X-Message-Number: 423
From att!lsuc!canrem!ben.best Wed Sep  4 08:53:18 1991
From:  (Ben Best)
Date: 4 Sep 91 (08:05)
To: 
Subject: cryonics at worldcon

   Over 6,000 people attended the World Science Fiction Convention in
Chicago on Labour Day Weekend. In that group were a number of
cryonicists, including Fred&Linda Chamberlain, Brett Bellimore (aka
Space Cadet), Angelee Shepherd, Steve Bridge and a new Alcor member from
Indianapolis (Richard Spock? -- I'm not certain I got the name right).

   Steve&Angelee held a cryonics party in their room on Friday evening
-- and we were so swarmed with interested and open-minded people that
we couldn't handle them all. Steve finally had to drive everyone out
at 2 am. Our hastily-organized cryonics SIG meeting on Sunday (intended
to present our case in panel form) brought only 2 non-cryonicists.
Booking a time more than 24 hours in advance and publicizing the event
might have produced very different results.

  This is the first Worldcon I ever attended (in fact, the first Science
Fiction Convention of any kind I have attended). My prejudices that
SciFi people are escapist-artsies who have no ability to deal with life
were dashed.  This conference was NOT like the description of Westercon
in CRYONICS magazine two years ago. There were very many quite capable,
educated, scientific and imaginative people at this conference. Many
scientific speculative issues (with reference to scientific facts) were
addressed at the panels -- including genetic engineering, surrogate
mothering, "downloading", chaos, artificial intelligence, virtual
reality, increasing intelligence, loopholes in physics, intimate
technology, technological environmentalism, computer animation,
electronic rights, etc. -- as well as two nanotechnology panels (one
pro, one anti). Other panels dealt with topics in art, literature,
history, paleontology, ethics, politics, social trends&deviations, etc.
I would HIGHLY recommend for cryonicists to attend and prepare-for
(well in advance) future Worldcons. For me, this last Worldcon was not
only an excellent place to promote cryonics, it was an intellectual
adventure, a social playground and an artistic bedazzlement (I loved
it!).

   The 1992 Worldcon will be in Orlando,Florida; the 1993 Worldcon will
be in San Francisco and the 1994 Worldcon will be in Winnipeg. Worldcons
are always on Labour Day Weekend.

                    -- Ben Best ()
--
Canada Remote Systems.  Toronto, Ontario
NorthAmeriNet Host


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