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Randal Koene Page 3
CRYONICS 4th Quarter 2019 | Vol 40, Issue 4 www.alcor.org Scholar Profile: Randal Koene page 3 Cryonics in China and Australia Cryonics and Public Skepticism: page 19 Meeting The Challenges to Our Credibility page 24 CRYONICS Editorial Board Contents Saul Kent Ralph C. Merkle, Ph.D. R. Michael Perry, Ph.D. 3 Scholar Profile: Randal Koene Accomplished neuroscientist and founder of the only dedicated Editor whole brain emulation nonprofit in existence, Dr. Randal Koene Aschwin de Wolf is no stranger to standing out. Responsible for coining the term Contributing Writers that put this niche but growing field on the map, Koene is working Ben Best hard to make humans more adaptable than ever before. In his Randal Koene R. Michael Perry, Ph.D. vision of the future, minds will be substrate-independent, with Nicole Weinstock full or even enhanced functioning on a limitless and changing Aschwin de Wolf menu of platforms. Copyright 2019 by Alcor Life Extension Foundation 19 Cryonics in China and Australia All rights reserved. Ben Reports on the emerging cryonics industry in China and the plans to create a Reproduction, in whole or part, new cryonics organization in Australia. without permission is prohibited. 24 FOR THE RECORD Cryonics magazine is published Cryonics and Public Skepticism: Meeting the Challenges to Our quarterly. Credibility Cryonics has been viewed with skepticism or hostility by some, including some Please note: If you change your scientists, ever since it started in the 1960s, even though (we like to remind the address less than a month before the naysayers) its intended basis is strictly scientific. -
Looking Back Featured Stories from the Past
ISSN-1079-7832 A Publication of the Immortalist Society Longevity Through Technology Volume 49 - Number 01 Looking Back Featured stories from the past www.immortalistsociety.org www.cryonics.org www.americancryonics.org Who will be there for YOU? Don’t wait to make your plans. Your life may depend on it. Suspended Animation fields teams of specially trained cardio-thoracic surgeons, cardiac perfusionists and other medical professionals with state-of-the-art equipment to provide stabilization care for Cryonics Institute members in the continental U.S. Cryonics Institute members can contract with Suspended Animation for comprehensive standby, stabilization and transport services using life insurance or other payment options. Speak to a nurse today about how to sign up. Call 1-949-482-2150 or email [email protected] MKMCAD160206 216 605.83A SuspendAnim_Ad_1115.indd 1 11/12/15 4:42 PM Why should You join the Cryonics Institute? The Cryonics Institute is the world’s leading non-profit cryonics organization bringing state of the art cryonic suspensions to the public at the most affordable price. CI was founded by the “father of cryonics,” Robert C.W. Ettinger in 1976 as a means to preserve life at liquid nitrogen temperatures. It is hoped that as the future unveils newer and more sophisticated medical nanotechnology, people preserved by CI may be restored to youth and health. 1) Cryonic Preservation 7) Funding Programs Membership qualifies you to arrange and fund a vitrification Cryopreservation with CI can be funded through approved (anti-crystallization) perfusion and cooling upon legal death, life insurance policies issued in the USA or other countries. -
The Transhumanist Reader Is an Important, Provocative Compendium Critically Exploring the History, Philosophy, and Ethics of Transhumanism
TH “We are in the process of upgrading the human species, so we might as well do it E Classical and Contemporary with deliberation and foresight. A good first step is this book, which collects the smartest thinking available concerning the inevitable conflicts, challenges and opportunities arising as we re-invent ourselves. It’s a core text for anyone making TRA Essays on the Science, the future.” —Kevin Kelly, Senior Maverick for Wired Technology, and Philosophy “Transhumanism has moved from a fringe concern to a mainstream academic movement with real intellectual credibility. This is a great taster of some of the best N of the Human Future emerging work. In the last 10 years, transhumanism has spread not as a religion but as a creative rational endeavor.” SHU —Julian Savulescu, Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford “The Transhumanist Reader is an important, provocative compendium critically exploring the history, philosophy, and ethics of transhumanism. The contributors anticipate crucial biopolitical, ecological and planetary implications of a radically technologically enhanced population.” M —Edward Keller, Director, Center for Transformative Media, Parsons The New School for Design A “This important book contains essays by many of the top thinkers in the field of transhumanism. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in the future of humankind.” N —Sonia Arrison, Best-selling author of 100 Plus: How The Coming Age of Longevity Will Change Everything IS The rapid pace of emerging technologies is playing an increasingly important role in T overcoming fundamental human limitations. The Transhumanist Reader presents the first authoritative and comprehensive survey of the origins and current state of transhumanist Re thinking regarding technology’s impact on the future of humanity. -
