Alcor News

On the blog Depressed Metabolism, Alcor member Aschwin de Wolf
has written a detailed technical review of Alcor's vitrification agent
M22. The author provides a history of the cryoprotectants that
preceded M22 and notes that the vitrification agent that Alcor
currently is using is also the state of the art in conventional
cryobiological research: http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/07/08/vitrification-agents-in-cryonics-m22/

On the same blog, Alcor member Shannon Vyff writes about children and
futurism, calorie restriction and cryonics:
http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/07/01/shannon-vyff-on-teaching-children-about-the-future-caloric-restriction-and-cryonics/

Posted by D'Bora at 4:10 PM | Permalink

Membership:
Alcor has 865 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Ten memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, three memberships were cancelled and one member was cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of six members this month.

Current membership demographics are as follows:
Males – 667 Females - 198
Members signed for Neurosuspension – 405
Members signed for Whole Body – 400
Members signed for OO or N/WB – 60
We currently have approximately 38 families (variation of parents and siblings) and 30 married couples

Applicants:
Alcor has 66 applicants for membership.

Information Packets:
Alcor received 274 information packet requests, 8 were handed out during facility tours or from special requests. The average total of 252 info packs sent per month in 2008 as compared to 129 in 2007.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:22 PM | Permalink

Research and Development
Our preparation of the new whole-body vitrification system is nearing the alpha testing phase. The patient enclosure has been tested periodically to ensure our design refinements are performing as expected. Changes include altering the configuration and flow of the nitrogen injectors, adding additional insulation, increasing the size of the plenum, and constructing a mounting platform for the circulating fans.

Readiness
Regina Pancake, Readiness Coordinator, attended the training session held by Cryonics Institute and one of our own in southern California. The focus of the southern California training was a review of changes we have been making to the medications kit. We have settled on a new design that pre-packages everything needed to prepare the medications for administration, and this design was well-received by the southern California team. It is simpler and clearer for the team members, and the few modifications suggested by the team are being implemented.

As part of the recovery process, we have been building new medication kits for the regions. We will soon be replacing all of the med kits in the regions with fresh medications and with the new packaging.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:20 PM | Permalink

by David Flude - CUK Organiser (edited by Veronique Struis)

On May 3 & 4 British support group, Cryonics UK (CUK) held their annual meeting as part of a 2 day training meeting. Both CI and Alcor members attended the meeting, which marked big changes in the British organisation. After 18 years as Training Manager, Alan Sinclair decided to step down as Training Manager, but he is staying on as CUK President & Team Consultant. To thank him for his long-term contribution Alan was made a Lifetime President of CUK.

During the annual meeting CUK introduced a new policy of involving all members in the decision making process and increasing the number of committee officers managing the CUK. The committee has been nearly doubled & the following officers were elected:

President for Life - Alan Sinclair
Secretary & Webmaster - Mark Walker
Treasurer - Graham Hipkiss
Membership Manager - Mark Willis
Organiser - David Flude
Team Leader - Mark Walker
2nd Team Leader - TBA

The officers gave their yearly reports during the meeting in which Mark Walker outlined his plans for new sub committees to empower ordinary members, Alan Sinclair highlighted one of the main problems with the current transport vehicle, Mark Willis gave a description of the new CUK Membership database he has created and David Flude suggested that the whole emphasis of the group should change to gain momentum from the Life Extension movement, rather than just as a Cryonics Standby Team.

Continue reading "Report of Cryonics UK (CUK) Annual General Meeting 3 & 4 May, 2008" »

Posted by D'Bora at 5:07 PM | Permalink

Robert A. Freitas Jr. and Martine Rothblatt, PhD have accepted the Board’s nomination to join to the Scientific Advisory Board. Welcome Robert and Martine!

Posted by D'Bora at 6:33 PM | Permalink

Research and Development
Our preparation of the new whole-body vitrification system continues, and we are nearing the end of that project. A punch list has been created for the automation, and we anticipate this portion to be completed soon. We have been modifying an old operating room table to support the patient enclosure, a task that became necessary when we expanded the plenum in hopes of improving nitrogen distribution for the cooling plate.

