[ExI] FW: Larry King wants to be cryopreserved

[David Lubkin]

Max wrote:

>It is not confirmed yet, but looks very likely to go ahead: On 
>January 11, I'm scheduled to appeared on the Dr. Oz Show alongside 
>Larry King. There will probably be a couple of other people who are 
>not yet confirmed. The producer tells me that Larry King has 
>confirmed. (The show also wants to film at Alcor the week before the 
>in-studio appearance.)

This is excellent.

>I've never seen the show, but it clearly has a large audience, and 
>Mr King is popular. Celebrities can be as much of a problem for 
>cryonics as an opportunity, but this case seems fairly likely to be beneficial.

King is a mixed blessing. He's extremely well-known, but he has a reputation
as a little odd, between his appearance, his many wives, and occasional
bizarre statements when he'd interview someone on his show.

All in all, reaching out to King, especially now that he has retired from a
nightly show, seems a net positive. He cuts through mystique, misconception,
and fear with the candor of an old Brooklyn Jew (which he is; as my dad was).
It's exciting to consider the possibilities if he'd consent to participating in
Alcor marketing (YouTube, radio, print, web, etc.).

If the goal is to grow numbers, and thence financial and political 
stability for
Alcor, outreach has to recognize that different people are swayed differently.
I was always sold on the concept, but it took Drexler and Merkle to convince
me with an existence proof for re-animation. For many others, the pitch has
to be simple, emotional, and repeated before they'll have any interest in how.

While we're on the subject: The process of signing up has historically been
on the order of complexity and delay of buying a house. Some of this may
be inherent and unavoidable, but it is a deterrent for any but true believers.

I'm not sure what the process looks like nowadays, but perhaps a web-based
wizard to step people through their alternatives and assist in completing
the process?

(Max, feel free to contact me off-list if you want to discuss anything beyond
what is appropriate here.)


-- David.