X-Message-Number: 9584
Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 09:11:01 -0700
From: "Joseph J. Strout" <>
Subject: on youths and activism

I read Saul Kent's essay on the future of cryonics with great interest.
And yesterday, he again lamented the lack of young activists in cryonics.
As a young'un myself, perhaps I can provide a useful perspective.

I'm 26, and in graduate school pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience.  My wife
(Shelly) is 23 and pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science.  We have both
decided to sign up for cryonics; I have been enthusiastic about it for
several years, though Shelly was rather reluctant and basically just going
along with it for my sake until she read "The First Immortal" (thank you,
Jim!).

We shopped around the various cryonics organizations, and finally decided
to sign up with ACS.  Why?  Mainly because they have a student plan with
very reasonable rates.  Shelly and I are rich in many ways, but
financially, we are poor.  We paid off our educational loans a couple of
years ago; last year we bought our first car (which we are still paying
off); our income, about $15K/yr/person, comes soley from fellowships and
grants, and a substantial fraction of that goes into our IRAs.  So for us,
$350/year is a very significant investment, and one we cannot justify as
long as there are other options.  Similarly, though I would have loved to
attend the recent Alcor conference, I recall looking at the price tag and
deciding that it was not worth it for me.

Personally, I feel the best thing I can do for cryonics now is to complete
my neuroscience degree, which I am trying (despite atypical difficulties)
to do.  And while I haven't held seminars on cryonics, I have told my
friends about our decision, and I answer plainly any questions they have
about it.  Also, I have been working to develop and disseminate the notion
of mind uploading, which I believe holds the most promise for reviving
cryonics patients.  I have even tried to do some actual lab research on
that topic, though this has been mostly derailed by technical difficulties.

To summarize: students are typically characterized by open minds and empty
pockets.  I'm no exception, but I'm doing what I can.

If other organizations want to attract young people, you might try offering
special student discounts, as ACS does.  Otherwise, many students may wait
until they're older and making real money -- but by then, their minds may
have closed.

Regards,
-- Joe

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|    Joseph J. Strout           Department of Neuroscience, UCSD   |
|                 http://www.strout.net              |
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