Cryonics Magazine, Q1 1999
Mark Your Calendars Today! BioStasis 2000 June of the Year 2000 ave you ever considered Asilomar Conference Center Hwriting for publication? If not, let me warn you that it Northern California can be a masochistic pursuit. The simultaneous advent of the word processor and the onset of the Initial List Post-Literate Era have flooded every market with manuscripts, of Speakers: while severely diluting the aver- age quality of work. Most editors can’t keep up with the tsunami of amateurish submissions washing Eric Drexler, over their desks every day. They don’t have time to strain out the Ph.D. writers with potential, offer them personal advice, and help them to Ralph Merkle, develop their talents. The typical response is to search for familiar Ph.D. names and check cover letters for impressive credits, but shove ev- Robert Newport, ery other manuscript right back into its accompanying SASE. M.D. Despite these depressing ob- servations, please don’t give up hope! There are still venues where Watch the Alcor Phoenix as the beginning writer can go for details unfold! editorial attention and reader rec- Artwork by Tim Hubley ognition. Look to the small press — it won’t catapult you to the wealth and celebrity you wish, but it will give you a reason to practice, and it may even intro- duce you to an editor who will chat about your submissions. Where do you find this “small press?” The latest edition of Writ- ers’ Market will give you several possibilities, but let me suggest a more obvious and immediate place to start sending your work: Cryonics Magazine! 2 Cryonics • 1st Qtr, 1999 Letters to the Editor RE: “Hamburger Helpers” by Charles Platt, in his/her interest to go this route if the “Cryonics” magazine, 4th Quarter greater cost of insurance is more than offset Sincerely, 1998 by lower dues. -
Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition
Tf Freewheel simply a tour « // o é Z oon" ‘ , c AUS Figas - 3 8 tion = ~ Conds : 8O man | S. | —§R Transhu : QO the Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition Science Slightly Over the Edge ED REGIS A VV Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. - Reading, Massachusetts Menlo Park, California New York Don Mills, Ontario Wokingham, England Amsterdam Bonn Sydney Singapore Tokyo Madrid San Juan Paris Seoul Milan Mexico City Taipei Acknowledgmentof permissions granted to reprint previously published material appears on page 301. Manyofthe designations used by manufacturers andsellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Addison-Wesley was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial capital letters (e.g., Silly Putty). .Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Regis, Edward, 1944— Great mambo chicken and the transhuman condition : science slightly over the edge / Ed Regis. p- cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-201-09258-1 ISBN 0-201-56751-2 (pbk.) 1. Science—Miscellanea. 2. Engineering—Miscellanea. 3. Forecasting—Miscellanea. I. Title. Q173.R44 1990 500—dc20 90-382 CIP Copyright © 1990 by Ed Regis All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Text design by Joyce C. Weston Set in 11-point Galliard by DEKR Corporation, Woburn, MA - 12345678 9-MW-9594939291 Second printing, October 1990 First paperback printing, August 1991 For William Patrick Contents The Mania.. -
Human Cryopreservation Procedures De Wolf and Platt
Human Cryopreservation Procedures de Wolf and Platt Human Cryopreservation Procedures By Aschwin de Wolf and Charles Platt Revision 10-Jan-2020 Copyright by Aschwin de Wolf and Charles Platt Page 1 - 1 Human Cryopreservation Procedures de Wolf and Platt Acknowledgments The authors and Alcor Life Extension Foundation wish to thank Saul Kent and Bill Faloon of the Life Extension Foundation, the Miller family of Canada, and Edward and Vivian Thorp as donors of the Miller/LEF/Thorp Readiness Grant to Alcor in 2008, which made this work possible. For assistance in compiling and verifying information, we are especially grateful to Hugh Hixon, Steve Graber, and Mike Perry at Alcor. We received additional help from Steve Harris at Critical Care Research, and Steve Bridge, formerly of Alcor. Their willingness to donate time to this project was much appreciated. Revision 10-Jan-2020 Copyright by Aschwin de Wolf and Charles Platt Page 1 - 2 Human Cryopreservation Procedures de Wolf and Platt How This Book Was Written Aschwin de Wolf wrote the first drafts of sections 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 18. Charles Platt wrote the first drafts of sections 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 17, 19, and 20. Each section was then reviewed and edited by the other collaborator. Additional information was provided by Steve Bridge. Finally, working on behalf of Alcor Life Extension Foundation, Brian Wowk fact- checked and edited all of the chapters. He should not be held responsible, however, for any errors that remain. They are our responsibility. Information was gathered during several visits to Alcor Foundation where staff were very generous with their time. -
