[MURG] Re: Cryonics costs

[Eric Zilli]

I don't mean to imply you're saying otherwise, but I think it's worth
repeating a point I've made before: if anyone is considering cryonics,
it would be very wise to opt for a full-body cryonics option, failing
that: full head and spinal column, failing that: head only, failing
that: carve your name into an ice cube and include a polaroid, if
possible.

I say this because there are at least 2 important parts of the nervous
system that are outside of the brain: the eyes and the
spine/peripheral nerves (so I should probably say 3 important parts).
Your retinas are as unique as your fingerprints and have developed
along with your visual cortex to give you vision (indeed, a lot of
visual processing occurs even before sensory information hits the
optic nerve). To be uploaded without your retinas would likely cause
you significant vision problems, if not complete blindness.
Likewise, some sensory and motor processing occurs in the spine,
before information gets to the brain. Thus, to not save the spine may
drastically interfere with visceral senses and motor control. I
believe this is more easily remedied than loss of a retina though,
assuming motor control of the tongue and other vocal machinery is
intact because while replacing the retina strikes me as nearly
impossible, a crude combination of "move [some body part]" and "where
on your body do you feel [sensation x]" could be used to map out some
of the spinal data, though some loss of specificity seems likely.

These are contrasted with senses such as smell and hearing which (to
my limited knowledge) seem to have very little, if any, peripheral
processing before being transmitted to the olfactory bulb and inferior
colliculus, respectively.

Of the rest of the senses (e.g. taste, acceleration, orientation,
etc), I'm less sure. So I still believe the safest bet is full body
cryonics (hopefully sealed in an air-tight bag to prevent freezer
burn, which can affect taste and texture:)).

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 22:54:15 -0700, James Swayze <swayzej at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> Not quite that serious, $33,000.00 at Cryonics Institute of Michigan
> hrrp://www.cryonics.org. I suppose life insurance is out of the
> question? It may not be, have you checked with Rudi Hoffman?
> RUDIHOFFMA at aol.com He almost had something that would have worked for me
> but just didn't quite make it. However, I have like 4 life threatenig
> illnesses, I don't think you ar as far gone as I as far as the
> insuarance game is concerned. I urge you to check with Rudi. He's *the*
> quintessential cryonics insurance provider.
> 
> You might need to consider combining a $20k death/burial insurance
> policy that is not as health centric. If you could square a life
> insurance policy for 20k and a death/burial one for 20k you'dbe over the
> mark and then have somethingto use for unknows like transportation of
> body costs, or maybe a rider to help CI move your body to the
> uploadingfacility when the time came or possibily the additional cost of
> an expected price increase when they come out with their vitrification
> protocols. Look into this seriously and get your name off the donor list
> to the university because that is the fast way, as fast as burial, to
> final destructio and oblivion.
> 
> James
> 
> --
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-- 
Eric Zilli
Hasselmo Lab - Computational Neurophysiology
Center for Memory and Brain
Boston University
2 Cummington St.
Boston MA, 02215
digfarenough at gmail.com -- www.digfarenough.com