Dewar Maintenance Update
Bigfoot-10’s pump down continues, and it is at 10 microns (210 degrees C) after 1800 hours on the pump. We are estimating a June conclusion to this effort as steps are being taken to firmly deal with the dewar contractors to resolve the situation regarding the purchase of dewars in the future.

Financial Statements
Tanya Jones will contact the accountants to see if the massive amounts of data already assembled for the financial reviews of 2006 and 2007 will be sufficient to start the audit.

Administrative Statistics
Membership: On April 30, 2008, Alcor had 859 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Ten memberships were approved during the month of April, no memberships were reinstated, one membership was cancelled and one member was cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of eight members this month.

Applicants: At the end of this month Alcor had 67 applicants for membership. 11 new applicants were added, 10 applicants were converted to members and 2 applicants were cancelled resulting in a net loss of 1 applicant for this month.

Information Packages: 316 info packs were requested this month, 15 were handed out during facility tours or from special request. The average total of 246 info packs sent per month in 2008 as compared to 129 in 2007.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:05 PM | Permalink

Alcor gave permission for The Tartan to use its photos for an article. Please note: They declined our offer to do fact-checking before publishing the article.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:59 PM | Permalink

On March 31, 2008, Alcor had 851 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Eleven memberships were finalized in March. We started emailing the applicants to forewarn them when extended fees are to be applied to their account. By giving them over a month of warning, they have time to finish their membership arrangements and avoid the fee.

We received 16 new applicants this month. We started offering prospective members the opportunity to complete their membership application over the phone. This time-saving option has been received quite positively.

We are pleased with recent efforts to increase the applicant queue. More applications have been submitted in the past four months (64) than the total number of applications submitted in the first eleven months of 2007 (51). Alcor’s free information package is also being requested by prospective members via Alcor’s website 215 times monthly, exceeding the previous yearly average of 150 requests per month. Also subscription to Cryonics Magazine has more than tripled in the last six months.

Posted by D'Bora at 2:37 PM | Permalink

We changed answering services this month. Our previous service was unsatisfactory therefore we have replaced it with a medical-oriented answering service that appears to be performing well. This service was in place when the calls started on the most recent case, and we are so far satisfied with their performance. One of the advantages to this new company is that we can listen to the calls after the emergency situation concludes, so that we can refine our instructions for them. A broader description of what kinds of information Alcor needs when responding in an emergency will be posted to our blog at a later date.

Posted by D'Bora at 2:32 PM | Permalink

The next Northern California Alcor meeting is Sunday, April 13, 4pm at the small clubhouse of Cypress Point Lakes Condominiums, 505 Cypress Point Dr, Mtn View.

If you want to join in the potluck, please bring some food to share, the popular potluck rule of thumb is “bring about as much food as you would care to eat were you by yourself”.

For detailed directions please click on the the link below:

Continue reading "Alcor Northern California Meeting" »

Posted by D'Bora at 4:05 PM | Permalink

Cryonics UK invites you to join them for the Annual General Meeting of Cryonics UK. Don't miss this opportunity to socialize with like-minded people to discuss topics of interest in the field of cryonics, attend lectures and workshops.

Date: Saturday & Sunday, May 3rd. & 4th. 2008
Time: 10am-4.30pm both days
Place: 4 Mount Caburn Crescent, Peacehaven, E. Sussex, BN10 8DW
Hosted by: Alan & Sylvia Sinclair (For many years Alan & Sylvia have been generously providing Food & Drink, a comfortable place for the Meetings)

More information about this event and to RSVP.

To learn more about Cryonics UK please visit their website at: cryonics.uk.com

Posted by D'Bora at 6:05 PM | Permalink

ABC Nightline will air a segment about cryonics tonight, Monday, March 31st sometime between 11:35 pm and 12:05 am (ET).

Watch a clip of "Live to Be 150 … Can You Do It?", an ABC News Barbara Walters special, which air tomorrown on Tuesday, April 1st at 10 p.m. ET.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:01 PM | Permalink

“Live to be 150 . . . Can You Do It?” will air Tuesday, April 1, at 10:00 p.m. (ET) on ABC.

