Cryonics – the act of cryopreserving human remains for possible future resuscitation – is the subject of a new …wait for it… children’s book.
Though the practice of cryonics has been going strong for forty years now and has seen treatment – however scientifically unsound those treatments have been – in several Hollywood movies and many books, never has it been featured as a central part of a children’s storybook with an eye towards being both engaging from a story-standpoint as well as accurate scientifically.
Nonetheless, this is precisely what author Shannon Vyff attempts with her new children’s book 21st Century Kids. As a cryonicist and Alcor member herself, Ms. Vyff may be uniquely positioned to write an accurate portrayal of the scientific basis of cryonic suspension for an audience of young readers, but one question remains – should she?
As an extremely fringe science – despite the amazing progress that has been made over the years – members of the cryonics community always get excited when a new publication is released featuring the science in a positive light. Ettinger’s The Prospect of Immortality was of course the text that arguably started it all, but several works of fiction have caused quite a positive stir as well, including Halperin’s The First Immortal (which I was pleased to consult on) and Nagata’s Tech-Heaven, both engaging works of science fiction. And why wouldn’t cryonicists be excited about positive media? Constantly struggling against the current of mainstream medicine, those involved in the cryonics community have shown remarkable willpower in maintaining their efforts in the face of constant obstacles – positive feedback and representations should be celebrated.
But one cannot help wondering if a children’s book is really something that is needed in the industry. Such “education” smacks of religious indoctrination – and Ms. Vyff’s ties to not only Alcor but also the Methuselah Foundation and the Immortality Institute as well as her adherence to a calorie-restricted lifestyle make her seem more of a fanatical extremist than a well-intentioned, innocent children’s author.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Ms. Vyff is a fanatical extremist. In fact, I applaud her involvement in the life extension community, and right now, caloric restriction is genuinely the only demonstrated method of life extension – despite what vitamin, cosmetic and biotech companies would like us to believe (and buy). Goodness knows that I myself have a strong history of involvement in the cryonics industry and I too have been intimately connected with many of the organizations surrounding the community (transhumanist, extropian, etc…).
I am by no means condemning her involvement with the wider life extension community. But beyond the scientific obstacles facing cryonics, there is the fundamental problem of selling the idea. What the public face of cryonics needs is an effective sales and marketing team behind it, and unfortunately this new book falls prey to the same marketing mistakes that most previous attempts to popularize the science have.
The announcement for the book landed in my inbox in the form of a press release from Rachel Damien at Event Management Services, Inc. in Clearwater, Florida. The subject line itself was enough to turn my stomach: Is Cryogenics The Answer To Living Longer
Anyone even remotely connected to the industry knows the ages-old struggle with the popular media over the use of the correct term – cryonics – and not the more popular misnomer cryogenics. Perhaps this use of the wrong term was calculated specifically to appeal to a more general consumer – but there’s absolutely no sense in perpetuating this error any longer. Any reader that would be hooked by the term cryogenics would be equally hooked by cryonics. The least that the PR team could do is to use the proper term.
Never one to dismiss a solid argument for lack of aesthetic appeal, I am nevertheless extraordinarily appalled at the overwhelmingly amateur design of the book cover and the accompanying website. The important aspect of this work is indeed its content, but for it to be a success in both sales as well as market penetration of the idea itself, it needs to appeal to the popular market. I wish it were not the case, but sales are significantly driven by first impressions – packaging, marketing, and appearance.
As I mentioned above, Ms. Vyff’s associations – whether I endorse them or not – radically alter the perception and acceptance of her work and make it comparable to books filled with bible stories by devoutly religious authors. If you’re not already devoutly religious (or in this case, staunchly logical and accepting of cryonics) you’re never going to bring these books home to your children. Compounding the perception problem is the amateur design, making the work seem even more untrustworthy.
Lastly, every endorsement on the book is by an industry-related name, not popular names. Though I and all others in the industry will recognize the names of Robert Ettinger, Aubrey deGrey and Nick Bostrom, virtually nobody else in popular society will. Whether Ms. Vyff is appearing in the popular media or not (perhaps especially because she is), she needs to display endorsements from household names on her book. This is the only way in which the popular culture will take her seriously. It’s unfortunate, but it’s true. As it stands, I predict that until the marketing changes, 21st Century Kids will never meet a significant audience beyond those already closely related to the industry.
I certainly wish Ms. Vyff the best of luck in her endeavors. I have no ill-will towards her nor do I disapprove of what she’s done. There remains the question of whether or not it was truly needed and moreover, whether it will truly help to popularize cryonics and reverse the many misconceptions about it – which she stated as one of her goals. But like most cryonics PR efforts, it suffers from a terrible salesmanship issue that, until resolved, will continuously keep cryonics on the fringe.
Cryonics represents the only stopgap measure in the fight for extended life for individuals facing death today while we vigorously pursue viable active life extension technologies. It is a crazy idea, but it’s also our only chance while we wait, and much crazier ideas have become mainstream with minimal effort. What the cryonics industry faces is a problem with marketing. Solve that problem and we’ll see that research will become largely unencumbered.
21st Century Kids, 21st Century Medicine, Alcor, Alcor Life Extension Foundation, anti-aging, Biotechnology, caloric restriction, calorie restriction, children’s books, cryogenics, cryonics, Cryonics Institute, cryopreservation, death, dewer, dying, Event Management Services, extropianism, extropy, Fred Chamberlain, freezing, Immortalism, Immortality, Immortality Institute, James Halperin, life extension, Linda Chamberlain, Linda Nagata, marketing, Methuselah Foundation, Mike Darwin, neuropreservation, Nick Bostrom, PR, Prospect of Immortality, Robert Ettinger, sales, science, science fiction, Shannon Vyff, Tech Heaven, The First Immortal, transhuman, transhumanism
Appearing in the Boston Globe on Sunday (link via boston.com) was a wonderful article by Anthony Kronman, Sterling Professor of Law at Yale and author of Education’s End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life.
Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark comic talent and urgent moral vision in novels like “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “Cat’s Cradle” and “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater” caught the temper of his times and the imagination of a generation, died last night in Manhattan. He was 84 and had homes in Manhattan and in Sagaponack on Long Island.
Holiday activities this past weekend left me with an abundance of brightly colored hard-boiled eggs and not a clue as to what to do with them all. So in the grand tradition of 
Dining establishments distinguish themselves in numerous ways; from the mundane and expected methods of hosting famous chefs, serving top-notch gourmet dishes and offering impeccable service, to those unusual establishments that set themselves apart by virtue of their unique and off-beat marketing approaches. Toronto’s cosplay-themed 
Of course, what really makes this place so eclectic and charming is the combination of food and books, and the food is just as varied and unusual as the books. I myself am a vegetarian and it is true that there are technically only two vegetarian dishes on the menu, yet both are simply fantastic. My favorite is the portobello and roasted red pepper sandwich served on a basil focaccia with their fantastic sweet potato fries, but their vegetarian bean burger is great as well. While you wouldn’t expect a gourmet meal at this place – and why would you want to, it would distract from the books – the food is certainly a step above diner-quality and, as is evidence by the basil focaccia, not exactly bland (I have it on good authority that their buffalo sauce for their chicken is quite spicy!). 