NEWS & VIEWS
CI Presidents Report
The veil of secrecy has been removed concerning the vitrification mixture used by the Cryonics Institute. The formula has been published on the CI website and appears at the end of this report. Although we were wanting to obtain a patent, this was not feasible. Disclosure became our best option for precluding anyone else from preventing us from using the formula. We also believe that this is a public relations positive, because there were many who questioned our use of a formula which we would not disclose. They did not trust that it would work as claimed. I believe that we may have lost potential Members because of this.
One year after having held a Potluck Dinner I have scheduled another one for Sunday, March 25 at 6pm at the CI Facility. As with the Potluck one year ago, this Potluck is being scheduled to coincide with a meeting of the CI Directors and Advisors. As with the past Potlucks there will be a 7pm lecture by me. This time the topic is "Can Sex Hormones Safely Rejuvenate Older Adults". "Rejuvenation" may be a strong word for possible amelioration of menopause and andropause, but I seriously consider the risks. My lecture will not be "snake oil hype".
For our 77th patient we made our second attempt to perfuse the body with ethylene glycol after having vitrified the brain. Again, the results were unsatisfactory and we are re-evaluating our options. We learned a great deal on this case which will benefit future patients, although not this patient. But the same can be said for past patients who benefited this patient. See the detailed case report elsewhere in this magazine (which is a shortened version of the case report on the CI website.) We are upgrading our cooling box software and are getting a second set of hardware. One set can be kept in the research facility and the other set kept in the main facility. Although we have a warranty, I am a worry-wart and I like the idea of having a back-up system available. It also gives us the capability of cooling a pet and a human patient at the same time. Human patients can take several days to cool, so we need not interrupt use of the other cooling box for new software allows for maximal rate of passive warming, which can be useful for annealing. It has an alarm system which rings a buzzer as well as automatically making phone calls should an unexpected liquid nitrogen interruption occur.
As at 28-Feb-2007 the Cryonics Institute (CI) has 648 Members,
288 of whom have funding and contracts in place for cryopreservation at CI. Of
the 288, 26 also have funding and contracts in place for Standby and Transport
from Suspended Animation. There are 77 patients in cryostorage, 48 pets and 119
tissue/DNA samples (both human and pet). By country, the 648 Members can be
classified as follows:
476 United States
46 United Kingdom
30
Australia
27 Canada
15 Germany
10 Netherlands
7 Spain
5
Sweden
4 France
4 Italy
3 Greece
2 Belgium
2 Denmark
2
Ireland
2 Isle of Man
2 New Zealand
2 Singapore
1 Austria
1
Chile
1 Japan
1 Lithuania
1 Malta
1 Mexico
1 Romania
1
Russia
1 Taiwan
1 Ukraine
LONG TERM STORAGE
SPACE
There has been an off-and-on discussion about long-term storage
of memorabilia We get periodic requests for it, but none of our Members have
actually paid for it. Finally we have agreed upon a contract that our Members
can use for
this:
http://www.cryonics.org/documents/Memorabilia_Agreement.html
I
described the storage space as a drawer, but our lawyer said we should not
confine ourselves to a particular kind of space, and that we should only
describe the dimensions. The dimensions are given in the contract
as:
"Memorabilia Storage Space" shall consist of storage space allowing
contents of no more than:2 feet by 14 inches by 9 inches (61 cm by 36 cm by 23
cm)
No less than: 2 feet by 14 inches by 8 inches (61 cm by 36 cm by 20
cm).
Defining the maximum and minimum size space that we will offer gives
us some flexibility. The Member should expect to have no more than the minimum
amount of space and if any extra is available that can be regarded as a bonus.
Of course, a Member can use much less than the minimum amount of space if he or
she wishes. In practice, the storage space will be a well-secured, lockable
fire-proof drawer in the CI Facility for the foreseeable future.
Note
that the Memorabilia Storage Agreement is for Cryopreservation Members ONLY. It
is possible to
preserve pets and DNA/ tissue at CI without making
cryopreservation arrangements, but to store memorabilia you must be fully funded
and have an executed contract for cryopreservation of your body at the Cryonics
Institute. We are not in the business of becoming a Swiss Bank. The intention is
that a Member will be cryopreserved along with his/her memorabilia and can
reclaim the memorabilia in the future if reanimation occurs. Note also that the
$1,000 storage fee is non-refundable, and that if a Member deanimates without
being cryopreserved, the contents of the memorabilia space will be returned to
persons designated on the contract or disposed-of if none of those persons can
be contacted. Nor can you pay the fee in installments. The space is only
available when we have the full $1,000 and it is the responsibility of the
Member to have the self-discipline to accumulate the full amount.
