X-Message-Number: 20752
Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 00:01:47 -0500 (EST)
From: Dan Hitt <>
Subject: rich, rich, rich (re message 20735)

Hi John,

Thanks for posting message 20735 (following up on Yvan's parable
of how unlikely it is to be both rich and have ideas---which i'll
leave to WalkerBill [or Dani?] to discuss further: i do think
there are arguments both ways).

Anyhow, i think you bring up some good points and references, but
i think the Saul Kent story can be elaborated a little:

   I am still surprised there are not at least a dozen men out there,
   much wealthier than even Saul Kent, who are totally dedicated to
   extreme life extension research.

My understanding is that Saul Kent (and Bill Falloon?) wasn't even
interested in money until he was in his mid-40s.  Prior to then i
understand he was just another freethinker.  But he somehow got the
idea that if he was going to do something to save lives, he would just
have to have some money to do it.  So he made his money as a
consequence of his desire to make his ideas real.  And i think that
gives him enormous authority to say that if you're not happy with any
existing cryonics organization, then go out and found your own.

I think you're right that we could use, out of the hundreds (or
thousands?) of men and women wealthier than Saul, a dozen who
are totally dedicated to extreme life extension research.

But i think there are some who are financing this kind of research.  I
think that both Genetic Savigs and Clone (http://www.savingsandclone.com)
and Geron (http://www.geron.com) are the brain children of wealthy
people, although i seem to be too inept at searching the web to
provide a good reference for this.

So maybe, given enough rich monkeys we can skip Shakespeare and type
out our own future?

I think maybe Ralph M is right when he says `cheers' after one of
his upbeat messages.

dan

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