CRYOCOMMUNITIES continued from last issue
Finding an existing building and adapting it without spending too much would be the greatest challenge. I would be competing with the many assisted living facilities in the area as well as with student housing. Austerity is the key. It would have to attract people who didn't feel like they needed to have tons of stuff around them to feel complete.
Jordan Sparks
Subject: RE: [Cryonics_Institute] Co-operative Housing for Cryonicists?
Thanks for the chuckle. Actually, I find Ben's idea very sensible and I'm very interested in how us average members could help to get something like this started.
Jones Murphy
Although I believe the idea is sensible, I actually thought that it would be many years before anything like this could begin. I would be wrong, of course if there are enough people ready to move immediately on something like this.
There are two aspects to starting: (1) getting cryonicists into a co-op house or, at least, a closely knit collection of housing units and (2) getting CI Members to move into housing close to the CI Facility. Conceivably, if there were lots of cryonicists who were wanting to live near Jordan Sparks in Oregon, there could be a collection of people who were signed-up with Alcor, CI and Oregon Cryonics
(http://www.oregoncryo.com/) living in Jordan's co-op house. That would reduce warm ischemic time, but would still not be so good for cold ischemic time. Conversely, CI Members living in Clinton Township, Michigan, but living alone in relatively distant apartments would reduce cold ischemic time, but still risk long warm ischemic times if they are not part of a cryonics community.Last year a CI Member moved to Michigan for the explicit purpose of being near CI during his retirement years. He was in a house that was an hour-and-a-half drive from the CI Facility. He suffered what may have been a mini-stroke that caused him memory problems and he is now living with his daughter in another state. At our last Annual General Meeting another one of our Members expressed great interest in moving into an apartment close by to the CI Facility. There have been more general expressions of such interest by other Members, but I haven't seen evidence that it will result in definite action soon.
In order for this idea to happen there needs to be a critical mass of people who want it to happen, and who have the resources and the determination to make it happen. If, say, three people were to buy some adjoining large houses with the intention of being the nucleus for the cryonicists' co-op, that would be one way it could start. Or one wealthy person could underwrite the project. Critical factors would be the patience of those wanting to be the nucleus, the ability of the people to get along and the number of others who would ultimately be attracted to the idea. Getting along with people is not always easy, and the closer together people are located for mutual aid, the greater the chances of friction between personalities.
Ben Best
Anybody interested in Gainesville Florida?
While co-operative housing for cryonicists is an intriguing idea, the Detroit Michigan area is not that enticing. Here in Gainesville Florida we have an excellent assisted living community (Oak Hammock) that was founded by the University of Florida, we have a good hospice and a university town is full of open-minded people. So if we had even half a dozen cryonicists retire here, it may be enough of a critical mass to be able to make very good local arrangements. If anybody is interested, I will be glad to look for and provide additional details.
Rafi Haftka
I would like to stay current on possible Cryonics Centered Housing, please add me to your list.
George Vogler