Asilomar Conference Center Monterey Peninsula, Northern California USA On-site Lodging and Meals Package: To Register for Conference: Includes three excellent cafeteria-style meals Includes Social on Friday evening, June 16, 2000, each day, maid service, and use of swimming after dinner Panel on Saturday evening, and pool. Prices ($70-$150/night) dictated presentations on Saturday and Sunday. The by accommodations selected. Conference will conclude with two tracks on Non-conference guest reservations accepted. Sunday afternoon, June 18. Registration information for the Conference as well as the on-site lodging and meals pack- age at Asilomar will soon be available at www.alcor.org, or an information package can be requested by calling Alcor Life Extension Foundation at 480-905-1906. 2 Cryonics • 3rd Qtr, 1999 June 17-18, 2000: Mark Your Calendars Today! The Fourth Alcor Conference on Life Extension Technologies www.alcor.org The world is changing rapidly. Only a few years ago, most people considered the cloning Preliminary of mammals to be no more than science fiction. Repeated successes in this area, List of Speakers: however, have made it a reality today. More importantly, medical technologies like cloning and the use ofembryonic Glenna Burmer, MD, PhD, stem cells to regenerate tissues, LifeSpan BioSciences promise to make it possible to reverse all the major degenerative diseases Fred Chamberlain, within our own lifetimes. Even aging BioTransport, Inc. itself is under very heavy attack K. Eric Drexler, PhD, by today’s biological and Foresight Institute medical technologies. Gregory Fahy, PhD., 21st Century Medicine The Fourth Alcor Conference on Life Extension Technologies James Hughes, PhD, is a meeting of scientists, technologists Univ. Chicago, Dept. Medicine and individuals who are working in Ralph Merkle, PhD, fields leading toward the expansion of Foresight Institute human health and longevity. Natasha Vita More, author, Panel Moderator This conference will cover Robert T. Newport, MD, Art by Tim Hubley topics relevant to these pursuits. BioTransport, Inc. Gregory Stock, PhD., UCLA, School of Medicine Brian Wowk, PhD., Register Early and Save! st 21 Century Medicine 30% Discount off any fee below for Alcor Life Members 10% Discount off any fee below for Regular Alcor Members Preliminary Per Person If Registered: List of Sponsors: Super Early Bird Special $200 before December 1, 1999 Early Bird Special $250 before March 1, 1999 Primary Sponsor: General Registration $300 before June 1, 2000 Alcor Life Extension Foundation At The Door $400 after June 10, 2000 Principal Sponsors ($10,000 donation) Robert Miller Family Register on-line at: www.alcor.org General Sponsors ($1000 donation) BioTransport, Inc. Supporting Sponsors ($500 donation) NanoTechnology Magazine Basic Sponsors ($100 donation) Michael Riskin, PhD, CPA Life Extension Vitamins Fred and Linda Chamberlain Ravin Jain, MD Austin Tupler Family 3rd Qtr, 1999 • Cryonics 3 UP FRONT Announcement: BioTransport/CryoCare/Advanced BioSciences Agreement BY BRIAN SHOCK, EDITOR s of July 1st, 1999, principals of Medicine. 21st now conducts only cryo- ABioTransport, Inc., CryoCare Foun- biology research, having spun off its hy- dation, and Advanced BioSciences, Inc. pothermia and resuscitation projects into have signed a binding letter of intent af- a new, separate company named Critical ith a name like Cryonics, firming that Advanced BioSciences in- Care Research. 21st has no involvement Wyou’d expect this magazine tends to sublicense new cryopreservation in cryonics and will be launching sales of to reflect the opinions and direc- technology to BioTransport, and its first product this summer, the tion of the cryonics community as BioTransport intends to use this technol- SuperCool X-1000 Ice Blocker. a whole. For the last two years, ogy to provide enhanced service to Alcor CryoCare Foundation and the Alcor that’s exactly what I have been try- and CryoCare members. Foundation are cryonics organizations While a formal contract has not been whose needs are complementary. Alcor ing to bring our readers. True, this negotiated, principals at the three com- has expressed interest in results of recent is a publication of the Alcor Life panies are optimistic that such a contract research, while CryoCare wishes to re- Extension Foundation, but I have can exist by the end of this year. store its ability to deliver remote-standby always believed that an honest or- BioTransport was formed initially by service and enhance its cryopreservation ganization can never “shoot itself Fred Chamberlain, Linda Chamberlain, services. BioTransport should be able to in the foot” by presenting a broad Joe Hovey, and Michael Riskin, of Alcor, satisfy these needs on a basis that will be point of view. as an independent provider of human mutually beneficial. For instance, in this issue I’m cryopreservation services including re- In the future, BioTransport and/or grateful to many non-Alcor mem- mote standby, transport, perfusion, and Advanced BioSciences