One of our
Members recently asked about storage of his rather large coin collection so that
he could have it upon re-animation. Earlier I had announced that CI will store
memorablia at the rate of $1,000 per full file drawer (foot X foot X 2 feet) in
perpetuity.
I discussed the matter with Robert Ettinger who said that we
cannot make the same offer for coins or jewelry because to do so we would be
acting as a trust -- and a perpetual trust at that. Coins are money and only a
trust can store money long-term. So for those wanting to store valuables, I
refer you to my suggestion in message 230 posted to this group over a year ago
(reproduced below).
Those who are interested in long-term storage of memorablia -- possibly to assist reconstruction of identity in the far future -- in a secure location might be interested in doing so in a limestone mine under a mountain near Kansas City. I understand the charge is $6 per banker box and that storage for 100 years or more can be arranged at refrigeration temperatures.http://www.uvsinc.com/
Ben Best
BEDFORD FREEZING
ANNIVERSARY
January 17th was the 40th anniversary of
the first human cryopreservation. Robert Ettinger wrote on the Cryonics
Institute Yahoo Groups message board:
(James) "Bedford's freezing was
primarily owing to Bob Nelson and myself. I talked him into it, over a period of
time, and Nelson was the prime mover in the actual arrangements. Prehoda played
a temporary part and kept the body one night in his garage. My brother Alan and
I flew out for the freezing and aftermath. Further details can be found in Bob
Nelson's book, WE FROZE THE FIRST MAN. As you know, Bedford
finally found a place with Alcor.
A big publicity boost was mostly
missed. Life magazine--then a leading weekly--did a multi-page feature,
but the astronaut tragedy resulted in a rare split edition. Partway through the
run, our new software allows for maximal rate of passive warming, which can be
useful for annealing. It has an alarm system which rings a buzzer as well as
automatically making phone calls should an unexpected liquid nitrogen
interruption occur.
LONG TERM STORAGE SPACE
There has been an off-and-on discussion
about long-term storage of memorabilia We get periodic requests for it, but none
of our Members have actually paid for it. Finally we have agreed upon a contract
that our Members can use for
this:
http://www.cryonics.org/documents/Memorabilia_Agreement.html
I
described the storage space as a drawer, but our lawyer said we should not
confine ourselves to a particular kind of space, and that we should only
describe the dimensions. The dimensions are given in the contract
as:
"Memorabilia Storage Space" shall consist of storage space allowing
contents of no more than:2 feet by 14 inches by 9 inches (61 cm by 36 cm by 23
cm)
No less than: 2 feet by 14 inches by 8 inches (61 cm by 36 cm by 20
cm).
Defining the maximum and minimum size space that we will offer gives
us some flexibility. The Member should expect to have no more than the minimum
amount of space and if any extra is available that can be regarded as a bonus.
Of course, a Member can use much less than the minimum amount of space if he or
she wishes. In practice, the storage space will be a well-secured, lockable
fire-proof drawer in the CI Facility for the foreseeable future.
Note
that the Memorabilia Storage Agreement is for Cryopreservation Members ONLY. It
is possible to preserve pets and DNA/ tissue at CI without making
cryopreservation arrangements, but to store memorabilia you must be fully funded
and have an executed contract for cryopreservation of your body at the Cryonics
Institute. We are not in the business of becoming a Swiss Bank. The intention is
that a Member will be cryopreserved along with his/her memorabilia and can
reclaim the memorabilia in the future if reanimation occurs. Note also that the
$1,000 storage fee is non-refundable, and that if a Member deanimates without
being cryopreserved, the contents of the memorabilia space will be returned to
persons designated on the contract or disposed-of if none of those persons can
be contacted. Nor can you pay the fee in installments. The space is only
available when we have the full $1,000 and it is the responsibility of the
Member to have the self-discipline to accumulate the full amount.
One of our
Members recently asked about storage of his rather large coin collection so that
he could have it upon re-animation. Earlier I had announced that CI will store
memorablia at the rate of $1,000 per full file drawer (foot X foot X 2 feet) in
perpetuity.
