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Underground > Laboratory >

Wake me up before you go go...

22:37 / 21.04.05

So, can someone wake me up in time to see australia in the world cup final?

who'd be game? for how long? (mebbe these questions are better in conversation?)

11:33 / 25.04.05

Well I think the subject is an interesting one for the Laboratory - although maybe the delivery (and the summary) aren't really appropriate in here.

For those of you who haven't got to the story yet, scientists have successfully put mice into near-suspended animation by introducing hydrogen sylphide into their air supply. The implications that they were talking about included sending humans to other stars or planets and battlefield treatment of wounded soldiers.

There are obviously some intriguing possibilities here - a completely different path for Alcor-like storage of the near-dead and exploration in space being two of the more obvious. But think of the recreational / social / financial possibilities if such techniques were demonstrably safe for long-term exposure (in the months - low years range). Conceivably you could decide to explore the future by living longer - putting yourself under for the winter, or for every other year. More exciting still - you could put your kids into suspended animation rather than having them put up for adoption in extreme situations, allowing you to get your life on track. Or put your pets under while you went on holiday or went through a stressful work experience where you couldn't give them the attention they deserved.

All of these must sound ridiculous / offensive - but it's worth considering what the implications of such technology being banal and readily available and how people might decide to use it. Anyone else got any thoughts?

20:01 / 25.04.05

The thing about this that really gets my attention is the relative inexpensiveness of this approach. Most ideas for the long-term preservation tend to center around the use of low temperatures, a very expensive method. Using a gas in parts-per-million and then resuscitating by exposure to fresh air places this technique into the same cost-efficiency-accessibility range as anesthesiology rather than cryogenics.

My first thought on the notion of civilian use is the potential for financial hanky-panky. I imagine someone depositing their life-savings into a savings account and sleeping for a century while the interest accrues. This could have dire consequences as people pop in and out of hibernation, dump a ton of money into the economy, and go back to sleep.

Not in the Face

08:42 / 26.04.05

sleeping for a century while the interest accrues

A positive effect of this could be a longer term view of the markets. After all if you know that you will be back in 100 years to get your money, you aren't going to want to invested in high risk activities, but in sure things. Who cares if its a low yield investment - over this time span it doesn't matter. Conversely the current investment strategy seems more orientated around the next big thing and moving on as quickly as possible.

Also these sleepers will need someone to look after their money AND make sure the world is in one place when they wake up again, so greater lobbying on environmental issues?

Downsides of cheap hibernation? Religous backlash? Dodging death=dodging God. Of course once some of those religous types start to get a little too old, they might license it only to themselves?

Also those born in an age when the sleepers have a lot of power via lawyers and accountants will be deprived of a lot of their rights - would sleepers cease to have the vote or could they instruct votes by proxy? DOes anyone know what the current situation is regarding voting rights for people who are physically incapable of voting?

14:32 / 26.04.05

Most people would probably go insane, if they came back after 100 years. They could not handle modern+100 life.

There was a story about that idea in an issue of Transmetropolitan and the people ended up in asylums.

Just think of what happened in the last 100 years. In their reality Oscar Wilde went to prison, now 100.000 gays dance on Christopher Street Day. The Soviet Union came and went. Two World Wars, moon landing, TV, internet, you can fly to the other side of the world in a day, women´s lib, many deadly diseases cured and new ones appearing.

The moment ze steps out of the house, ze´d get run over by a Porsche.

19:01 / 26.04.05

While there would be some difficulties adjusting to a society that had continued apace without them, humans as a species are remarkably adept at adapting to new circumstances. One example would be Ishi, a Native American from California that wandered out of the hills at the beginning of the 1900's and ran smack into "modern" American society. If I recall correctly he found tape to be considerably more interesting than cars.

Xenophobes would have particular difficulty adjusting to future societies just as they have difficulties with foreign modern societies. There would most likely be a psychological test for anybody undergoing recreational hibernation. Anybody who can travel, say, between China and Germany without going insane would probably be safe making their way through the future.

alejandrodelloco

00:16 / 27.04.05

Well, it would make sense in the context of a bomb shelter...

16:50 / 27.04.05

I think the main problem would be *social* -- reaching a point where sleepers could rely on loyal scions/caretakers to keep their affairs in order while they're out napping.

It seems like it'd rely on a near-Eloi/Morlock split, practically -- them what maintain the sleepers' world would have to be fairly different from people today, at least as far as ideas of loyalty, responsibility, etc. go on. Or *else*, the sleepers would have to be wealthy enough to hire professional caretakers for the long term -- which would require immense capital, it seems like.

17:05 / 27.04.05

Oh, and by the way, the paper isn't really talking about cryogenic-style hibernation for hundreds of years (traveling to other stars).

It's talking about slowing down body processes to save on food & water storage for five or 10 years (traveling to Saturn's moons).

That'd be a really stinky five years, though.

04:28 / 30.04.05

[threadrot]

Yeah, it may be stinky, but that isn't stopping me from outfitting my closet with vacuum-sealant tape, an IV drip and twenty cartons of eggs...if I have my calculations right I'll skip through the coming decades on a sulphurous lullaby & the reek ought to subside just in time to deposit me in the Year 2113, where my Pre-Peak Oil technosaavy will make me an unconquerable super-despot.

Or I'll get dug up in 2078 by truffle-hunting Morlocks. It's a risk I'm willing to take.

[end threadrot]