may negotiate bers for the contribution of their cooldown. Michael Riskin, who is now agreements with additional clients. Cur- views and voices: my own edito- CFO and Vice President of BioTransport, rently, however, Alcor and CryoCare are has taken a highly active role this year in the only cryonics organizations negotiat- rial offers a very cautious opinion developing the new company as an inde- ing to receive improved technology from of individuals performing volun- pendent provider of human Advanced BioSciences and teer work for cryonics groups, while cryopreservation services including re- cryopreservation service from Charles Platt’s column looks at this mote standby, transport, perfusion, and BioTransport. matter from the alternative stand- cooldown. It will first offer its services This announcement is made jointly point of a volunteer; Ben Best, of to CryoCare and Alcor members, with by Saul Kent, Chairman and CEO of Ad- CryoCare and the Cryonics Soci- others to follow if satisfactory contracts vanced BioSciences and 21st Century ety of Canada, offers a first-person can be negotiated. Medicine; Charles Platt, President of account of his visit to this year’s Advanced BioSciences was created CryoCare; and Michael Riskin, CFO and this year to develop cryonics applications Vice President for Business Development High Roller’s Conference; Jim from recent research at 21st Century at BioTransport. Yount, of the American Cryonics Society, discusses the possible role of term life insurance in funding cryonic suspensions; and transhumanist Anders Sandberg shares a number of the fascinating technical items he often posts to the Extropians Digest. Do you have something you believe the cryonics community should know? Whoever you are, by all means send it to Cryonics! 4 Cryonics • 3rd Qtr, 1999 The 1999 High-Roller’s Conference By Ben Best n May 7-9, 1999 (Mother’s Day Don Laughlin, most of OWeekend) I attended the 5th the more recent attend- Annual High-Rollers’ Conference on ees have been “Low- Cryonics and Low Temperature Rollers or No-Rollers” Medicine in Laughlin, Nevada. The (as Saul Kent likes to Conferences are run by H. Jackson say), but Jack likes the Zinn, a lawyer who for 5 years was idea of having confer- President of the American Cryonics ences that are open to Society. Jack left ACS during one of everyone. The focus of the bitter intra-organizational feuds the presentations has and is now head of the International been toward scientific Cryonics Foundation, of Stockton, research that could California [(209) 463-0429]. Jack benefit from “High- has cryopreservation (“suspension”) Roller” financing, but arrangements with Alcor, whereas big money has not other ICF members have arrange- been raised thus far. ments with Trans Time or ACS. I’m For several years I still unclear as to the exact role of attended every cryon- ICF. ics conference held Several years ago Jack became anywhere, but the High Rollers’ con- $2.5 million in the late 1960s). But I extremely interested in the fact that ferences seemed too small to justify decided time was too precious to Don Laughlin, who is reputedly my expense and effort. (And I am not spend several hours traveling to Lon- worth hundreds of millions of dol- a “High Roller.”) Nonetheless, I have don Bridge and back, when I was lars, has made cryonics arrangements been curious about them — and very wanting to immerse myself deeply in with Alcor. Jack met with Don and curious about Don Laughlin, who is the ambience of Laughlin. arranged a “High Rollers’ Confer- a cryonicist, who is very wealthy, Laughlin, Nevada is located ence,” intended to be an elite con- who sponsors these conferences and across the Colorado River from Bull- ference for very rich cryonicists, and who never contributes much money head City, Arizona — near the focused on how that money could be for research. tristate border of California, Arizona used to further cryonics and, hence, I flew to Las Vegas from and Nevada. A few miles up the river their survival. Twelve people at- Toronto, Canada, where I live. I is Davis Dam which, when com- tended the first conference, includ- drove south, and arrived in Laughlin pleted in 1953, submerged Bull Head ing the screen writer for the film at 2:30am so that I could spend most Rock — the shape of which gave the Demolition Man and some other of Friday being a Laughlin tourist. I Arizona city its name. According to wealthy people. had thought of going to Lake Havasu the US Weather Service, Bullhead Jack continued to hold the con- City, where the old London Bridge City is the hottest town in the United ferences every year with only a few stands reconstructed in the desert States. An average January night in presenters and attendees. Aside from (imported from England at a cost of Laughlin is 44°F, whereas an aver- 3rd Qtr, 1999 • Cryonics 5 Don spent roughly a million dol- lars of his own money on road im- provement, $4 million for a bridge connecting Bullhead to Laughlin, and $6 million on expansion of the Laughlin/Bullhead airport.