I discussed the matter with Robert Ettinger who said that we
cannot make the same offer for coins or jewelry because to do so we would be
acting as a trust -- and a perpetual trust at that. Coins are money and only a
trust can store money long-term. So for those wanting to store valuables, I
refer you to my suggestion in message 230 posted to this group over a year ago
(reproduced below).
Those who are interested in long-term storage of memorablia -- possibly to assist reconstruction of identity in the far future -- in a secure location might be interested in doing so in a limestone mine under a mountain near Kansas City. I understand the charge is $6 per banker box and that storage for 100 years or more can be arranged at refrigeration temperatures.http://www.uvsinc.com/
Ben Best
FAMILY OWNED FUNERAL HOMES INCREASING.
Fifteen years ago, then profit hungry Corporations were gobbling up mom-and-pop funeral businesses, their extinction seemed a near certainty.
"At that time, many people were selling their businesses," said Jack Hogan, president of the National Funeral Directors Association, who in 1993 sold his own Queens, N.Y., funeral home to Service Corporation International.
SCI is a public company that today operates about 2,000 "death care" facilities in North America, including funeral homes, crematories and cemeteries. But many of the acqu\ring companies overextended themselves, said Hogan.
Today, he is manager of SCI's Quinn-Fogerty Funeral Home in Flushing, Queens. "When their finances got tight, they had to divest themselves of some of these funeral homes," he said, reversing a trend to where mom-and-pop operators are "now back in vogue.
The causes of less-than-anticipated returns were debatable. "Whether that is a breakdown between their staff and the families or that they lost that personal touch, it's hard to say," he said.
A spokesman for SCI acknowledged that corporate acquisitions of family-owned funeral homes has declined significantly from the frenzied levels of the 1990s.The vast majority of funeral homes, more than 19,00O, are owned by individuals; families or closely held companies.
Despite the resurgence of family ownership of funeral homes, more consumers today view funeral services as a commodity than previous generations, said Flooks, the president of the Pleasantville Chamber of Commerce. That perception was furthered two years ago when Costco Wholesale Corp., operator of , Costco warehouse stores, began offering caskets and urns for sale to its members.
Still, Flooks said, Costco's decision has had little impact on his business, in part because the warehouse club only sells caskets "at the time of need." Since Flooks won't store caskets purchased elsewhere and few consumers are willing to store one in their homes, going to a funeral home and then going to Costco to pick out a casket "doesn't make a lot of sense," Flooks said. Adapted from FLORIDA TODAY
The Cryonics Institute (CI) has been using a mixture for vitrification of the brains of cryopreserved pets and humans since August 2004, when it first did an experimental perfusion of the dog of a CI Member. The vitrification mixture goes by the name CI−VM−1 (CI Vitrification Mixture one) and was developed by CI Staff Cryobiologist Yuri Pichugin, PhD. The first published use of the vitrification mixture was in February 2005 with the vitrification of the dog Thor. The first human use was in August 2005 with the the vitrification of the 69th CI Patient.
In August 2006 the Cryonics Institute filed a preliminary patent application for CI−VM−1 in anticipation of filing a complete patent application. Although a patent application was prepared, legal counsel advised that the chances of getting a patent were very slim because of commercial use more than one year prior to filing the preliminary patent application. We were advised to publish the CI vitrification and carrier solutions as a defensive measure so that others would not be able to prevent CI from using them.
The final vitrification perfusion of Cryonics Institute cryonics patients is done using a 70% solution of CI−VM−1 in a carrier solution developed by Dr. Pichugin which he calls m−RPS−2 (modified Renal Preservation Solution two). About 8.3 liters of 70% CI−VM−1 is made with:
2.83
liters Ethylene glycol (3.15 kilograms)
+ 2.83 liters DMSO (3.14
kilograms)
+ 1.0 liter of (9X
concentrated) carrier solution (about one kilogram)
+ 1.70 liters of water (about 1.7
kilograms)
The exact volume does not matter so much because 70% (w/w) is based on a weight/weight calculation:
About 6.3 kilograms cryoprotectant divided by 9 kilograms total gives about 70% (w/w).
