X-Message-Number: 24995
From: 
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 08:52:47 EST
Subject: Letter to Charles Pellegrino

Dear Cryoneters:
 
Some of you may be familiar with the writings of  Pellegrino.  He is an 
outstanding author and adventurer, a  polymath with multiple interests.  I 

recommend his website and books.   This guy would make a great cryonics signup,

although  he does not have the following that Clarke and Sagan did/does.   
Letter 
follows.   
 
Webmaster:  Please Forward to Dr. Charles Pellegrino
 
Dear Dr. Pellegrino:
 
This may be one of the most important emails you have ever received.
 
You sir, are one of the geniuses of our age.  Along with Arthur C.  Clarke, 
Eric Drexler, Carl Sagan, Ray Kurzweil, Gene Roddenberry, and a few  other 
visionary thinkers who have and are changing our world and the realm of  the 

possible for human potential.  I state this not to flatter you, but to  give you
a 
true indication of the respect I have for you, having researched your  
writings extensively.  I have just spent a most magical afternoon reading  

"Unearthing Atlantis."  I also have several of your other books, and have  
studied in 
detail your fascinating website.

Here is the problem.   You were born in 1953.  Despite remarkable progress 

being made in life  extension there is every chance you may not make the largest
demarcation line in  the history of humanity and the planet.  
 
This, of course, is the line in which aging and death become  voluntary.  We 
are advancing on this line rapidly.  But not rapidly  enough, possibly, for 
you and me to experience the scientific conquest of  aging.
 
With your technical and scientific expertise, I do not need to or  presume to 
tell you that this line will eventually be crossed (if we pay  attention, in 
your phrase, and do not destroy ourselves or our planet  first).
 
Just as you have summarized much technical discussion of a  practical 
interstellar engine in your "Valkyrie Project" explanation, I  would like to 
summarize an important scientific adventure  and experiment in this posting.
 
Cryonics is the developing science of preserving your brain  pattern to have 
at least some realistic chance to see the astonishing and  exciting near term 
future you write about.  While  presaged and predicted by science fiction, 

cryonic suspension of  humans is actually a currently ongoing process.  While no
human, or  even experimental animal, has been revived from cryonic 

temperatures yet, the  concept and application of low temperature preservation 
of humans 
is  more than thirty years old. 
 
I personally have been signed up for cryonic suspension, to take  place 

immediately at my "deanimation" since 1994.  This is with  ALCOR, currently one 
of 
two extant cryonics laboratories operating  today.  

Carl Sagan, a real hero, has died of  cancer.  Tragic.  The breathtaking 
scope of his vision, his  ability to simplify and explain the excitement of 

reality and science, his  incredible story telling ability and imagination, are
irretrievably  lost to us forever.  I wrote Sagan a letter such as you are  
reading now, Dr. Pellegrino.  Without response. 
 
Your friend Arthur C. Clarke, of course, has cryonic suspension as an  
integral part of many of his hard edged fiction books.  But, curiously,  seems 

unwilling to explore this legitimate science for himself.  I wrote  him a 
letter, 
so far to no avail.  But he lives mostly in Sri Lanka, and  the logistics are 
most challenging for this procedure to have the best chance of  "working."  
 
I wrote a similar letter to another scientific thought leader of our  age, 

Dr. Francis Crick.  As well as the codiscover of DNA, you of course  are aware,
Dr. Pellegrino,  that Crick was a leading researcher in the  field of 

consciousness.  And an unabashed and straightforward  atheist and reductionist, 
aware 
that our consciousness is not some ephemeral  superstitious "spirit" but is 
instead a function of our brain pattern. 
 
But Crick, also, is dead of cancer, and his future unique insights are  lost 
to humanity. 
 
You are a world class scientist, author, researcher,  and adventurer.
 
I would like to propose to you, Dr. Pellegrino, the ultimate adventure  in 
scientific time travel to the future.  A future few can  imagine, although you 
come as close as anyone I have ever  read.  
 
I would like you to consider signing up for cryonic suspension.  The  process 
is simple, and affordable.  While full body suspension with ALCOR  is 

currently $120,000, the cost of this is born by life insurance.   Currently, we 
must 
wait until people have a "technical" pronouncement of  "death" to begin the 
immediate cool down and biostasis procedures and  protocols.  While this may 

change in the future, this is currently where  society and the technology finds
itself.  

I read your  biography.  I know of the disease you have apparently overcome, 
and I still  believe you would be insurable with one of my carriers.  (I 
happen to know  the head underwriter, and he is well read and likes celebrity 
authors.)
 
However, from a financial perspective this is a huge boon.  It enables  the 
use of life insurance to fund the cost.  I personally, as a 47  year old male, 
have some 2 million of life insurance proceeds upon my  "death."  While most 
of this goes to my wife, the necessary  amount goes to ALCOR, and another half 
million or so is funding several  different cryonics trusts which may or may 
not allow my resuscitation  to be one of substantial prosperity and choices.  
 
The purpose of this letter, sir, is to intrigue you with this scientific  

possibility and experiment enough for you to research this, for your own  life,
and the lives of the world class researchers and scientists you care  about.
 
My simple request is this.  Would you simply Google for ALCOR,  Cryonics, 
Rudi Hoffman, suspended animation, etc., and  simply provide your opinion?  
 
Cryonics is admittedly a "leading, bleeding edge" alternative.   But it is 
the most rational choice we have to be a part of a fantastic  future.  A 

fantastic future that I would like to see Dr. Charles  Pellegrino be a part of.
 
I look forward to meeting you in person one day.  Your ability to  convey the 
concept of "deep time" is remarkable.  Even more remarkable  would be the 
chance for you, Dr. Pellegrino, of being a part Of deep  time.

Respectfully Yours, for Centuries,
 
Rudi
  
 
Rudi Hoffman CFP  CLU
Certified Financial Planner
Chartered Life Underwriter
"Planning  Tomorrow, Today"


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