July 21, 2009: Cryonics Open House

"Suspended animation" has been a staple of science fiction for years. So far, it's still science fiction. But every year I get to see more science fiction become real. So . . . for many years I have been a supporter and a member of Alcor, the cryonics organization. The basic theory behind cryonics is: You die, they freeze you, maybe future tech will be able to revive you. This is still completely speculative; no mammal as yet has been recovered from cryonic suspension. But to me it's a worthwhile gamble. If it fails, you're not any deader, and if it succeeds, woot, you get to see the future, and a future advanced enough to revive people from its past is probably going to be an interesting future.

If that sounds interesting to you, Alcor will be doing a presentation this Saturday, July 25th, 4:00pm here at Steve Jackson Games: 3735 Promontory Point Drive, Austin 78744. A couple of Alcor staff, and several Alcor members besides me, will be present. There will be hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine, and time for socializing. (Please note that this is NOT an open house for SJ Games - it just happens to be in our office. If you're tempted to come just to visit SJ Games, this is not the time. Later in the year we want to do at least one open house and game session for our fans, and we'll announce it well in advance.)

For questions contact Shannon Vyff, Alcor volunteer and TX Readiness Coordinator, at (512) 673-3431 or shannonvyff@yahoo.com.

-- Steve Jackson