X-Message-Number: 29283
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
References: <>
Subject: Re: Mark's lack of a future.
Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2007 15:11:13 -0000

>>>
Message #29261
Subject: Mark's lack of a future.
From: "Perry E. Metzger" <>
<del>
About your "no one is doing anything", Mark: right now VC spending on
energy is on the order of tens of billions of dollars, though a few
years ago it was a tiny fraction of that. I have friends at some of
the largest VCs in the country, and they're all sending heavily on
energy right now.
<<<

I agree. For a public reference to this, (rather than friends) see


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/business/07algae.html?ex=1330923600&en=9d8493faef69e0fe&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

I am less happy with the later optimism about health care, because 
development is still funded by placing the R & D & R costs on early 
adopters. The news in the UK is full of stories about people whose lives 
could be saved by various therapies, but the cost is too high for the state 
funded health services. Their friends have to have try and concentrate the 
money from people around them and then send the patient abroad with a 
million dollars or so to fund the treatment. It may well be that people with 
access to sums of money that are large relative to treatment costs can have 
things now, but the rest will have to wait until the R & D & R costs have 
been paid off. (Research, Development and Reguatory approval)

But, of course, we are now seeing therapies that were first available 25 
years (or however long a medical patent is) ago appearing for the average 
person. It is known that over these 25 years technology has been growing, so 
there are still affordable treatments appearing and they will appear with a 
greater intensity as time moves on. But many people will still die whilst in 
a civilisation where it is physically possible to treat them but for the way 
R&D&R is funded. Also, treatments that require more than a few minutes with 
a highly paid practitioner will always be rationed. Those that involve 
taking pills at home will be much more widely available.



-- 
Sincerely, John de Rivaz:  http://John.deRivaz.com for websites including
Cryonics Europe, Longevity Report, The Venturists, Porthtowan, Alec Harley
Reeves - inventor, Arthur Bowker - potter, de Rivaz genealogy,  Nomad .. and
more

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=29283