X-Message-Number: 3055
From:  (Thomas Donaldson)
Subject: CRYONICS: re research and its financing
Date: Sun, 4 Sep 1994 10:52:58 -0700 (PDT)


Mr. Schroepel:

I believe Mike Darwin was referring to the 5 trillion figure rather than the
10 billion figure. Mike has not shown any inability to do arithmetic.

Generally:

As Mike himself knows very well, the Mormans aren't a good model for cryonics,
unless you look at them in their very early stages --- when they weren't living
in the West at all, but hadn't yet been thrown out of the Midwest.

The amount of money I would personally donate to cryonics research depends on
several different factors, and I doubt that I'm different here:
1. Will it achieve the goal of brain cryopreservation?
   If I'm the only person doing it, and can only donate $10,000 I think its
   impact will be small. I will therefore want to think carefully about other
   goods I might achieve for myself, as for instance increasing the amount of
   money in my Suspension Fund.

   I could theoretically raise $10,000 very quickly. Yet this alone is clearly
   not enough. I would want to know beforehand that a significant number of
   others were doing the same (I don't mean that ALL the money needed would
   be raised, but that the result would prove a significant investment of my
   money when compared to other choices).

2. Do I really agree with the research strategy?
   Unfortunately it's possible to waste a lot of money. And get nothing. My
   agreement, of course, won't come simply from reading about the planned
   strategy but from some sense that those who are undertaking it have the
   skills and equipment needed. One of the skills isn't scientific: I've
   personally seen several enterprises based on very good ideas in the 
   computing field fall completely apart because of mismanagement, lies to
   the VCs supporting the project, and other such activities which in no
   way cast doubt on the idea itself. 

   This issue may or may not come down to the society supporting this 
   research. 

We very much need research. I hope that something can be put together that
will produce the required investment. But I can see already that doing so will
be HARD, and the difficulty increases with the amount of money requested.

Incidentally, again because I believe I am like most cryonicists, $10,000
would come more from my savings than from my yearly income. In a very good
year 10% of my INCOME may almost reach half of that (computing from what's
left after our friendly taxman takes his share). And that's a good year, 
which this year was not (for me). So even if we do like the Mormon's do,
we may not raise enough in one year.

And finally, I will say that CI's idea (Bob Ettinger's idea?) of contracting
with Ukrainian researchers was a VERY good one. So far it looks like CI is
getting value for money. I WOULD want to think more about whether CI
itself should be the funnel for that money (Sorry, Bob!) if it comes from
other groups. All personalities aside, that would create a temptation
which (looking longterm) might become very unhealthy, even for CI.

			Long long life,

			  Thomas Donaldson
			  

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