quartz
Replies: 0
Views: 23107

Article in Quartz

This article came out today: https://qz.com/914490/theres-a-completely-legal-reason-this-american-dentist-has-an-office-full-of-human-heads/ Overall, I found it well researched and well written. The title is slightly inaccurate for the presumed purpose of baiting people into clicking on it. That's f...
by jordansparks
Fri Oct 28, 2016 11:21 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Suggestion/Hospitals/Cryonics Patients in their new own facilities/hospitals in their future
Replies: 6
Views: 14391

Re: Suggestion

No. Please quit posting "brainstorming" suggestions. Maybe just quit posting at all.
by jordansparks
Sat Jun 18, 2016 10:06 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Fees
Replies: 5
Views: 16579

Re: Fees

Home page has now been updated to reflect that preservation quality is currently unvalidated and not very good for all cryonics providers. Once we have even just a little bit of evidence of decent preservation, we will be more interested in membership issues.
by jordansparks
Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:47 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Fees
Replies: 5
Views: 16579

Re: Fees

We hope that our cost of cryopreservation is low enough to be affordable. If not, we are continuing to work on less expensive options. Good perfusion will be a requirement for both standard cryopreservation and for any cheaper options. We still haven't demonstrated acceptable preservation quality wi...