X-Message-Number: 12875
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
References: <>
Subject: Reorganising other people's money and lives
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 11:45:34 -0000

Two children on the playgound:

"I've got a penny"
"I've got a penny too"
"Give me yours, and we'll have two pennies *won't I?*"

Most cryonicists have ideas, plans and so on. Many rely on money, and those
whose originators give away their money to help someone else's plans won't
come to fruition. We have been offered programs for various research
projects. We have now been offered what seems an excellent and well argued
project from the Venturists. We gave even been offered bank rate interest.
But we "know" (see note) the future, and that knowledge means that we can
get 20% and sometimes 50% return on money. That knowledge means that
lending money at bank rate is tantamount to giving more than 17% to 47% a
year of it away. It is just another form of giving it away really.

Investing with hindsight is a dubious activity I know, but I wonder how far
the Venturists would have got had they invested their assets in a technology
mutual fund since the year they started, adding as and when available.
Probably they never had any so the answer would be zero - I don't know. -
But I suspect there is a finite number as I think this sort of venture was
tried before despite a lot of worries that lawyers could close it down by
taking its money by using conflict of interest arguments in court.

But it could be possible if there are enough younger people living in
Arizona (or who plan to retire there) who may benefit from the proposed
facility to contribute a small amount now and use technology growth to
provide the relevant funds in a few decades time. Not much help to those
older people amongst us I know, but this is the real world and realities may
not always be as we want it, to coin a phrase.

note:
"know" - if technology does not grow, reanimation of what could under those
circumstances legitimately be called cryopreserved "Remains" will not
happen. So the only world we can ultimately know is one containing
technology growth.

--
Sincerely, John de Rivaz
my homepage links to Longevity Report, Fractal Report, my singles club for
people in Cornwall, music, Inventors' report, an autobio and various other
projects:       http://geocities.yahoo.com/longevityrpt

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=12875