X-Message-Number: 816 Date: 08 May 92 02:45:11 EDT From: Brian Wowk <> Subject: Brain Scan Question To: >INTERNET: David Stodolsky: > Capabilities for reliably storing patient identity as data may be available > before capabilities are available for reliably storing it by suspension. If Quantum statistics demand that billions of Joules be deposited in the brain to achieve micron resolution with x-rays. (A billion billion Joules would be required for molecular resolution.) No scenario has been presented for doing this without simultaneously destroying the brain, recording media, and city they both reside in. Now it is being suggested that this technology might be achieved before reversible brain preservation! This dialogue reminds me of an interview with Hans Moravec in Omni magazine a few years ago. As I recall, Hans was asked what he thought about cryonics, and quickly dismissed it as too "crude." He then explained how he was much more fascinated by reconstructing the identity of deceased persons by using clues left in their environment (writing, photographs, and so on). (!!!!!!!!!!) My reply is: What better clue can a person leave about their identity than their brain? Unfortunately Dr. Moravec's thinking is typical of many people in the AI and computer science community: The enthusiasm exhibited toward new technologies seems to be directly proportional to how impractical they are. Everyone is going on and on about imaging neuronal circuitry (as if identity is just connectivity) and uploading like they are going to happen next week. While this kind of stuff may be fun to talk about, it must be realized that none of it is going to happen within the natural lifetime of anyone reading this message. Believing that we will be able to read out and external store the contents of a human mind in anything less than 40 to 50 years from now is sheer fantasy. I think anyone who says otherwise has just not read enough biology. In the meantime, we are all dying. The question is: What are you going to do about it? Are you going to risk dying before these arcane memory extraction technologies come along, or are you going to arrange to have your brain stored in case things take a bit longer than expected? Think about it. --- Brian Wowk Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=816