X-Message-Number: 3597
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 1995 00:08:46 -0500 (EST)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: CRYONICS Practicalities


I'm a little disappointed to see two very well-informed skeptics (Brian
Wowk and Thomas Donaldson) both saying, in effect, "We know these ideas
emanate from crackpots, but let's just stop and think for a minute of
possible ways they could be made to work." On one level I suppose this is
praiseworthy as a form of redemption--redeeming silly notions that seem
irredeemable--but at the same time it is still an exercise in pointless
speculation, since even if the theory is made sound (sort of) it remains
about as useful to me as equally sound theoretical arguments proving that
time travel is possible if I can find a way to dive into a black hole. 

We have practical problems here, folks, such as the fact that time is
passing and we're getting older FAST, and cryonics is underfunded and full
of major functional flaws. If Laurel and Hardy want to fritter time away
arguing how many crystals of phlogiston can be frozen on the head of a
pin, does it really make sense to dive in and start correcting their
addition sums? 

############################################################
Charles Platt, 1133 Broadway (room 1214), New York, NY 10010
      Voice: 212 929 3983      Fax: 212 929 4467

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