Don’t miss this Barbara Walters Special Report, which explores the elusive answers to living longer and staying younger. The report will include interviews with Alcor COO Tanya Jones and Alcor member Shannon Vyff who discuss cryopreservation. Dr. Aubrey de Grey also shares his theory for defeating aging and extending the human lifespan. Other topics of discussion include regenerating body parts using stem cells and cloning; calorie-restrictive diets; a “miracle” pill called Resveratrol; and aging gracefully. The show also brings a group of centenarians together to discuss their remarkable longevity and to clear up misconceptions about living to 100.

The show is featured on the ABC website. We encourage our supporters to educate the public about cryonics by respectfully posting on the website after the show airs.

Post a Comment on the ABC News Website.

Read Full Press Release

Continue reading "Update: ABC News & Barbara Walters Special" »

Posted by D'Bora at 4:10 PM | Permalink

Wish you could have attended the 2007 conference? Don’t worry . . . the conference will come to you! The 2007 Alcor Conference DVD set is now in production and will be available soon! This 2 DVD set will include a tour of the Alcor facility AND intriguing presentations with Q&A sessions for the following conference speakers:

• Steve Bridge: Why We Are Here and Where We Are Going
• Brian Wowk, PhD: Common Questions about Cryobiology and Cryonics
• Stephen Van Sickle: Research Directions at Alcor
• Tanya Jones: Improving Cryopreservation Technology at Alcor
• Ralph Merkle, PhD: Molecular Nanotechnology and the Repair of Cryopreserved Patients
• Michael West, PhD: Immortal Cells: The Prospect of Regenerative Medicine
• Aubrey de Grey, PhD: Is it Politically Safe for a Biologist to Support Cryonics Publicly?
• Ralph Merkle, PhD; Michael Seidl, PhD, JD; Stephen Van Sickle; Brian Wowk, PhD: Alcor board panel
• David Crippen, MD; Tanya Jones; Leslie Whetstine, PhD; Aschwin de Wolf: Human Cryopreservation and Critical Care Medicine Panel
• Steven Harris, MD: Rapid Hypothermia Induction Methods and Brain Oxygen Requirements in Resuscitation and Cryonics
• Calvin Mercer, PhD: Cryonics and Religion: Friends or Foes?
• Christine Peterson: Life Extension: Good News, Bad News, Surprising News
• Chris Heward, PhD: The Kronos Longitudinal Aging Study: The Measurement of Human Aging.

For a limited time only receive your DVD Set at our special pre-order rate of $39.95 plus shipping and handling. Order online at: www.shop.alcor.org or call 1-877-462-5267 ext 101.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:34 PM | Permalink

Clinical and Readiness
A second ice bath for the new emergency transport kits has been completed. The construction of the liner will be modified slightly before making any more, because there are ways to simplify fabrication. The latest modifications to the general design have resulted in a significant weight reduction in the ice baths, which bodes well for the portability of our overall stabilization kit design.

Membership and Marketing
On November 30, 2007, Alcor had 832 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. One membership was approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, one membership was cancelled and no members were cryopreserved.

One hundred forty-four info packs were mailed this month, 6 were handed out during facility tours or from special request. The average total of 127 info packs sent per month in 2007 is compared to 164 in 2006.

Financial
Alcor interviewed several accounting firms and sent several bids to the Alcor Audit Committee. The board of directors accepted the committee’s recommendation that Alcor retain the firm Mayer Hoffman McCann.

New Patient
The Patient Care Trust has approved the acceptance of a new patient. The patient is brain only, and has been chemopreserved for several years. The patient is currently in cooldown to liquid nitrogen temperature. This is Alcor’s 78th patient.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:16 PM | Permalink

It was previously reported that Alcor is designing a new integrated cardiopulmonary bypass system for its air transportable perfusion (ATP) system. During cryopreservation cases, the ATP takes over the function of the patient's own heart and a heat exchanger in the heart-lung machine reduces the patient's temperature to a few degrees above the freezing point of water. Blood is also replaced with an organ preservation solution that is specially designed to support life at low temperature.

This ATP design, still under evaluation, has several advantages. For instance, it uses a centrifugal pump, which is significantly safer than peristaltic pumps because they make it much more difficult to create dangerously high pressures and are much less prone to passing massive gas emboli (air bubbles).