PINTS for PRESS Business Park in Scottsdale, Arizona, Offers Two Types of “Cryonic Suspension” Services: Full-Body for $200,000, and APRIL 24 Head-Only for $80,000
COVER STORY THEFROZEN FIGHT FOR THE ONE SON’S MISSION TO MAKE HIS DAD WHOLE AGAIN BY TYLER HAYDEN Dr. Laurence Pilgeram didn’t believe in heaven, but HEAD he did believe in life after death. In 1990, at the age of 66, Pilgeram signed a contract with the Alcor Life Extension Foun- dation to freeze his body upon his death with the hope that, decades or centuries from now, medical science would resurrect him. Alcor, headquartered in a sand-colored PINTS FOR PRESS business park in Scottsdale, Arizona, offers two types of “cryonic suspension” services: full-body for $200,000, and APRIL 24 head-only for $80,000. It’s a bargain for Dr. Laurence Pilgeram a shot at immortality. Clients typically pay by signing over their life insurance policies. The head-only option, the company This article’s author, Tyler Hayden, will explains, is the most cost-effective way When Kurt demanded to to preserve a patient’s identity; using know why his father’s whole body COURTESY discuss the reporting and writing of this story future nanotechnology, a new hadn’t been preserved, he received conflicting with editor Matt Kettmann on Wednesday, body might be grown around accounts from Alcor, according to court records. First, the the brain. But Pilgeram never company said Laurence’s body had decayed beyond saving. Then, it April 24, 5:30 p.m., at Night Lizard liked the idea of “Neurocryo- claimed he hadn’t kept up with his yearly $525 membership dues. Finally, preservation,” his family has it suggested the technicians didn’t want to wait for the permit necessary Brewing Company in the Santa Barbara said, so he chose “Whole-Body to transport a full body across state lines. -
“Is Cryonics an Ethical Means of Life Extension?” Rebekah Cron University of Exeter 2014
1 “Is Cryonics an Ethical Means of Life Extension?” Rebekah Cron University of Exeter 2014 2 “We all know we must die. But that, say the immortalists, is no longer true… Science has progressed so far that we are morally bound to seek solutions, just as we would be morally bound to prevent a real tsunami if we knew how” - Bryan Appleyard 1 “The moral argument for cryonics is that it's wrong to discontinue care of an unconscious person when they can still be rescued. This is why people who fall unconscious are taken to hospital by ambulance, why they will be maintained for weeks in intensive care if necessary, and why they will still be cared for even if they don't fully awaken after that. It is a moral imperative to care for unconscious people as long as there remains reasonable hope for recovery.” - ALCOR 2 “How many cryonicists does it take to screw in a light bulb? …None – they just sit in the dark and wait for the technology to improve” 3 - Sterling Blake 1 Appleyard 2008. Page 22-23 2 Alcor.org: ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ 2014 3 Blake 1996. Page 72 3 Introduction Biologists have known for some time that certain organisms can survive for sustained time periods in what is essentially a death"like state. The North American Wood Frog, for example, shuts down its entire body system in winter; its heart stops beating and its whole body is frozen, until summer returns; at which point it thaws and ‘comes back to life’ 4. -
N E W S L E T T
PUBLISHED BY THE CRYONICS INSTITUTE ISSUE 03 | 2020 Cryonics insights and information for members and friends of the Cryonics Institute NEWSLETTER cryonics.org • [email protected] • 1 (866) 288-2796 CI BULLETIN I am proud to be a part of this history, and happy to report the Cryonics Institute continues to expand. Most notably, we are completing the improvements on our second facility. We are currently reviewing and finalizing plans to retrofit the facility with a bulk LN2 tank and insulated supply lines for the cryostats that will be used to store patients once the existing facility reaches capacity. On the financial front, the CI Board of Directors continues to monitor investments and operations to ensure the long term solvency of our organization. Despite challenges related to the covid epidemic, operations and patient care remain out- standing