X-Message-Number: 18865
From: 
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 04:22:39 EST
Subject: Destruction of Archival Material

In a message dated 3/25/02 2:01:12 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
 writes:

> I was disturbed to hear about the destruction of old cryonics 
>  correspondence by both Bob and Mike Darwin. My reason is simple:
>  such correspondence will eventually tell us a good deal about
>  how cryonics successfully came into existence. As historical
>  material it is irreplaceable.

My understanding from public postings and some private correspondence is that 
Bob disposed of most of his material (largely correspondence) before he made 
his move from Michigan to Arizona. Bob would, of course, be the best source 
for information on this and it is possible I'm entirely mistaken. However, I 
don't think so.

The destruction of the material I have is prioritized by likelihood of need. 
Photographs and videos not related to ongoing work, and old correspondence 
which has not been accessed in over a decade or more have already been 
destroyed. I do not consider shredding and subsequent landfill deposition 
adequate, and fires are illegal here with a few exceptions, fireplaces being 
one of them. Fortunately, we heat the front area of our home entirely with 
the fireplace and good rag paper, videocassettes, and photographic material 
make great kindling. 
  
I have made arrangements with several trustworthy people to completely and 
definitively destroy all personal documents, photographs and magnetic media 
which are in my possession at the time of my death. There is an "exceptions 
box" in which current records that are not my property such as ongoing work 
in research for others, patient records being worked on, and similar 
materials are kept in.

As some people on Cryonet will know, I do not take pictures and am virtually 
never seen with a camera in my hands. I have no pictures of any vacation I've 
ever been on as an adult, or of any of the many unusual places to which I've 
traveled.  

If people want copies of what I write or what is written to me by them they 
should be advised to keep and make them. In many cases this now both routine 
and automatic with the advent of email. 

>  I would hope that both men reflect a bit more about what they
>  are doing... assuming that the destruction hasn't already
>  occurred. And if it has, then that's too bad. Its storage,
>  of course, would have to be undertaken by some other agency
>  in any case... I personally doubt that either man will live
>  long enough to reach immortality without suspension. We
>  and others who don't use Cryonet would need to work out
>  a storage system, and it looks to me (assuming destruction
>  hasn't happened) that we'd have had to do so soon.

I personally doubt that I will be cryopreserved well enough to be 
resuscitated, let alone live long enough for "immortality." Indeed, as 
history as shown it almost hubris to assume you'll get cryopreserved at all.

An interesting thing about reviewing "archival" information is to realize how 
little our accessible memories really hold and how distorted that memory 
often is. I frequently looked over each sheet of material as I fed it into 
the fire this winter and was astounded to find how much information was there 
that was not (apparently) in my head.

Thomas and others should know that I've reflected very carefully on my 
decision over a period of years. My reasons are intensely personal and have 
to with privacy. Some will think that shame or guilt might be a motive; they 
are not, but there will be no persuading those who wish to think this is the 
reason and they are free to do so.

Finally, the loss is hardly as grievous as it might seem. Much of what I've 
written in the way of correspondence and personal thoughts is disseminated 
fairly widely, and when I left Alcor I left all my correspondence and 
electronic media generated by me during my tenure there. Much of the 
electronic media is almost certainly gone: I'll buy anybody at Alcor dinner 
who can produce even 4 CPM Kaypro diskettes containing routine 
correspondence.  FYI, I still have the working Kaypro, manuals and boot up 
diskettes which no one there wanted when I left nearly 15 years ago! 

Similarly, video archives exist in a number of places as do photo archives; 
by far the most comprehensive would be at Alcor if they have been properly 
maintained. At one time there two side-loading filing cabinets packed to 
capacity with neatly labeled and organized VHS tapes. 

I feel regret that these things may survive with my image and personal 
comments in them, but I have great respect for the property of others and I 
believe that when you are paid for, or consent to the use of your image or 
intellectual property you have a profound obligation to honor that, and I 
will do so.

I do hope that the technical and scientific intellectual property I have 
generated survives and contributes materially to the Universe being a better, 
more joyful place in which to live, in the same way that I hope the ideas of 
Aristotle or Einstein survive. In my case I only wish it could be done 
anonymously. Perhaps, in a just future, this will be sorted out and I will be 
granted my wish. I'm certainly not Aristotle or Einstein so the passage of 
time will probably take care of that all on its own ;-).

Cryonicists are great collectors and great lovers of information. They are 
often compulsive photographers and document hoarders. I understand this very 
well and have many artifacts of my own.

However, the western American Indians were right: when you allow someone to 
take your picture you've allowed them to take your soul. The same is true 
with that which you write. As our technology advances it will make every word 
written (and perhaps uttered) graven immutably for all to access. Just go to 
Google and ask it any question you like. I just asked it "Who is Thomas 
Donaldson the cryonicist?" I got 410 hits in 0.5 seconds. If you just ask it 
who Thomas Donaldson is you get most of the 410 hits (along with many others) 
and you only have to go down a few hits until you find the particular Thomas 
Donaldson who is also a cryonicist. (Sorry Thomas, but you are not at the top 
of the Google list). 

Recently, I had the relative of a cryonics patient who was a total stranger 
to me come up to me and hand me just about every controversial, critical, or 
angry post I've written about cryonics. It was a not unexpected, but still 
very sobering experience. 

God or Santa Claus is here and his name is the Internet. There are many paths 
to him and sometimes much wisdom is required in phrasing questions put to 
him. His Archangels and interceding saints are the search engines. 

The Universal AC has finally arrived, nascent though it is. Asimov would be 
proud.

Mike Darwin

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