X-Message-Number: 20271
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 06:39:53 -0400
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #20262 - #20270

Hi everyone!

For Brett Bellmore: I meant what I said and do not retract it.
To clarify, however, I will go through a few points.

1. Does our biological structure and history prevent our brains
   from working faster? First of all, in addition to synapses,
   most cases now the chemical connection plays a larger role,
   at least so far as I understand how real brains (not computers)
   work.

   Given this fact, no serious obstacles to faster neural connections
     seem to exist. If Brett Bellmore wishes to argue differently he
   should look at brains in much more detail. I will also point out
   that organic connectors are being looked at seriously in
   electronic engineering, particularly for circuits which need to
   be flexible.

2. Again, the issue of self-repair arises for living things. 
   Brett slides past this with the simple assertion that such 
   devices can be designed. Out of what materials and how? If
   he's not careful, he will find that he's designed something
   out of organic materials like those of which our own brains
    (and those of salamanders, which can actually repair their
   BRAINS). Sure, self repair is possible, but what kinds of
   machines will these be given that can self-repair?

3. A third issue which I did not mention, but will mention it 
   now: materials. Most living things consist only of relatively
   small amounts of rarer elements. Even calcium or silicon is
   reasonably common. The computers which we make now use much
   rarer elements... and so could not exist in as high numbers.
   When we consider only BRAINS, we get even more of a tendency
   to use more common elements.

   So if someday we want to turn ourselves into some kind of
   computer-like life, then we may find that the universe
   supports many fewer of us than it would of organic life.

I do not think that this settles the issue at all. However the
cryonics community (and some others) is full of speculation about
the new computer-like forms we may someday take. This speculation
needs much more intense understanding of living forms before
it can be taken seriously.

                  Best wishes and long long life for all,

                        Thomas Donaldson

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