I’m not sure whether or not Melody Maxim should count. She isn’t anti-cryonics, but is thoroughly disgusted with the cryonics organizations that exist today- which seems strongly relevant for anyone deciding whether or not to sign up, but not for anyone interested in theoretical probabilities.
I certainly don’t want to sign up with organisations like Alcor and CI. I want to sign up with Virgin Cryonics. Unfortunately the latter doesn’t exist, so I’m signed up with CI. In answer to your question I think there’s a huge gulf between “cryonics is a good idea that should be better implemented than it is” and “cryonics is crazy”.
Having flown on VirginBlue in Australia, presumably this would entail setting up a cryonics operation that buys thirty-year-old equipment cheap, and charging the patients’ families for extra LN2 by the litre. Flying on VirginBlue involves a certain amount of the passengers waving their arms and chanting “I believe in aviation! I believe in aviation!” Why no, it wasn’t a great flight …
Having flown on VirginBlue in Australia, presumably this would entail setting up a cryonics operation that buys thirty-year-old equipment cheap, and charging the patients’ families for extra LN2 by the litre.
It would have been much easier before the blog was made private! (Looking around, apparently that happened over a year ago.)
I think this will give a better impression than one that I can build from my memory. The basic takeaway I recall was that, to a cryomedical technician, the cryonics culture looked like one of wishful thinking, incompetence, and corruption.
It looks like Melody is still posting on LW, though infrequently.
In fact, the link takes me to a Google login screen—which makes it look like that phishing scheme Google just warned us about. There is no reason I should have to login just to read a blog posting.
As far as I can tell, it is a real Google login screen, but still …
It looks like a real google login screen, but I’m clearly logged into google since I’m checking my email in another tab, and it still wants my password. I don’t trust it.
Blogger seems to be a bit different and not quite integrated. For example, I get no password request—it just tells me I’m not allowed and suggests trying a different account.
Yes- it must describe a practical event, not a theoretical event. “Can I survive brain surgery?” is a theoretical question about technology; “Will I survive brain surgery performed by X?” is a practical question that is the conjunction of the first question and “Is X good enough at performing brain surgery?”
I’m not sure whether or not Melody Maxim should count. She isn’t anti-cryonics, but is thoroughly disgusted with the cryonics organizations that exist today- which seems strongly relevant for anyone deciding whether or not to sign up, but not for anyone interested in theoretical probabilities.
I certainly don’t want to sign up with organisations like Alcor and CI. I want to sign up with Virgin Cryonics. Unfortunately the latter doesn’t exist, so I’m signed up with CI. In answer to your question I think there’s a huge gulf between “cryonics is a good idea that should be better implemented than it is” and “cryonics is crazy”.
Virgin Cryonics?
If anyone was going to turn cryonics into a mass-market product, Richard Branson might...
Wow. The same ‘Virgin’ that is known here for the budget airline. I had no idea that he was likely to be into cryonics kinds of ventures too.
Having flown on VirginBlue in Australia, presumably this would entail setting up a cryonics operation that buys thirty-year-old equipment cheap, and charging the patients’ families for extra LN2 by the litre. Flying on VirginBlue involves a certain amount of the passengers waving their arms and chanting “I believe in aviation! I believe in aviation!” Why no, it wasn’t a great flight …
Could not have said it better!
Not that he’s a transhumanist, he just runs a huge variety of different businesses and doesn’t mind doing unusual things eg Virgin Galactic.
Now that the blog has been made private, could you provide a summary of her claims?
It would have been much easier before the blog was made private! (Looking around, apparently that happened over a year ago.)
I think this will give a better impression than one that I can build from my memory. The basic takeaway I recall was that, to a cryomedical technician, the cryonics culture looked like one of wishful thinking, incompetence, and corruption.
It looks like Melody is still posting on LW, though infrequently.
Your link isn’t very useful—I’m told I don’t have permission to read it.
It appears to no longer be public. No clue what’s up with that.
In fact, the link takes me to a Google login screen—which makes it look like that phishing scheme Google just warned us about. There is no reason I should have to login just to read a blog posting.
As far as I can tell, it is a real Google login screen, but still …
It looks like a real google login screen, but I’m clearly logged into google since I’m checking my email in another tab, and it still wants my password. I don’t trust it.
Blogger seems to be a bit different and not quite integrated. For example, I get no password request—it just tells me I’m not allowed and suggests trying a different account.
Is there a ceremony theoretical probabilities must undergo to become practical? :-)
Yes- it must describe a practical event, not a theoretical event. “Can I survive brain surgery?” is a theoretical question about technology; “Will I survive brain surgery performed by X?” is a practical question that is the conjunction of the first question and “Is X good enough at performing brain surgery?”