X-Message-Number: 9011
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 05:08:44 -0700 (MST)
From: Fred Chamberlain <>
Subject: Alcor's On-Line Bookstore Through Amazon (Coming Soon)

From: Fred Chamberlain <>
Subject: Buying "The First Immortal"

Kennita Watson had a *great* idea in CryoNet Posting #9006 (reprinted
below), and after you scan through that, you'll have a better idea of how
we'll approach this!

[Message #9006]
[Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 09:48:24 +0000]
[From: Kennita Watson <>]
[Subject: Buying "The First Immortal"]

[Fred --]

[I think I'll put off buying my copy]
[until you do what you should have]
[done in the first place, that is become ]
[an Amazon associate.  Just go]
[to the Amazon site and click on ]
["open your own online bookstore today".]
[It takes only a few minutes, and when ]
[it's done, whenever anybody clicks ]
[through the Alcor site to buy a book,]
[Alcor gets some of the money.]

[You can list books that you recommend]
[by name, so it will make a great]
[place on the Alcor site for a]
["recommended reading" list, as well.]
[I suggest that everybody else also ]
[wait to buy their copy until we]
[get the go-ahead to buy it through 
[the Alcor site.  It shouldn't be
[long -- right, Fred?

[Cheers,]
[Kennita]

Right!  I'm composing this in parallel with filling out the form.  They've
asked for a description of the kind of books we'll "offer".  For the moment,
that will look like this:

"Books presenting realistic visions of the future, including how suspended
animation and the elimination of biological aging play a part.  Also, books
concerning research related to the development of suspended animation, the
history of this development, and the psychological, economic, political,
philosophical and political impacts which will accompany such advances."

OK - Now we get to the fine print.  I'm about to push the "submit" button
and they say that this will signify agreement to the terms and conditions of
the Operating Agreement, and provide a link to it.  I've not only *read*
this agreement, but I've *appended it* below, so everybody can have a look
at it.

It looks all right, but the setup will take a little time, including waiting
for amazon to send me a logo to embed in the Alcor site, and then getting
the web page modified.  That's not necessarily a problem, but it will take a
few days before its up and running, at the least.  Tomorrow, for example,
we'll be doing everything we can to get the next issue of The Phoenix out
(it's a tad late at this point), and about in the twinkling of an eye it's
time for the Northern California Alcor Training Course, so there's a lot of
work in progress.  Nonetheless, planting a link shouldn't take long, and
I've added Brian Shock, Alcor's current web manager (and Membership Manager,
as well as Editor of Cryonics Magazine) to this email, so he'll be up to
speed on what's taking place.

Before unleashing the power and awsome length of the Amazon Operating
Agreement, one last thought.  If you want to wait until we plant the link on
the Alcor website before you order, and make a note to go there to get your
copy of "The First Immortal" by Jim Halperin, we'll deeply appreciate it.
On the other hand, if you're so eager to get on the shipping list for "The
First Immortal" that you don't want to wait for this, we (or at least I)
will not hold it against you.

Also, if you read the fine print carefully, you'll see that we haven't lost
anything as far as the orders Alcor has already placed for sale to people
who might order from us directly.  The agreement prohibits us from "buying
for our own use", and you can see the reason for this.  If we did that, we'd
buy in quantity from Amazon at a 30% discount, and they'd also have to pay
us a 15% fee on our own purchase, for a 45% net discount.  Then,
theoretically, Alcor could mark the book up 10% and still sell them for less
than Amazon.  Those crafty people at Amazon have foreseen this, and have
plugged the loophole.  Seriously, for those of you who are in business and
might be interested in setting up an Amazon booklink in your own website, it
looks like they've been really thorough about how they've organized this
service.  It permits you to be creative about selecting and describing books
which pertain to your own special interests, thus adding value for anyone
who would (then) use your site as a more effective way of staying up on
what's available in a given area.  You'd get the 15% referral fee for that,
and Amazon (meanwhile) builds up a greater and greater general base of loyal
customers.

