X-Message-Number: 6341 From: Brian Wowk <> Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 18:28:22 -0500 Subject: Cooperation Dave Pizer writes: >Some time has passed, we're all a little older, a little wiser, and a >little closer to the start of our own personal tank-time. I hope we can >all forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater possible >achievements of the future. I was really struck by the observation recently made by Ralph Merkle: Back in the days when we were one big happy family at Alcor, membership was growing at about 30%-50% annually. The future was bright, there was no where to go but up, and cryonics was (in a certain way) fun. All that abruptly stopped in 1993. Growth has languished, a surprising number of people have up and left completely, and cryonics is no longer fun. (Indeed, in the past four years I've gone from eager anticipation in opening my email to dread and resignation.) Clearly a synergy of people has been lost. In my humble opinion, BOTH sides of the 1993 schism underestimated the value of the people that they were parting company with. Where do we go from here? I think the most important goal that can be mutually pursued to benefit of all cryonicists is research to improve and perfect cryopreservation of the human brain. All the arguments about what organizational structure is best, whose cryonics team is better, who is better at PR, etc. etc. mean NOTHING unless we have a technology that works, which currently we do not in any verifiable way. I think the scientific minds in cryonics need to put their heads together to come up with a research plan (who, what, when, where, etc.), and the people with business contacts need to put their heads together about raising some money. Then, once we have a workable technology, we can resume our arguments about who does it better! :) Footnote: CryoCare just donated $2000 to 21st Century Medicine, Inc. to continue their electron microscopy studies of cryopreserved brain tissue. Another $2000 is required for completion of the current series of brains. Donations may be sent care of CryoCare. *************************************************************************** Brian Wowk CryoCare Foundation 1-800-TOP-CARE President Human Cryopreservation Services http://www.cryocare.org/cryocare/ Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=6341