and have not slipped in the least. However, there are still some poor outcome situations that result directly from patient next of kin who are hostile to cryonics. Hello Everyone, In numerous issues of this magazine as well as in articles on our web site and our other social media venues we continue I hope you are all doing well during these trying times. With to stress the critical importance of identifying, planning and Covid, world politics, and a spattering of civil unrest it can be preparing for circumstances and situations that could cause a little depressing, but cryonicists are indeed a rare breed. a person to not be suspended. Historically, the two biggest We are known for thinking outside the box and rising above factors have been when family or friends actively block a any negative consensus. -
Eric Drexler: Une Porte Ouverte Sur L'avenir (Hache)
Eric Drexler: Une porte ouverte sur l’avenir (Hache) http://editions-hache.com/essais/drexler/drexler1.html?nu=oui Une porte ouverte sur l’avenir Eric Drexler, mars 2003 (écrit en 1986) Adresse originale : http://editions-hache.com/essais/drexler/drexler1.html Éditions Hache : http://editions-hache.com/essais/ Ce texte est la traduction par Marc Macé du chapitre 9, consacré à la cryonie (appelée ici du terme plus général « biostase »), du livre Engines of Creation de K. Eric Drexler (Anchor Books, 1986) consacré aux nanotechnologies. La traduction complète de Marc Macé a depuis été publiée par Vuibert . Le texte original (en anglais) complet est disponible sur le site d’ Eric Drexler . Londres, avril 1773. A Jacques Dubourg 146 . Vos observations sur les causes de la mort et les expériences que vous proposez pour rappeler à la vie ceux qui semblent avoir été tués par la foudre démontrent à la fois votre sagacité et votre humanité. Mais la doctrine de la vie et de la mort est encore peu comprise… J’aimerais qu’il soit possible […] d’inventer une méthode pour embaumer les noyés de manière à ce qu’ils puissent être ramenés à la vie à une époque donnée, même éloignée. J’ai un très ardent désir de voir et d’observer l’état de l’Amérique dans une centaine d’années. A une mort naturelle je préférerais être immergé dans une barrique de Madère, avec quelques amis, pour être ramené à la vie cent ans plus tard par la chaleur du soleil de ma chère patrie ! Mais […] selon toute probabilité, nous vivons dans un siècle trop peu avancé et trop proche de la naissance de la science pour qu’un tel art soit porté à sa perfection de notre vivant… Veuillez… Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin voulait un procédé pour stopper et faire repartir le métabolisme mais il n’y en avait alors aucun de connu. -
And Transhumanism Robert Ranisch & Stefan Lorenz Sorgner Scientific and Technological Advances Have Questioned Predominant Doctrines Concerning the Human Condition
Introducing Post- and Transhumanism Robert Ranisch & Stefan Lorenz Sorgner Scientific and technological advances have questioned predominant doctrines concerning the human condition. Transhumanism and posthumanism are among the most recent and prominent manifestations of this phenomenon. Debates on trans- and posthumanism have not only gained a considerable amount of aca- demic and popular attention recently, but have also created a widespread con- ceptual confusion. This is no surprise, considering their recent dates of origin, their conceptual similarities, and their engagements with similar questions, top- ics, and motifs. Furthermore, trans- as well as posthumanism frequently question their relationship to humanism1 and reconsider what it means to be human. In this regard both movements are streaming beyond humanism. What this means, however, is far from clear and shall be subject of discussion in this volume. In order to make sense of these two approaches and to investigate their inter- relationship, a clarification of these concepts is necessary. As a first approxima- tion, transhumanism can be seen as a stance that affirms the radical transfor- mation of human’s biological capacities and social conditions by means of tech- 1 We will not be able to address the complex histories and varieties of humanism in this chapter. Yet, the following must be noted: The word “humanism” (Humanismus) was coined in 1808 by the German theologian and philosopher Friedrich I. Niethammer in the context of educational curricula, as it is derived from the Latin word humanitas. This word has a variety of meaning but has strongly been identified with the Greek word paideia (παιδεία), e.g., i.) in Cicero’s De Oratore (I, 71) the meaning of the concept hu- manitas corresponds to that of the concept paideia; ii.) in the text Noctes Acticae (XIII, 17) by the Latin author Aulus Gellius, who lived in the 2nd century, an explicit identifi- cation of paideia and humanitas can be found. -
Cryonics Magazine, Q3 1999
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.