Enough, already!  If you want to wait to purchase "The First Immortal" by
Jim Halperin through the Alcor Website (when we finally get the link logo
and embed it), we'll be grateful for the extra support.  And, if you just
can't wait, we'll understand.  Thanks again to Kennita Watson, for the great
idea and recommendation.

Let's don't forget the whole purpose of all of this:  It's to get the word
out that there's a new book available which paints a convincing, plausible
picture of what the world is going to be like over the next hundred years,
and how *great* it's going to be to live on and be part of it, either
through cryonics or anti aging treatments.  Those who read "The First
Immortal" will encounter, for the first time (I think), a deeply insightful
view of what it will actually be like to live in a society where some people
have "been around" for centuries, others have just emerged from biological
childhood, and they will *all* be about the same in physical appearance.

Science fiction has, for the most part avoided the challenge of dealing with
this issue.  People are portrayed as traveling at trans light velocities,
jumping back and forth through transporters, whizzing through wormholes,
even "uploading", and in *none* of these stories do they have well worked
out solution for the aging problem.  This will be one of the profound
dilemmas of future psychological historians - to explain why such a
relatively simple idea as control of biological aging has so conspicuously
been absent from fiction where reasonably far greater feats of advancement
have been taken for granted. 

Jim Halperin, in writing "The First Immortal" has (in my opinion) managed to
deal with the question of what it will be like to live in an "ageless"
society, while preserving the richest essence of what most of us think of as
human nature, emotion, common sense and whatever else goes with the idea of
just "moving on down the road".  As it becomes more and more clear that we
*are* going to see the emergence of an "ageless" society, in the near term,
fiction about this will become a mainstream fascination of the human race, I
think, and "The First Immortal" will turn out to be a major landmark of that
transition in fiction!

Boundless Life

Fred Chamberlain, President ()
Alcor Life Extension Foundation
Non-profit cryonic suspension services since 1972.
7895 E. Acoma Dr., Suite 110, Scottsdale AZ 85260-6916
Phone (602) 922-9013  (800) 367-2228   FAX (602) 922-9027
 for general requests
http://www.alcor.org

AND NOW, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT TO EXPERIENCE THE FULL AND DEEPEST
MYSTERIES OF THE AMAZON OPERATING AGREEMENT, HERE'S WHAT ALCOR IS ABOUT TO
AGREE TO, IN A MOMENT OR TWO, WHEN I PUSH THE "SUBMIT" BUTTON:

Amazon.com Associates Program Operating Agreement

This Agreement contains the complete terms and conditions that apply to an
individual's or entity's participation in the Amazon.com Associates Program
(the "Program"). As used in this Agreement, "we" means Amazon.com, Inc.,
"you" means the applicant, and "book" means any item offered for sale in the
Amazon.com catalog. "Site" means a World Wide Web site and, depending on the
context, refers either to Amazon.com's site or to the site that you will
link to our site.

1.Enrollment in the Program.

To begin the enrollment process, you will submit a complete Program
application via our site. We will evaluate your application in good faith
and will notify you of your acceptance or rejection. We may reject your
application if we determine (in our sole discretion) that your site is
unsuitable for the Program.

Unsuitable sites include sites that: 
   promote sexually explicit materials 
   promote violence 
   promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion,
   nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age 
   promote illegal activities violate intellectual property rights

If we reject your application, you are welcome to reapply to the Program at
any time.

2.Listing Books on Your Site

You will select one or more books to list on your site. For each selected
book, you will display on your site a short description, review, or other
reference. You will be responsible for the content, style, and placement of
these references. You will provide a special link from each book reference
on your site to the corresponding Amazon.com online catalog entry. Each link
will connect directly to a single item in our online catalog, using a
special link format that we give you. You may add or delete books (and
related links) from your site at any time without our approval. 

3. Order Processing

We will process book orders placed by customers who follow special links
from your site to Amazon.com online catalog entries.  We reserve the right
to reject orders that do not comply with any requirements that we
periodically may establish. We will be responsible for all aspects of order
processing and fulfillment. Among other things, we will prepare order forms;
process payments, cancellations, and returns; and handle customer service.
We will track sales made to customers who purchase books using special links
from your site to our catalog and will send you reports summarizing this
sales activity. The form, content, and frequency of the reports may vary
from time to time in our discretion. To permit accurate tracking, reporting,
and fee accrual, you must ensure that the special links between your site
and our site are properly formatted. 

