Search found 224 matches

by jordansparks
Sun Jun 09, 2019 2:44 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Website updated
Replies: 1
Views: 7901

Website updated

It's been a few years, so I updated most of the pages on our website. I got rid of links to the member portal because member growth is no longer a goal, and members are a costly distraction. I also removed the page about the Reanimation Fund as an overfunding mechanism. Overfunding now just goes int...
by jordansparks
Sat Jun 08, 2019 8:04 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Wait but Why
Replies: 23
Views: 60786

Re: Wait but Why

Well, never in my natural lifetime. Never in the next 50 years at least.
by jordansparks
Sat Jun 08, 2019 7:50 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Wait but Why
Replies: 23
Views: 60786

Re: Wait but Why

Yes, hypothermia would be great, but as you agreed, it's never going to be used on a cryonics patient. Even the laws for pets won't allow premortem hypothermia.
by jordansparks
Sat Jun 08, 2019 7:47 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Biostasis
Replies: 1
Views: 7656

Biostasis

Biostasis is a terrible word in cryonics. Biostasis actually refers to the ability of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi to stay alive in extreme conditions. As environmental conditions later improve, their cells recover and function normally again. Any scientist seeing the word biostasis in ...
by jordansparks
Sat Jun 08, 2019 7:13 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Wait but Why
Replies: 23
Views: 60786

Re: Wait but Why

I consider cooling to be a second line of defense. Immediate chemical treatment of the cells to halt metabolism and add cross-links should be the primary goal. But since we know that perfusion is not uniform, cold perfusate can be used to slow metabolism in nearby tissue. Conductive heat transfer is...
by jordansparks
Thu Jun 06, 2019 5:56 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Wait but Why
Replies: 23
Views: 60786

Wait but Why

There's a fairly well written article about cryonics here: https://waitbutwhy.com/2016/03/cryonics.html But the ideas that it lays out are flawed, and are based on the utopian Alcor and CI themes instead of on science. 1. Become a member, get a life insurance policy, wear a bracelet, die. This might...
by jordansparks
Thu Jun 06, 2019 5:05 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Helping the cryonics cause
Replies: 16
Views: 33012

Re: Helping the cryonics cause

> Maybe you say this so that people realize what they are up against. Yes, that's right. And no, I have not succeeded. I might succeed in the future, but this is way harder than I ever thought it would be. Someone with less resources will fail. I'm not trying to discourage conversations and a few sp...
by jordansparks
Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:49 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Helping the cryonics cause
Replies: 16
Views: 33012

Re: Helping the cryonics cause

No, neither of those is my point. I'll be super simple and blunt. If you want to help cryonics get more members, or if you want to help start a new organization to improve local support, you can't. Quit thinking you can.
by jordansparks
Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:58 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Reanimation Fund options?
Replies: 1
Views: 7355

Re: Reanimation Fund options?

Your post was hard for me to read. I think what you are saying is that you want to put $50k into a fund that would pay for transfer to CI if we go bankrupt. Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Also, the pages you are referencing on our website are looking out of date, so the discussion would be bette...
by jordansparks
Mon Jun 03, 2019 9:51 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Cryonics Symposium International
Replies: 3
Views: 9878

Re: Cryonics Symposium International

I agree that we aren't doing any better than them. That's kind of my point. All the services from all the organizations are terrible useless rituals almost all the time. I will make some changes to the website to make that more clear. There is a fair amount of outdated info on there which shows hist...
by jordansparks
Sun Jun 02, 2019 7:47 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Cryonics Symposium International
Replies: 3
Views: 9878

Cryonics Symposium International

Cryonics Symposium International is being held at the Church of Perpetual Life in Florida on Saturday, July 27, 2019. I'm not going. They are good people, and I'm sure they mean well, but this meeting does not increase my chance of survival for the following reasons: -Its association with a "ch...
by jordansparks
Fri Mar 29, 2019 11:40 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Helping the cryonics cause
Replies: 16
Views: 33012

Re: Helping the cryonics cause

My advice is the most rational, so I think it's also the most common course of action, including in all your examples. My advice won't change anyone's mind. I'm just stating what should be obvious and what most people already do intuitively. Aubrey probably followed that path because he wanted to so...
by jordansparks
Fri Mar 29, 2019 11:16 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: 1% chance of survival
Replies: 4
Views: 10588

Re: 1% chance of survival

When I go to cryonics calculator, all the risks are clearly for phase II. So their characterization as "success" vs "failure" is accurate in the context of phase II. But it doesn't address phase I at all. Yet when you say that you are looking out for ways to improve that number, ...
by jordansparks
Fri Mar 29, 2019 10:15 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: 1% chance of survival
Replies: 4
Views: 10588

1% chance of survival

I see 1% getting thrown around a lot in various contexts. The usual claim is that a 1% chance of revival if cryopreserved is better than the 0% chance if cremated. This is sometimes bolstered by a claim that the payoff is billions of years of additional life, so the 1% translates to millions of year...
by jordansparks
Fri Mar 29, 2019 6:19 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Helping the cryonics cause
Replies: 16
Views: 33012

Re: Helping the cryonics cause

That's the complete opposite of what I'm suggesting. How does quitting your daytime job help ensure your survival? It would just make you poor and unfunded. I'm trying to discourage people from any outreach, fundraising, volunteering, etc. My entire point is that it's all completely useless because ...
by jordansparks
Thu Mar 28, 2019 4:55 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Helping the cryonics cause
Replies: 16
Views: 33012

Helping the cryonics cause

I talk to many people who want to help advance cryonics. They want to somehow contribute to our cause. Well, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there's really nothing you can do. It's too big of a problem, and you have too few resources. You can't volunteer or donate or do anything else tha...
by jordansparks
Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:11 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: how many OC members?
Replies: 5
Views: 19033

Re: how many OC members?

