X-Message-Number: 23966 From: Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 10:46:41 EDT Subject: Steve Bridge points well taken re: Celebrity Signups In a message dated 4/23/2004 5:30:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time, owner-cryon writes: Rudy, I would recommend that you not put that kind of offer in writing without discussing it with Alcor's Board first. I would think there is a very good possibility that you could NOT persuade Alcor's Board to do that. If you cannot, you place yourself and Alcor both in very awkward positions. The "affiliation" of Dr. Crick with Alcor, by itself, would not do much good. Placing someone like that in suspension, when he cannot promote it himself, is unlikely to convince anyone that cryonics is workable. "Poor Dr. Crick. A brilliant fellow but must have gone potty there at the end, letting those cryo-people get hold of him. Maybe they just took advantage of him so they use his name. Sad." Only if someone like that was willing to take a leading role in discussing and promoting it, would it be worthwhile. Maybe. And most famous scientists would feel like they have more to lose than to gain by promoting cryonics. If you wish to put some effort into persuading scientists or other well-known people that cryonics is workable and desirable, please do. Some of those efforts will probably pay off eventually. But please don't ask Alcor or CI or anyone else to give them free suspensions. Steve Bridge (An Alcor Advisor, but not on Alcor's Board. Writing for himself and not for Alcor) Dear Steve Bridge and others: Thanks for feedback and your observations as partially copied above. I have also gotten some private emails from thoughtful and well respected friends and cryonicists basically saying: 1. Free memberships are a bad idea. Generates the wrong signals and does not establish value. Could backfire in bad PR as ALCOR using names of high profile scientists and/or thought leaders. 2. This has not worked in the past. Free suspension promotional offered in OMNI magazine in 1994 was not even accepted by the winner. 3. Progress on cronics research is proceeding at an fine pace without public and popular support. 4. Main street is not ready for cryonics, any attempt to generate high profile signup will potentially gernerate negative legislation. So, to deal with these points in order, and not to be the next Kennita Watson trying to champion a marketing cause "against the grain," may I offer the following? 1. I AGREE free signups are not a good idea in general. From several standpoints. Including a) Perception of value by signee and public b) perception of uneven playing field if press or grapevine focuses on this instead of the main issue of scientific endorsement. c) resentment engendered by long time cryonicists, many of very limited financial resources, who in some cases can't even afford or get life insurance to get their OWN well deserved suspensions in place. (We won't even add my own very personal objection, almost in passing, that I would like the celebrity to HAVE and own a Rudi Hoffman Cryonics Insurance policy.::) So, I am not ignorant as to concerns against number one. And the Celebrity or Celebrity Scientist Program does NOT require free or special financing to be a good idea. It just so happens that Francis Crick, for instance, is 87 years old and has cancer. This makes him uninsurable at ANY rate. Could he afford $50,000 or most likely $120,000 for normal ALCOR suspension or substantially less for CI? Probably. And of COURSE this would be ideal. May I respectfully request to deal with this points 2 through 4 later, as I have responsibilities, and the points raised deserve thoughtful response? More to follow. (Oh...I DO have to address the BIGGEE. If ALCOR and /or CI leadership suggests I forget this idea completely for not as opposed to modifying it, I will. With a big smile on my face, and gratitude that I did what I felt I could to initiate a program I think has merit.) Gotta go for now. Rudi Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" [ AUTOMATICALLY SKIPPING HTML ENCODING! ] Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=23966