4.Referral Fees

We will pay you referral fees on certain book sales to third parties. For a
book sale to generate a referral fee, the customer must follow a special
link from your site to our online catalog entry for a particular book,
purchase the book using our automated ordering system, accept delivery of
the book at the shipping destination, and remit full payment to us. We will
not pay referral fees on books that are added to a customer's Shopping Cart
directly from the Amazon.com catalog (instead of through a special link from
your site), even if the customer previously followed a link from your site
to our catalog. The Program is intended for commercial use only, and you may
not purchase books through the Program for your own use. Such purchases may
result (in our sole discretion) in the withholding of referral fees or the
termination of this Agreement.

5.  Fee Schedule

You will earn referral fees based on the sale price of qualifying books,
according to fee schedules to be established by us. Sale price means the
sale price listed in our catalog and excludes costs for shipping, handling,
gift wrapping, and taxes. The current fee schedule is: 15% for each book
that, on the date of order, is listed in our catalog at 10%-30% off the
publisher's list price; 5% for each book that, on the date of order, is
listed in our catalog at the publisher's list price (such as special order
books); and 5% for each book that, on the date of order, is listed in our
catalog at more than 30% off the publisher's list price. Sales of books
listed in our catalog or in search results as "out of print" or "hard to
find" currently are not eligible for referral fees. 

6.Fee Payment

We will pay you referral fees on a quarterly basis. Approximately 30 days
following the end of each calendar quarter, we will send you a check for the
referral fees earned on books that were shipped during that quarter, less
any taxes that we are required by law to withhold. However, if the fees
payable to you for any calendar quarter are less than $100.00, we will hold
those fees until the total amount due is at least $100.00 or (if earlier)
until this Agreement is terminated. If a book that generated a referral fee
is returned by the customer, we will deduct the corresponding fee from your
next quarterly payment. If there is no subsequent payment, we will send you
a bill for the fee. 

7.Policies and Pricing

Customers who buy books through this Program will be deemed to be customers
of Amazon.com. Accordingly, all Amazon.com rules, policies, and operating
procedures concerning customer orders, customer service, and book sales will
apply to those customers. We may change our policies and operating
procedures at any time. For example, we will determine the prices to be
charged for books sold under this Program in accordance with our own pricing
policies. Book prices and availability may vary from time to time. Because
price changes may affect books that you already have listed on your site,
you may not include price information in your book descriptions. We will use
commercially reasonable efforts to present accurate information, but we
cannot guarantee the availability or price of any particular book. 

8.Identifying Yourself as an Associate

We will make available to you a small graphic image that identifies your
site as a Program participant. You will prominently display this logo or the
phrase "In association with Amazon.com" somewhere on your site. The logo or
phrase must be linked to the following message: 

Amazon.com Associates list selected books in
an editorial context that helps you choose
the right books. We encourage you to visit
[sponsoring Web site name] often to see what
new books they've selected for you. 
Thank you for shopping with an Amazon.com
Associate. 

Sincerely, 

Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO
Amazon.com

P.S. We guarantee you the same high level of
customer service you would receive at
Amazon.com. If you have a question about an
order you've placed, please don't hesitate
to contact us. 

We may modify the text or graphical image of this notice from time to time.
In addition, we encourage (but do not require) you to include a link to the
Amazon.com home page at http://www.amazon.com. 

9.Limited License

We grant you a non-exclusive, revocable right to use the icon and message
described in Section 8 and such other images for which we grant express
permission, solely for the purpose of identifying your site as a Program
participant. You may not modify the icon, the message, or any of our images
in any way. We reserve all of our rights in the icon, the message, any other
images, our trade names and trademarks, and all other intellectual property
rights.  We may revoke your license at any time by giving you written notice. 