I'm assuming you've already downgraded to neuro, if possible. I'm also assuming you're talking about a few years from now, when we are fully up and running. Nearby small towns don't seem like a good idea to me because that distance would add significant time to any response. But a 30 minute wait for...
by jordansparks
Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:50 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: how many OC members?
Replies: 5
Views: 19033

Re: how many OC members?

I don't know. Maybe seven. We discourage it unless you live in Salem. It's totally pointless to sign up for a service that is so far away that nobody can possibly get to you in time. This is also why I let my Alcor and CI memberships lapse years ago. You really need to live in the same city as your ...
by jordansparks
Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:07 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: ASC vs. O.C. $1K aldehyde bath + molecular brain scan
Replies: 17
Views: 25995

Re: ASC vs. O.C. $1K aldehyde bath + molecular brain scan

No, high quality chemical fixation alone is not good enough. Damage over time is very significant due to molecular motion. There is no sharp deadline on how fast fixation must be followed by cryopreservation, but it's in the range of hours, not years.
by jordansparks
Sat Mar 09, 2019 8:47 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Danielle Baker
Replies: 5
Views: 10700

Re: Danielle Baker

Well, believing in something doesn't make it true. We know that preserving all molecular structure, including all synapses, axons, DNA, etc. would preserve memory. But it's just not plausible that the DNA alone is enough. I've thought about this exact issue for years. Tell you what, go try to convin...
by jordansparks
Fri Mar 08, 2019 8:28 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Danielle Baker
Replies: 5
Views: 10700

Re: Danielle Baker

In spite of my strong feelings of injustice in this case, I think it's also worth noting that Doug Bowling did not actually harm Danielle. Her chances of revival were already zero. I believe her body went undiscovered for about three days. There was nothing left of her mind by that point. It was irr...
by jordansparks
Fri Feb 22, 2019 4:26 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Danielle Baker
Replies: 5
Views: 10700

Danielle Baker

Zoltan Istvan just contributed an article to Quartz: https://qz.com/1555363/cryogenics-is-facing-legal-trouble-with-body-preservation/ I'm quoted in it. While the quotes are technically accurate, I'm not sure the context is accurate. I think the best thing to do here is to just list out what I think...
by jordansparks
Fri Feb 15, 2019 8:17 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Alcor CT Scanner
Replies: 5
Views: 17789

Re: Alcor CT Scanner

Hmm. They don't seem to have it on their website yet. It was in an Alcor newsletter sent out to members by email, which someone then kindly forwarded to me. I'll post it here for now, and then replace the text with a link, once they have it up: by Max More The first major acquisition paid for by the...
by jordansparks
Wed Feb 13, 2019 10:41 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Why not invite Ben Best?
Replies: 5
Views: 19459

Re: Why not invite Ben Best?

Not really. I remember he posted at least one photo series on his FB page and described his visit in detail.
by jordansparks
Wed Feb 13, 2019 9:34 am
Forum: Forum
Topic: Why not invite Mike Darwin?
Replies: 4
Views: 10814

Re: Why not invite Mike Darwin?

Maybe I was unclear. Mike has visited OC repeatedly over the years. I've learned a number of things through face-to-face communication that were important. Of course, our opinions differ about many things, but that's not a deal breaker. After a number of years, we sort of ran out of things to say to...
by jordansparks
Tue Feb 12, 2019 4:45 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Why not invite Ben Best?
Replies: 5
Views: 19459

Re: Why not invite Ben Best?

What are you talking about? Ben has been here many times over the years.
by jordansparks
Sat Feb 09, 2019 7:57 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: Alcor CT Scanner
Replies: 5
Views: 17789

Alcor CT Scanner

Alcor just announced that they purchased a CT scanner. It's about time. They chose a Vimago, which I think was an outstanding choice. Because it's sold to veterinarians instead of physicians, the cost is able to be lower. Surprisingly, the resolution is 10x that of other similar medical CT scanners,...
by jordansparks
Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:14 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: ASC vs. O.C. $1K aldehyde bath + molecular brain scan
Replies: 17
Views: 25995

Re: ASC vs. O.C. $1K aldehyde bath + molecular brain scan

DetnPx, you are assuming that reversible suspended animation is a real possibility. I'm pretty sure it's not. I think the only way to reverse it is going to be to take the whole brain apart molecule by molecule until it's completely disassembled -- in other words, a destructive scan. I hardly think ...
by jordansparks
Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:02 pm
Forum: Forum
Topic: No Bay Area Office
Replies: 6
Views: 19893

Re: No Bay Area Office

Mati_Roy, I think your projections are too optimistic. 13,000 patients in the next 40 years? Anyway, the number of patients or members doesn't really seem to correlate with quality of care. I would rather have my case be a sole good one rather than be one of 13,000 poor cases. DetnPx, I don't quite ...