X-Message-Number: 30052
From: 
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 14:54:41 EST
Subject: Stodolsky questions

David Stodolsky  first quoted me in part,
 

>>  Oh, boy. Talk about not paying attention. First of all,   professional
>> marketers--with or without doctorates in a social  science--as far   
>> as I have been
>> able to  ascertain, have a very poor record of results.
and then wrote:

>Well, in the 1970's I published a letter in Long Life Mag.  saying  
>that cryonics organizations had to consider political  issues. The  
>only response to this was a letter opposing the idea -  that is, until  
>the Dora Kent case 12 years later.

_http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/dsp.cgi?msg=66_ 
(http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/dsp.cgi?msg=66) 
 
He also wrote:

>Now contact with and support  for favorable politicians is a routine  
>part of organizational  activity. So, let's hope that we don't need a  
>disaster like the  Dora Kent case, before people realize that  
>investing in social  research is appropriate.
 
Well, I realize I'm not so swift these days, but I still think  I can follow 
an argument, if it isn't too technical in an unfamiliar field.  But what point 
is he trying to make? That in 1977 he foresaw dangers that others  didn't, 
and that would have prevented the Dora Kent problems?
 
Lots of others foresaw the dangers, which were and are  obvious. But what was 
to be done with the resources available? In the cited  cryonet archive he 

says Alcor spent $100,000 in legal costs, which could have  been used to win the
election of a different coroner.  Can he be serious?  Was Alcor supposed to 

divine in advance that this coroner would be the next  serious problem and pour
money into electing someone else? As they say, get  real.
 
Incidentally, it could be argued that the Dora Kent incident  was by no means 
a disaster. On the contrary, Alcor won the legal battles and a  growth spurt 
followed.


That aside, I read the cited 1977 post, and found this as the  gist of his 
main sspecific proposal:


>What I propose is that research be initiated using a 
>list like  this as a base for constructing a "journal". 
>This journal could be  elaborated into a mechanism 
>that fulfils the information distribution  function for 
>an organization. The software developed could be  
>used by Life Extension Movement organizations 
>both to to enhance  their own credibility and protect 
>themselves from penetrations by  hostile agents. 
>Some comment in this direction have appeared on  
>the mailing list. "[Christopher Fry] mentioned that if 
>he  (personally) had a billion dollars to spend, he 
>would spend it on  information access . . . (CML35)"
 
O.K., nothing wrong with that, if within reach, as many others knew and  

said. However, 1977 was a little early for economically available web sites or

for many readers. The IBM PC was not introduced until 1981, and the World Wide
Web did not become a big deal until more than a decade later. When the cost  
was down and readership up, CI and the other cryonics organizations did get 

into  it, and it has been our main recruitment tool. Very cheap advertising--the
only  kind, so far as I know, that has ever worked. 
 
Robert Ettinger
 
 
 





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