The carrier solution is composed of 28 mM/L potassium chloride, 230 mM/L glucose and 10 mM/L organic TRIS − HCl buffer. One liter of 9 times (9X) concentrated carrier solution is made with 19 grams of KCl (potassium chloride), 372 grams of glucose and 11 grams of Tris [2-Amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane] in 72 milliliters of 1.0 Normal HCl (hydrochloric acid) filtered in a 2 micron filter. VM-1 is not filtered.
A determination of the glass transition temperature (Tg) of CI−VM−1 made by the cryobiological research company 21st Century Medicine gave the following results:
60% (w/w) CI−VM−1 ==> Tg = −123ēC
70% (w/w)
CI−VM−1 ==> Tg = −121ēC
Dr. Pichugin believes that the combination of his vitrification solution and carrier solution are well optimized for both low viscosity and minimal expense, while providing powerful vitrification capability. He does not believe in the value of high molecular mass agents such as proteins, dextrans, HES, PVP, etc, to support oncotic pressure in brain perfusion in CI's protocol because he believes these agents increase viscosity and are not necessary due to the dehydrating effect of cryoprotectants. In practice the Cryonics Institute has not seen much brain edema or the need for oncotic support in perfusions of brains with CI−VM−1 and m−RPS−2.
Dr. Pichugin has observed that carrier solution additives such as Ca2+, Mg2+, phosphate ion and inorganic buffers result in additive precipitation in CI−VM−1 plus carrier at low temperature -- which can block blood vessels during perfusion. For this reason these agents are not included in his carrier solution.
Dr. Pichugin has assessed the ice blockers (Supercool X-1000 and Supercool Z-1000) from 21st Century Medicine to determine the possible benefit of adding these agents to CI−VM−1.
Dr. Pichugin first determined that in cooling to −130ēC (and rewarming) at 0.3ēC/minute that the minimal (critical) concentration of CI−VM−1 required to vitrify (prevent ice formation) without ice blockers is 55% (52% CI−VM−1 without ice blockers results in ice crystals).
Dr. Pichugin then determined that in cooling to −130ēC (and rewarming) at 0.3ēC/minute that the minimal (critical) concentration of CI−VM−1 required to vitrify (prevent ice formation) with ice blockers is 52% (50% CI−VM−1 with ice blockers results in ice crystals).
If by using ice blockers a lesser amount of CI−VM−1 can be used to achieve an equivalent vitrification, then the result would be increased viability due to the reduced cryoprotectant toxicity associated with the reduced cryoprotectant concentration. Unlike cryoprotectants, ice blockers are not believed to be toxic.
To test the toxic effects of CI−VM−1 (with or without ice blockers) hippocampal slices were saturated with increasing concentrations of ethylene glycol at 0ēC and −7ēC before cooling to −20ēC for ten minutes of saturation with CI−VM−1 (with or without ice blockers). The DMSO in CI−VM−1 is less toxic at lower temperatures, and is least toxic when introduced at −20ēC. Adding the ethylene glycol first and cooling at 0.3ēC/minute ensured that the solution would not be frozen at −20ēC when the CI−VM−1 (with or without ice blockers) is introduced.
The results of the toxicity test were as follows:
86.1% viability +/- 5.8% for 55% concentration CI-VM-1 without ice blockers
89.6% viability +/- 6.2% for 52% concentration CI-VM-1 with ice blockers
Toxicity assay was made using potassium/sodium ratios. Full viability (no toxicity) would be 100%. Note again that this is not a test of the ability of CI-VM-1 (with or without ice blockers) to prevent freezing.
Dr. Pichugin does not believe that these increments of increased viability with ice blockers justify the increase in viscosity or cost if they were added to the CI−VM−1 formula, especially in light of the fact that ice blockers cannot cross cell membranes or the blood-brain barrier. If brain areas are very poorly perfused, then even ice blockers won't help. If the viscosity of ice blockers reduces perfusion, that reduces the benefit of ice blockers. Freezing within cells is not such a great problem because there are few nucleators inside cells. But there may be as many nucleators the interstitial fluid (between cells) as in the bloodstream. Therefore, the fact that ice blockers do not cross the blood-brain barrier may mean that the proposed benefit for poorly perfused areas is not so great.
