X-Message-Number: 627 Date: 31 Jan 92 20:14:41 EST From: Brian Wowk <> Subject: OMNI Article To: >INTERNET: For those who haven't seen it, the February issue of OMNI features an "Explorations" column by science fiction author Charles Platt in which he gives his reasons for joining Alcor. The article contains a couple of factual errors, such as "Human tissue, suitably prepared, can be frozen with negligible damage." and "Alcor's current minimum fee of $41,000 is out of reach for most of us." While the latter statement may be a matter of opinion, I personally think $450 a year for life insurance and Alcor membership is affordable by most Americans if they really want it. More seriously, I was disappointed that cryonics wasn't presented in a more positive, pro-life way. The opening sentence refers to being frozen "after death", and the accompanying photo shows Platt is a death-like pose (an OMNI "artistic" decision no doubt). There are also comparisons to burial and cremation. This is not appropriate for a potentially life-saving technology. It's like saying "I'd rather have heart surgery than be buried or cremated." No kidding. On the up side, the article is a sincere, personal account of Platt's psychological struggles with cryonics, and his decision to finally sign up. And, best of all, it contains Alcor's toll free number at the end. Over 250 information requests have resulted so far. He deserves much credit for "going out a limb" like this, and contributing to the growth of Alcor. I have also heard that OMNI will be (or is?) running an essay contest with a title something like "Why I Want to be Frozen." The grand prize? You guessed it. Free cryonics arrangements. --- Brian Wowk Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=627