Continue reading "Engineering Development" »

Posted by D'Bora at 4:14 PM | Permalink

The year 2007 is fast coming to a close, and with it the opportunity for tax deductible donations to the charities of your choice. Now is the perfect time for you to choose to make out your end-of-year donation check to the Alcor Foundation. Afterall, it is the goodwill of our small community of supporters that often makes the difference.

Can't write a check for $5,000? Even small donations would make a difference for Alcor at this time of year. Just $100 from each one of you would significantly benefit Alcor's general operating fund.

It is through the generous donations of our members and supporters such as you that Alcor continues to progress in the field of cryonics. Your trust, continued encouragement, and decision to donate to the Alcor Foundation are greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, feel free to call us at the toll-free number (877/462-5267 ext 101).

Posted by D'Bora at 1:45 PM | Permalink

There will be a regular December meeting of the Alcor Board of Directors this coming Saturday, December 1. It will be held at our Scottsdale facility at 11:00 AM Arizona time. All are invited, and lunch is served afterwards.

Posted by at 4:32 PM | Permalink

Friends, Cryonicists, Futurists – You are invited to a CryoFeast and CatWarming party at the home of Peter & Louise Voss in Playa del Rey on Saturday, December 15th, from 3pm to 8pm.

Food & soft drinks will be provided, but you are welcome to bring some additional dishes and/or drinks. The party location is:

7828 W 81st Street
Playa del Rey, CA 90293
The Voss residence is a little difficult to find. Use this link for directions: http://www.optimal.org/directions.html.

Please RSVP to Peter at 310.822.4533.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:55 PM | Permalink

On November 3, 2007, Alcor elected Ravin Jain as its newest member to the Board of Directors.

Dr. Ravin Jain is a neurologist practicing in the Los Angeles area and also serves as Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurology at the UCLA School of Medicine. He attended Northwestern University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a double major in geology and integrated sciences. He received his M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine. At Baylor, he was a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship. He did residency training in internal medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. His neurology residency was done at the UCLA Medical Center. He also completed a fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology and Neuromuscular Disease at UCLA. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He has been a suspension member of Alcor since 1989 and a member of the Alcor Medical Advisory Board since 1999.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:29 PM | Permalink

Depressed Metabolism, the technical cryonics blog launched in early September by Aschwin and Chana de Wolf, now has its own domain name!

To receive up-to-date technical cryonics reporting, point your browser to: depressedmetabolism.com If you are interested in contributing to the blog, please contact the authors at: depressed.metabolismATgmail.com.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:25 PM | Permalink

Non-profit organizations like Alcor depend on volunteers to improve the bottom line. Unfortunately, some of our most enthusiastic members live too far away to help out at the Alcor facility in Arizona. To rectify this situation, we are happy to announce the addition of the Volunteer Opportunities page to the website, which lists volunteer opportunities that may be completed remotely.

Please bookmark and check back frequently if you don't see an opportunity that suits your skills -- we'll be updating the list as projects move forward.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:18 PM | Permalink

We apologize if your name was not published in this year's directory. The way we approached it was to require anyone who wanted to be included to fill out a special form, which was sent in August. Although nearly half our members filled out the form, there were several who overlooked it.

Next year, we plan to do multiple mailings, so as to minimize the chances of the form being overlooked by people who want to be included. We also plan to allow people to give "perpetual" permission for inclusion, as there are several members who are very open about their membership arrangements.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:17 PM | Permalink

Testing of several engineering developments is underway, including the Advanced Cryoprotective Perfusion System (ACPS), the patient enclosure, and the Air Transportable Perfusion system (ATP). The ACPS, which will enable computer control of the process of perfusing the body with cryoprotectants during cryopreservation, is being incrementally tested. Control code is in place for system calibration, perfusate flow rate, vascular pressure, temperature, concentration, and mixing reservoir fluid level. The patient enclosure, which will have the ability to cool a patient following surgery, is easily able to reach -110 degrees C. We’re cooling to -100 degrees C while the patient is still in the operating room because it reduces the patient’s exposure to toxic cryoprotectant at high temperatures. The patient will be moved for second-stage cooling down to -196 degrees C at a safer handling temperature.

