Jocelyn Brown wrote:
Mike said:
> >This being said, I am 31 and I have not signed up for cryonic suspension.
> My rationalization for this act of pure laziness and/or stinginess is that
> according to the stats, if I die in the next two decades it is most likely
> to be something which leaves my brain in a useless state, and anything else
> that happens is likely to give me plenty of a heads up that I will have time
> to sign up for suspension before it kills me. ---snip
> That being said, from what I know of medical statistics (which probably
> isn't as much as you know, Mike, since you know so much ;-)) what is most
> likely to kill you in the next couple of decades is heart disease. I don't
> see how this has to leave your brain in a useless state. Neither does
> prostate cancer, another killer of men.
While I am a bit overweight for my age, I have below normal blood pressure, a low metabolic rate, and normal cholesterol levels. I get occasional exercise (once or twice a week). According to the risk factor scales, I am of low risk for heart disease, especially since the only member of my family who suffered from or died from heart disease was a two packs a day smoker. Because of this, I consider heart disease to not be a sudden or near term problem for me.
> I am not a member of Cryocare (I'm signed on with Alcor), but from my
> understanding their organization does not currently accept members above a
> certain age, so if you wanted to go with them you would have to do it soon
> (it may already be too late).
>
> The more members a cryonics organization has, the stronger it is, and the
> more likely it will be that the organization will exist ten or twenty years
> from now when you need it.
I do have a history of procrastination, which tells me I need to get off my duff. I've been toying with the idea for a year or so now.
> A final reason to sign up now is that it doesn't cost that much money to be
> signed up, so you don't have much to lose. Weigh that against the fact that
> it might be harder for you to get life insurance to pay for suspension as
> you get older.
Yes, its always a trade off, evaluating the high value short term gains against discounting long term gains to calculate their present day value.
>
> I, for one, would like to see you in the future:-)
Why thank you. I'm trying my best at the moment to get there in one piece and in as favorable a position as possible. I refuse to be immortal and homeless....;)
Mike Lorrey