The Cryonics Institute protocol for perfusing the heads (brains) of cryonics patients is a 4-stage stepped open circuit perfusion:
(1) blood washout with carrier solution (4ēC)
(2) 10%
Ethylene Glycol (4ēC)
(3) 30% Ethylene Glycol (4ēC)
(4) 70% CI−VM−1
(−7ēC)
After step (3) a burr hole is drilled into each side of the skull. These holes are about an eighth of an inch in diameter and only go deep enough to reveal the brain, without injuring it. The cryoprotectant causes the brain to shrink away from the hole. Classically burr holes have been valuable in cryonics to monitor for edema and blood washout in the brain. The Cryonics Institute also uses burr holes and effluent from the jugular vein as a means of accessing vitrification mixture concentration in the brain. As the perfusion proceeded samples are extracted from the burr holes and jugular veins for assay with a refractometer.
The objective is to perfuse the brain until the refractive index of the vein effluent and the burr hole samples matches at least matches the refractive index of 60% VM−1. The refractive index of 65% VM−1 is 1.422 and the refractive index of 60% VM−1 is 1.416. A 60% VM−1 solution is deemed adequate for stable vitrification. (As a reference, note that the refractive index of water is 1.333.)
Body perfusion is done with ethylene glycol only. A complete description of the Cryonics Institute perfusion and cooling protocol can be found at Outline of CI Cryopreservation Procedures and in the case reports, such as The Cryonics Institute's 77th Patient.
CRYONICS INSTITUTES SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
Peter Gouras, MD, PhD h.c.
Professor of Ophthalmology
Columbia University
Raphael (Rafi) Haftka PhD,
Distinguished Professor
http://www.mae.ufl.edu/haftka/
University of Florida
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Ronald G. Havelock, Ph.D., OD
Dr. Henry Hirsch, Professor Emeritus, University of Kentuky, College of Medicine
Yuri Pichugin, Ph.D.
Cryobiological Research
Cryonics Institute
Prof. Klaus Sames, MD
Institut für Anatomie II
Hamburg, Germany
All Members of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Cryonics Institute are also Members of the Cryonics Institute.
The modern era is generally considered to have started in 1500 A.D. with the start of the printing press. From 1500 to 1830, all known knowledge doubled. From 1830 to 1930, all known knowledge doubled again. A few years ago, all known knowledge was doubling every 15 to 17 months. Today, all known knowledge is doubling every 63 days, and in the next three to five years, all known knowledge. will double every day!
There are more email addresses in the world today than snail mail. And a few years ago, who had ever heard of email? There are more websites in the world than families. If you took all the material floating around on the Internet in the month of June alone, put that information in. books averaging 250 pages, then stacked the books straight up, they would go 200 million miles beyond the sun. And the sun is 93 million miles from Earth!
The world, it is a-changing. If you are not on the cutting edge of learning every day, you will be flushed out of the parade of life so quickly all you will be able to do is stand on the sidewalk and wave. How do you prevent this from happening? . Very simple-make a commitment today to become a Iife long learner. The average man, upon finishing' high school, will not read another book the rest of his life
One way is to continue your formal education. Perhaps you never finished high school. Go get your GED. Maybe you never finished college or pursued your Master's degree or went for your Ph.D. Now's the time to do it. Through distance learning and the power of the Internet, you can get it done without taking up residence on a college campus.
Here's another way to be a lifelong learner. Remember, your brain is a muscle, like any other muscle in the human body. It needs to be vigorously exercised on a regular basis so it won't become a pitiful mass off flab in an incredibly brief period of time. An unexercised arm or leg muscle will atrophy, and the same goes for your brain. There are a multitude of brain exercises around, crossword puzzles, Zuduko are but a couple, learn a new language, learn to play a musical instrument Adapted from SPACE
News from Suspended Animation
New Staff Members
Charles Platt Relinquishes Responsibilities as Director
In November Charles Platt submitted his resignation as a director of Suspended Animation. Charles continues to work for the company on a part-time basis as a consultant, primarily concerned with development of an improved, transportable system for liquid ventilation. He will be assisting with preparations for our May conference and in the planning and design of rapid cooling and transport enclosures for vitrified patients. Charles has reduced his involvement in Suspended Animation partly because he wants to spend more time out of Florida pursuing writing projects. He hopes to finish a novel during 2007, and recently wrote a piece on cryobiology for MAKE magazine (a quarterly publication where he has become a regular contributor). He is nearing completion of text, photographs, and page layouts in a handbook for prospective members of Alcor Foundation.