Continue reading "Engineering Developments in Cryonics" »

Posted by D'Bora at 3:51 PM | Permalink

Renovations to Alcor’s lab spaces continue. A new protective coating was applied to the floors, the walls have been painted, and new cabinets have been installed in the cardiopulmonary bypass lab, the large animal training room, and the dry lab. Countertops will be added next. Despite the disruption caused by renovation, Chana de Wolf was able to complete three surgical training sessions in preparation for her upcoming experiments.

Additional facility improvements, including a fresh coat of paint for the building and a new layer of asphalt for the parking lot, were provided courtesy of Cryonics Property, LLC.

Clinical Readiness
Alcor has redesigned its portable ice bath (PIB) and is in the process of replicating it. Some minor modifications are being made to the original design, mostly with regard to the choice of wheels and the upper railing.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:46 PM | Permalink

Peter Voss, Alcor’s southern California Regional Coordinator, has resigned. He continues to store the California emergency transport vehicle and stabilization supplies until a replacement is found.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:40 PM | Permalink

One pet cryopreservation was performed on a member's beloved cat in October. Alcor now has 33 pets in its care.

An elderly, long-time member in California suffered a pair of apparent seizures recently. He was briefly hospitalized and released after a period of overnight observation. After additional tests were completed, Alcor personnel visited this member in San Diego to assess his condition. The member continues to be cared for by a close relative and Alcor will monitor his condition through close contact.

Probate Matters: The A-1097 probate is nearing conclusion, and the executor is preparing to close the estate, now that all taxes are filed and paid. Alcor has been reimbursed for the renovations made to this patient’s property, which was bequeathed to Alcor and is on the market in California.

Posted by D'Bora at 11:09 AM | Permalink

The 7th Alcor Conference was held in early October. Of the paid registrants, 40 were members of Alcor and 43 were non-members. Total attendance was approximately 125 people, including registrants, staff, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, press and other special guests. A total of $14,500 in sponsorships was collected. The conference DVD will be professionally edited and pre-orders are now being accepted on the Alcor webstore: www.shop.alcor.org

Posted by D'Bora at 11:07 AM | Permalink

Approximately 85 Alcor members are over 90 days past due on their membership dues. Alcor is actively attempting to reach them for payment or payment arrangements. Timely payment of membership dues is required to remain a member in good standing.

The 2007 Membership Directory was mailed out this week. Alcor took the opportunity to include a form for confirming the correct contact information for each member, which is important for ensuring we can reach them in an emergency or if their life insurance lapses, etc.

As of October 31, 2007, Alcor had 832 members, following approval of seven new memberships. Five new applicants were added, two of whom applied at the 7th Alcor Conference.

Posted by D'Bora at 11:03 AM | Permalink

Alcor’s Tanya Jones spoke at the Foresight Vision Weekend in Sunnyvale, California, and an Alcor member handed out literature at the Calorie Restriction Society conference in San Antonio, Texas. Attendees at the Calorie Restriction Society conference are devoted to longevity, and two new applicants for membership with Alcor have resulted thus far.

Posted by D'Bora at 9:56 AM | Permalink

The fifth CR Society Conference will be held at Sunset Station in San Antonio, TX. The Conference will run from Wednesday November 7 through Sunday November 11, 2007. The Conference will open with a welcoming reception/registration on Wednesday evening November 7 starting at 6:30 pm. The presentations will start Thursday November 8 at 9:00 am and end Sunday Sunday November 11 at 11:00 am.