10.Responsibility for Your Site

You will be solely responsible for the development, operation, and
maintenance of your site and for all materials that appear on your site. For
example, you will be solely responsible for: 

the technical operation of your site and all related equipment creating and
posting book descriptions on your site and linking those descriptions to our
catalog the accuracy and appropriateness of materials posted on your site
(including, among other things, all book-related materials) ensuring that
materials posted on your site do not violate or infringe upon the rights of
any third party (including, for example, copyrights, trademarks, privacy, or
other personal or proprietary rights), ensuring that materials posted on
your site are not libelous or otherwise illegal.   We disclaim all liability
for these matters. Further, you will indemnify and hold us harmless from all
claims, damages, and expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys'
fees) relating to the development, operation, maintenance, and contents of
your site. 

11.Terms of the Agreements

The terms of this Agreement will begin upon our acceptance of your Program
application and will end when terminated by either party. Either you or we
may terminate this Agreement at any time, with or without cause, by giving
the other party written notice of termination. You are only eligible to earn
referral fees on sales occurring during the term, and fees earned through
the date of termination will remain payable only if the related book orders
are not canceled or returned. We may withhold your final payment for a
reasonable time to ensure that the correct amount is paid.

12.Modification

We may modify any of the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement,
at any time and in our sole discretion, by posting a change notice or a new
agreement on our site.  Modifications may include, for example, changes in
the scope of available referral fees, fee schedules, payment procedures, and
Program rules.

IF ANY MODIFICATION IS UNACCEPTABLE TO YOU, YOUR ONLY RECOURSE IS TO
TERMINATE THIS AGREEMENT. YOUR CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM
FOLLOWING OUR POSTING OF A CHANGE NOTICE OR NEW AGREEMENT ON OUR SITE WILL
CONSTITUTE BINDING ACCEPTANCE OF THE CHANGE. 

13.Relationship of Parties

You and we are independent contractors, and nothing in this Agreement will
create any partnership, joint venture, agency, franchise, sales
representative, or employment relationship between the parties. You will
have no authority to make or accept any offers or representations on our
behalf. You will not make any statement, whether on your site or otherwise,
that reasonably would contradict anything in this Section.

14.Limitation of Liability

We will not be liable for indirect, special, or consequential damages (or
any loss of revenue, profits, or data) arising in connection with this
Agreement or the Program, even if we have been advised of the possibility of
such damages. Further, our aggregate liability arising with respect to this
Agreement and the Program will not exceed the total referral fees paid or
payable to you under to this Agreement. 

15.Disclaimers

We make no express or implied warranties or representations with respect to
the Program or any books sold through the Program (including, without
limitation, warranties of fitness, merchantability, non-infringement, or any
implied warranties arising out of a course of performance, dealing, or trade
usage). In addition, we make no representation that the operation of our
site will be uninterrupted or error-free, and we will not be liable for the
consequences of any interruptions or errors. 

16.Independent Investigation

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS AGREEMENT AND AGREE TO ALL ITS TERMS
AND CONDITIONS. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WE MAY AT ANY TIME (DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY) SOLICIT CUSTOMER REFERRALS ON TERMS THAT MAY DIFFER FROM THOSE
CONTAINED IN THIS AGREEMENT OR OPERATE WEB SITES THAT ARE SIMILAR TO OR
COMPETE WITH YOUR WEB SITE.  YOU HAVE,INDEPENDENTLY EVALUATED THE
DESIRABILITY OF PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM AND ARE NOT RELYING ON ANY
REPRESENTATION, GUARANTEE, OR STATEMENT OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH IN THIS
AGREEMENT. 

17.Miscellaneous

This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the United States and the
State of Washington, without reference to rules governing choice of laws.
Any action relating to this Agreement must be brought in the federal or
state courts located in Seattle, Washington, and you irrevocably consent to
the jurisdiction of such courts. You may not assign this Agreement, by
operation of law or otherwise, without our prior written consent. Subject to
that restriction, this Agreement will be binding on, inure to the benefit
of, and enforceable against the parties and their respective successors and
assigns. Our failure to enforce your strict performance of any provision of
this Agreement will not constitute a waiver of our right to subsequently
enforce such provision or any other provision of this Agreement. 

END OF AMAZON OPERATING AGREEMENT!
END OF THIS CRYONET POSTING!

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