X-Message-Number: 26789
Date: Tue, 9 Aug 2005 09:37:37 -0400
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: comments on 9 Aug issue Cryonet

Hi Cryonetters!

As for the words "cryoneer" and "suicide", those suggesting them (or
objecting to them) have nothing to say with which I disagree, though
by now the current language looks quite fixed and changing the words
even a small community such as that of cryonics uses looks like it
will be hard.

As for David Stodolsky's calculations, they tell me that cryonics
will remain quite small even by 2040, big in terms of present size
but still quite small compared to almost any other group in the
world (and for 2040, perhaps even the Solar System). The day may
someday come when the rate of growth of cryonics becomes, at least
for a while, far greater, so much that cryonicists become the 
vast majority and those who aren't become almost as rare as 
cryonicists do now. That would require, of course, a rate of 
growth much higher than any present cryonics society. 

As a matter of planning, it's probably best to plan on our societies
remaining small.

I also note one more proposal for how we can commit suicide if 
necessary (note that conditions such as Alzheimer's or brain tumors
may require us to do just that if we want to be suspended while
REALLY alive, rather than just "alive" in the belief of those
who are not cryonicists). I say of this proposal and others that
they do not look like methods which would prevent police and others
from wondering whether we were murdered, and therefore require
an autopsy. Starvation will prevent such a judgement.

Finally, even though Basie does not subscribe to PERIASTRON, I will
point out that scientific work on behavior of our brain cells (including
our neurons) forms one of the main subjects of my newsletter.
Yes, it has its own technicalities, but with patience anyone
reading Cryonet will come to understand it. I will also add that
there's lots of other work worth reporting, too, all of it relevant
to brains, brain damage, and cryonics, and too much for me alone to
handle. But within these limits PERIASTRON is a good way to keep
in touch with what's happening. And I will say this not just to
Basie but to any subscriber to Cryonet.

           Best wishes and long long life to all,

                Thomas Donaldson

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=26789