The Conference webpage:
http://www.calorierestriction.org/conferences-2007
Sunset-Station
http://www.sunset-station.com/home.html

Map of Sunset-Station and our hotels
http://www.sunset-station.com/abouthss/locationmap.html

Continue reading "CR Society Conference " »

Posted by D'Bora at 4:07 PM | Permalink

On August 31, 2007, Alcor had 829 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Four memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, no memberships were cancelled and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of four members this month. Currently, there are 712 cryopreservation members and 77 patients. Alcor has 38 applicants for membership. 155 info packs were mailed, 10 were handed out during facility tours. The average total of 119 info packs sent per month in 2007 is compared to 164 in 2006.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:47 PM | Permalink

7th Alcor Conference
Attendance for the 7th Alcor Conference is good at about 100 attendees, though not a large as 2006. The crowd make-up is very similar to last year, in that only about half of the registrants are already members of Alcor. The next conference will be likely be held in 18-24 months. Thanks to our sponsors this year, who contributed $14,000 in support of this event: Life Extension Foundation, Michael Fleischmann, Patrice Levin & Nigel Kell, Immortality Institute, Hospice of the Valley, Cryonics Property LLC, Andrew Popper, Novamente, The Longevity Meme, Betterhumans, The Calorie Restriction Society, and Rudi Hoffman.

Events
Alcor had a presence at the Singularity Summit held in Stanford, California, and Dragon-Con held in Atlanta, Georgia. Literature about Alcor was distributed at both events, and a panel presentation was conducted at the latter.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:44 PM | Permalink

As of mid-July, invoices over 90 days past due tallied nearly $73,000. This is believed to be primarily the result of having changed to email-only invoices about a year ago. After a mailing explaining the billing difficulties, the past due amount was reduced to around $50,000 by late-August. Incoming payments dropped off at that point, so collection calls were made to the remaining members with a balance over 90 days past due.

Alcor’s 2006 taxes have been completed. Interviews of several local firms have concluded and are final proposals and references are being collected for presentation to the board of directors, who will select the firm to conduct Alcor’s annual review and/or audit.

Probate Matters
The A-2309 last-minute case is in a state of limbo because of the lack of an executor for the estate. There is no one to carry out the decedent’s wishes. Several strategies are being discussed with our attorneys.

The A-1097 probate also continues. Renovations on the property bequeathed to Alcor are complete and the house is listed for sale at a competitive price. Our realtors recently held the first open house. Alcor was informed this month that it is the beneficiary listed on this patient’s IRA account and the funds can be distributed independent of the probate proceedings.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:36 PM | Permalink

The whole body vitrification system is in the final stretches. This project has turned out to be more complex than anticipated, but the end result is expected to be truly extraordinary. The new system will be the most advance human cryopreservation system in the world, with complete integration and control of the relevant cryopreservation parameters, cooling, operator feedback, safety systems, and graceful failure modes. Testing will be just beginning in early October, but an excellent demonstration will be offered during the 7th Alcor Conference open house.

Additional progress is being made in the custom fabrication of a heat exchanger for use with perflurocarbon cooling and the evaluation of a new integrated cardiopulmonary bypass system for the air transportable perfusion (ATP), which has the promise of significantly reducing the size and weight of the system for stabilization and transport.

Clinical Update
Bigfoot 12 is now ready to accept patients. The filling manifold has been extended to include the new dewar and the fill gauge built and installed. This dewar may be sent back to the manufacturer for re-wrapping of the insulation. The Bigfoot-1 repair continues. Hugh Hixon has pumped down the vacuum in the dewar for over 1,500 hours, reaching the temperature of 210 degrees C, in an attempt to remove the water collected in the system. Vacuum pressure has been reduced to 6 microns and is holding steady. It will continue to be pumped down until it is stable for two weeks, and then it will be tested with nitrogen.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:32 PM | Permalink

Paul Battista would to start a cryonics group to meet on a regular basis in the Chicago, IL area.

The primary purpose for these meetings would be to provide opportunities for like-minded people to discuss topics of interest pertaining to cryonics and related fields.

If you are interested in building a sustainable cryonics community in the Chicago, IL area please email Paul at: pbatt72@hotmail.com.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:23 PM | Permalink

A new and exciting entity has entered the blogosphere with the creation of Depressed Metabolism, a technical cryonics blog launched in early September 2007 by Aschwin and Chana de Wolf.

The feasibility of reversible human cryopreservation is the feasibility of the sum of its parts and encouraging progress has been made in limiting injury to cryonics patients. Depressed Metabolism seeks to disseminate technical information and report new research findings in fields relevant to human cryopreservation in an effort to inform and improve the science and practice of cryonics. Brain aging, an important corollary topic, will also be considered in depth.

