I'm thinking the figure probably errs more on the pessimistic side, though the author considers it optimistic. It doesn't take into account increased technology, the benefits of assisted suicide, or the availability of cheaper labor and materials in third-world areas.<p>But in any case, this is a handy number to start thinking about how realistic the goal of a post-death society really is. If everyone could have it, would everyone want it? And if so, what is the maximum we would collectively be willing to pay?
Seems to me that spending that much money preserving "hardware" (bodies) another (better) option would be to preserve "software" (e.g. DNA sequence, MRI, cat scan, EKG, etc.).<p><a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2590217" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2590217</a>