X-Message-Number: 1921 Date: 09 Mar 93 01:16:11 EST From: Charles Platt <> Subject: CRYONICS Help To: Cryonet I have just gone through the February message traffic on Cryonet (totalling more than 300 KB) and have extracted from it 30 KB for publication as "Cryonics Forum" in Cryonics magazine. I asked for this job, and I'm happy to do it. However, now that I have it running on seemingly routine basis, I am looking for someone who may be willing to collaborate with me. The reason is obvious: If I free up a little time, here, I can apply that time to new projects for Alcor. For instance, I have been working on a "Welcome to Alcor" brochure, to be given to each new member, explaining what Alcor is all about, what to do in a health emergency, and why Alcor needs volunteers. But I haven't had time to finish that brochure, partly because of the Cryonet duty. The steps I go through, "digesting" Cryonet, are as follows: 1. Save all postings as they come in. 2. On the first day of each month, scan through the accumulated postings from the previous month, and extract a preliminary "digest file" according to the following rules: a) Include any posting which someone has specifically asked to include. b) Include any short posting announcing news which is unlikely to be announced elsewhere in Cryonics magazine. c) Include postings which are FACTUALLY INFORMATIVE, giving us genuinely new data. d) Include some postings which express genuinely ORIGINAL OPINIONS that may be of interest to the whole readership. 3. The preliminary "digest file" is usually about 100 KB and has to be reduced further by making value judgments and by editing the text. 4. Eventually I end up with 30 KB of material. I go through it adding typesetting codes (for italics, subheads, etc) and making sure there are no formatting problems. 5. I send the edited text to the people who originally wrote it, asking permission to reprint. A draft of all the messages is also sent to Ralph Whelan for him to look over. 6. The final text is imported to a desktop publishing program where formats have been preset. Line spacing is adjusted so that the text fills four pages. The pages are printed out as camera-ready copy, and express-mailed to Alcor. The most time-consuming part of this operation is Step 2, creating the preliminary "digest file." The other steps I have systematized to the point where they are routine. I am looking for someone who may be willing to take Step 2 off my shoulders. Ideally, it will be someone who already receives Cryonet, can do the preliminary culling, and can send me the result via email. If anyone is willing to volunteer for this duty, I would presumably need to get them okayed by Ralph Whelan, since he oversees the whole operation (on a very informal, hands-off basis). I think Cryonet is an important resource, and I think it's important to have fresh, challenging opinions aired in the magazine. I'm quite willing to continue handling all the steps in this operation myself; but it would be pleasant to have a collaborator. And since this is a task that can be done at any distance from Riverside, it's ideal for a volunteer. Any offers? Please reply to me direct at --Charles Platt Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1921