To receive up-to-date technical cryonics reporting, point your browser to http://depressedmetabolism.wordpress.com.

If you are interested in contributing to the blog, please contact the authors at: depressed.metabolismATgmail.com.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:08 PM | Permalink

A production company filming for Modern Marvels recently visited Alcor to film the facility and gather research information on the cryopreservation process for their upcoming program on the History Channel. While visiting Alcor the crew arrived just in time to film the transfer of Alcor’s latest patient from a temporary cool down dewar to a permanent dewar. The piece will also include a brief overview of the main steps of a cryopreservation process.

Modern Marvels Episode: Deep Freeze will officially be airing on the History Channel on Tuesday, September 25th at 8pm EST.

Here is a link with more info:

www.history.com

Mark your calendars and spread the word!

Posted by D'Bora at 1:00 PM | Permalink

If you are curious about what happens at an Alcor board meeting we encourage you to attend this event on Friday, September 7, 2007, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. This a great opportunity to meet Alcor Board Members and staff who are in the area to attend the Singularity Summit. Coffee, tea, water and hors d'oeuvres will be available during the meeting.

This meeting will take place at:
The Metropolitan Club
640 Sutter Street
San Francisco CA 94102
415/673.0600
see map

If you are interested in attending this meeting, please RSVP no later than Tuesday, September 4 as seating is very limited.

For more information or to ask questions, please contact D'Bora Tarrant, Alcor Front Office Administrator, at 877/462-5267 ext. 101.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:35 PM | Permalink

Annual elections will be held at the September 7, 2007 Board meeting. This meeting will be held in the Northern California area. All Alcor Board meetings are open to the public and we encourage everyone to attend. Please revisit this blog later in the week for more details about time and location.

Special Note: Alcor representatives will be attending the Singularity Summitt in San Francisco on September 8 & 9.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:01 PM | Permalink

The next meeting will be the Annual Board Meeting on September 7, 2007. This meeting will be held in San Francisco, California. The location and time will be determined at a later date.

Posted by D'Bora at 6:20 PM | Permalink

There was discussion of the following topics:

- The whole body cryopreservation system is very close to getting the operational features in place.

- There are currently 34 applicants in the queue.

Posted by D'Bora at 6:19 PM | Permalink

There was discussion of the following topics:

- Two volunteers/interns from Mesa Community College Biotechnology program will start July 9th.
- Membership total is currently 827.

Posted by D'Bora at 12:11 PM | Permalink

This meeting will take place on July 15th at 5:00 pm. The primary purpose of this meeting will be to get to know others in the area who share a similar attitude towards cryonics and other related fields.

Meeting Location:
Peartree Apts in the Rec Rm
330 N Mathilda Ave
Sunnyvale, California

Posted by D'Bora at 3:48 PM | Permalink

Board meetings are typically held on the first Saturday of the month. Due to the 4th of July holiday, the next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 30, 2007, at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ) at 11:00 AM (PST). Members and the public are encouraged to attend.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:36 PM | Permalink

There was a discussion of the following topics:

- Two Portuguese applicants’ insurance policies were approved.

- 2006 Conference DVD will be out shortly.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:30 PM | Permalink

Attention, Phoenix area cryonicists: Join your local monthly Cryonics Meetups to socialize with like-minded people, discuss topics of interest in the field of cryonics, and help build a sustainable cryonics community. The next Meetup will be held June 21, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome (no affiliation with Alcor required)!

For more information and to RSVP, please visit the Phoenix Cryonics Meetup Group at Meetup.com.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:25 PM | Permalink

This meeting will take place on Sunday, July 15th at 5:00 pm. The primary purpose of this meeting will be to get to know others in the area who share a similar attitude towards cryonics and other related fields.

Continue reading "Northern California Alcor Meeting" »

Posted by D'Bora at 3:59 PM | Permalink

There will be a Board of Directors meeting for JUNE Saturday, June 2, at 11:00 am Arizona time. All are welcome to attend. The meeting usually takes one to two hours, and is followed by a buffet lunch.

Continue reading "Board of Directors Meeting" »

Posted by D'Bora at 2:44 PM | Permalink