9 replies to this topic

[A941]

Just read it in the news, I hope he prepared for that and is going to be "frozen".

[niner]

In the early days of Usenet (mid 80's), Minsky read and participated in some of the groups.  There was a very knowledgeable chemist that also frequented what we used to call "The Net",  who was always answering questions that people asked, and one day he suddenly went dark.  Someone tracked him down, and discovered that he had passed away.  It was at this point that Marvin Minsky stepped in and posted a touching eulogy, perhaps the first on the internet.  I was really struck by that.  Minsky already saw that this incipient, pre-web internet was a place where people lived, and that it was a community, and he did what people in communities do when someone dies.  It felt like a turning point, from a guy who was responsible for a lot of them.

[Mind]

Someone on Facebook speculated that he (Minsky) is suspended at Alcor. Any truth to that?

[PWAIN]

He was a scientific advisor for Alcor so thre is a good chance. I think he died of a brain hemorrhage so not sure if it would be a good suspension. I didn't see anything on Alcors site but he may have asked to not be identified. Maybe under a false name? Anyway lets hope we see him again in the future.

[Shannon Vyff]

Sad news, I also was sad to not hear on the radio and news announcements when I heard of his death any mention of Cryonics as he was active in the Cryonics community. He once bought copies of my Cryonics adventure book for kids (21st Century Kids) for his grandkids and had me sign them he will be missed by many for all his contributions to Artificial Intelligence and society. He was an engaging presenter at futurist and Cryonics conferences. There was speculation that Alcor was having problems getting in touch with Minsky's family, also he had cerebral hemorrhage and may not of chosen to have preservation with any brain preserved in the event of major damage. The official Alcor statement is hopeful that it's a privacy issue. Certainly with time word would come out from his family or not if he is preserved but that is up to them to say. http://www.alcor.org...-marvin-minsky/

[aribadabar]

Neither confirm nor deny is a codeword for yes

[Antonio2014]

Sad news, I also was sad to not hear on the radio and news announcements when I heard of his death any mention of Cryonics as he was active in the Cryonics community. He once bought copies of my Cryonics adventure book for kids (21st Century Kids) for his grandkids and had me sign them he will be missed by many for all his contributions to Artificial Intelligence and society. He was an engaging presenter at futurist and Cryonics conferences. There was speculation that Alcor was having problems getting in touch with Minsky's family, also he had cerebral hemorrhage and may not of chosen to have preservation with any brain preserved in the event of major damage. The official Alcor statement is hopeful that it's a privacy issue. Certainly with time word would come out from his family or not if he is preserved but that is up to them to say. http://www.alcor.org...-marvin-minsky/

 

Thanks for the information. The correct link to Alcor is http://www.alcor.org...-marvin-minsky/ Let's hope that he already signed.
 

[PWAIN]

How awesome would it be if he is awoken by an AI after all he had done to try progress the field.

[Shannon Vyff]

It seems that it's hopeful he is preserved and its respect for requested privacy that there is not confirmation. In time there may be an anonymous case from about this time here. http://alcor.org/cases.html

[treonsverdery]

I wonder if he thought about being cloned, from the perspective that a monozygotic twin might also like computer science