Extend Types like instances?

[Jon Slaughter]

Can one extend the type itself and not just an instance of the type?

So I have something, say, like

public static DateTime RawRead(this DateTime i, Stream s)
{
BinaryReader b = new BinaryReader(s);
i = DateTime.FromBinary(b.ReadInt64());
return i;
}
But how I have to use it is

DateTime d = new DateTime();
d = d.RawRead(s);

I'd like to be able to do

DateTime d = DateTime.RawRead(s);

or even

DateTime d = new DateTime();
d.RawRead(s);
In a sense I need something like

public static DateTime RawRead(this ref DateTime i, Stream s)
{
BinaryReader b = new BinaryReader(s);
i = DateTime.FromBinary(b.ReadInt64());
}

But of course that doesn't work. (Or even a way to extend the type itself)

Ultimately its not that big a deal but its a little messy to have to use the
instance itself to call the method. (and for the fact that it creates two
objects since I first have to instantiate it then return a new one)

Thanks,
Jon

[Jon Slaughter]

Also, is it possible to override an extension? (I doubt it but I'd like to
be able to override any extensions later on that I've created without having
the source)