X-Message-Number: 833
From: Kevin Q. Brown
Subject: Re: USENET Cryonics Newsgroup 
Date: 19 May 1992

I have appended below the Request For Discussion for a USENET Cryonics
Newsgroup, which I just posted to the listed newsgroups, the Extropians
and Libernet mailing lists, and a few interested parties.  The
Acknowledgments section at the end unfortunately ignores several
people (you know who you are) who have contributed thoughtful commentary
to the discussion, but I thought it simplest to include just the initial
collaborators who will be on-line over the next few weeks.
                              Kevin Q. Brown
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>To: att!rpi.edu!announce-newgroups
>Newsgroups: news.announce.newgroups news.groups sci.nanotech sci.med
	    sci.med.aids
>Subject: RFD: sci.cryonics
>Keywords: cryonics, biostasis, suspended animation, nanotechnology
>Followup-To: news.groups

Request for Discussion:

  Proposed group: sci.cryonics

  Status: Moderated (proposed moderator: Kevin Q. Brown)

  Followup: news.groups

Purpose:

    Cryonic suspension is an experimental procedure whereby patients
    who can no longer be kept alive with today's medical abilities are
    preserved at low temperature for treatment in the future.
    This newsgroup will be the place to keep up-to-date on topics related
    to cryonics, which include biochemistry of memory, low temperature
    biology, new cryonics-related research and publications, legal status
    of cryonics and cryonically suspended people, nanotechnology and cell
    repair machines, mass media coverage of cryonics, conferences, and
    local cryonics group meetings.

Rationale:

    A cryonics mailing list (moderated by Kevin Q. Brown) has been
    running for almost four years and the mailing list size and
    message frequency now have reached "critical mass" for forming a
    USENET news group.  Reaching a wider audience is important for
    two reasons:
      (1) we have found that a small, but significant, percentage
	  of the population is looking for something like a newsgroup
	  on cryonics but does not know where to look and
      (2) cryonics needs a lot of research, critical thought,
	  skilled and knowledgeable communication, and other support
	  to succeed, and everyone will benefit from its success.

Naming:

    Would another newsgroup name be better?  For example, some people
    prefer sci.med.cryonics because a cryonic suspension is, more
    than anything else, a medical procedure.  Others, noting that
    reanimation from cryonic suspension cannot succeed without
    advanced nanotechnology, prefer sci.nanotech.cryonics.  Since the
    practice of cryonics is so inter-disciplinary, however, most prefer
    simply sci.cryonics.  Other people, referring to the currently
    controversial status of cryonics, prefer a name outside the
    sci.* hierarchy altogether.

Discussion Period:

    The discussion period will be at most one month and at least two
    weeks (depending on how quickly we resolve our questions about
    the proposed group sufficiently for producing a Call For Votes).

Acknowledgements

    Many people have contributed their thoughts on creating a USENET
    cryonics newsgroup.  In particular, my thanks (in alphabetical
    order by last name) to:
      Keith Henson         ()
      Perry Metzger        ()
      Russell Whitaker     ()
    Of course, any errors in this message are mine.

			       Kevin Q. Brown
			       UUCP        ...att!whscad1!kqb
			       INTERNET    
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