Transportable Perfusion Kit Upgrade
Melody Maxim has instigated significant revisions to the Transportable Perfusion Kit which Suspended Animation derived originally from an Alcor design. This equipment is used to replace the blood with an organ preservation solution prior to the transport of patients on water ice.
The revised circuit is now very similar to those used in open-heart surgery. The collapsible bag reservoir has been replaced with a hard shell reservoir, which offers many advantages including a four-liter capacity, more than double that of its predecessor. The hard shell reservoir also includes an integrated filter that will prevent clots or other emboli from being passed through the occlusive pump tubing where it could be broken down into smaller emboli and introduced to the patient. This filter has the added benefit of being coated with an anti-foaming agent.
An emergency recirculation line has been added between the oxygenator and the reservoir, and a purge line has been added between the arterial line filter and the reservoir. These changes to the perfusion circuit were reviewed and validated by Critical Care Research in collaboration with their consulting perfusionist, prior to being incorporated into the Suspended Animation circuit.
In conjunction with new FDA-approved level sensor alarms that we purchased recently, our upgrades minimize the risk of introducing air or particulate emboli to the patient. The level sensors were tested in-house and performed at flow rates well beyond those commonly used in cryonics or open- heart surgery.
.Clients for Suspended Animation
At the end of 2006, 22 members of the Cryonics Institute had made contractual arrangements to become eligible for standby, stabilization, and transport procedures from Suspended Animation. We remain on-call to the American Cryonics Society for any case where they provide authorization, and we believe we are close to an agreement that will formalize our ability to provide procedures for some Alcor members, at the discretion of Alcor.
During 2006 the majority of new members of the Cryonics Institute chose to augment CI's services with those of Suspended Animation.
Pre-Conference Preparations
Our preparations for the SA conference are in progress. Kelly Kingston has been making plans with small bus companies to transport people from the hotel to our facility in Boynton Beach; is seeking companies that will make video and audio recordings of the entire event; and will be finalizing arrangements for banners and signs, badge designs and production, and binders for conference materials. Kelly, who also serves as our CFO, will be managing the conference schedule.
Lack of Cases
2006 was an extremely unusual year in cryonics. Although both of the principal organizations continued to acquire new members, very few cases occurred. The American Cryonics Society reported no cases at all. The Cryonics Institute notified us of one pending case in which we might have done a standby, but we chose not to participate because no prior agreement had been established between us and the patient or the next of kin, and there was some question in our minds whether the patient was able to give informed consent. Alcor has not yet invited any of our staff or consultants to participate in a case.
Early in January of this year, Aschwin de Wolf visited the Cryonics Institute to observe a case in which an autopsy had turned out to be unavoidable. Although no standby was involved, Aschwin obtained first-hand experience with CI's cooldown procedures, and his knowledge will be very useful to us as we contemplate building our own cooldown equipment (see below).
Vehicle Update
Our Dodge Sprinter van (the smaller of our two vehicles) is now at a stage where the major work has been done, leaving us to take care of numerous small details. Ken Schroeder has designed a very elegant and practical quick-release catch to secure the ice bath during transport, and has been adapting the vehicle access ramps to work on uneven terrain. He has completed an ingenious and functional design to retain a large (H size) compressed gas cylinder, has sewn webbing to retain supplies at the rear of the vehicle, and has completed the system for storing two Honda generators in an externally accessible compartment that ventilates the generators while maintaining total separation from the inside the vehicle, where oxygen may be used.
The only major deficiency in the vehicle is the flooring, which we want to replace with a seamless, liquid-poured covering. Also, although our ultra-high-power white 10 cm LEDs provide an ideal shadowless working light, we need to supplement them with focused illumination for procedures.
Change in Airline Baggage Restrictions
When Charles Platt and Gary Battiato transported experimental equipment to California recently, they made the disconcerting discovery that Delta Airlines has downgraded its weight limit for checked baggage from 100 lbs to 70 lbs per piece. Since one of the transport containers for our standby kit weighs almost 100 lbs, we have now repacked it in two containers.
HUH?
From the latest Kurzweil Newsletter: The explosive nature of exponential growth means it may only take a quarter of a millennium to go from sending messages on horseback to saturating the matter and energy in our solar system with sublimely intelligent processes. The ongoing expansion of our future super intelligence will then require moving out into the rest of the universe, where we may engineer new universes. A new book by James Gardner tells that story.