X-Message-Number: 15612 From: Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 22:13:40 EST Subject: Grimes etc. Probably most Cryonet readers don't even look at Grimes' posts any more. We have been told this by Alcor members as well as others, who have advised us not to seize trolled bait. But I'll summarize this situation anyway. Grimes seems to be just some poor soul who doesn't have a life and feels a need to draw attention. It seems pretty clear that, if we were to make further responses to him, that would only encourage him to think he can control the agenda and to make endless further demands for details and argumentation. I don't claim always to be perfectly scientific in allocating my time. Sometimes I do things just for the heck of it, or on impulse. But in general we (myself and our staff, among others) need to play the percentages. Cryonet is not a big deal in the scheme of things, and Grimes is not a big deal on Cryonet, as far as we can estimate. So it seems best just to ignore him, in the main. Or, of course, if he wants to keep posting essentially the same message over and over again, we can do that too, with very little effort, until Dr. Brown gets tired of it. As to questions from others, and especially those new to cryonics, they are always welcome. Answers, of course, will always be at our discretion. Our web site is intended to provide answers to most questions, so the need for individual responses will be minimized; and the site is constantly being updated and improved. We think readers will find return visits rewarding--especially our ongoing news features such as the Long Life page. As to details of suspension procedures, we are always glad of suggestions, either from knowledgeable people or even from beginners, but we obviously cannot efficiently engage in long discussions or elaboration of detail or argumentation with anyone who requests it. Even if we had the inclination, it would be a poor way to use our time. We are gradually adding help, both paid and unpaid, but resources will be dwarfed by needs for a long time. Facts of life, and death. The bottom line, in most cases, is that those who really study our web site, and those of the other organizations (to which we have links), are free to choose an organization, or to abstain altogether, or to start a new organization, or a new business, or just to kibitz or complain. Take your pick. We make no fancy claims; we just offer our evidence and experience and rely on the judgment of individuals. It has worked out reasonably well. In the last week we had eight new members, continuing a two year run in which we have had membership gorwth exceeding that of any other organization, in both relative and absolute terms. No, we will never be satisfied, but we will continue to do our best, as I'm sure the other organizations will also. Robert Ettinger Cryonics Institute Immortalist Society http://www.cryonics.org Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=15612