The Prometheus Project pledge total has now increased to $357,900 per year for ten years. $5,000 per year was pledged by Peter Voss, another $1,000 per year by someone who prefers to have his name confidential, and $1,000 per year by Rudi Hoffman, who wrote:
"Paul, I love life. I think that we happen to be alive in a very unusual period of time. A time future generations will look back on as the period immediately before the single biggest breakthrough in the history of the human race.
"I am referring, of course, to the technological mastery of aging, disabilities, and death.
"Should I not live to see these breakthroughs, there is a safety net called cryonic suspension. The purpose here is to provide a bridge to a technology that may be able to bring my brain and mind to a restored, and indeed improved and optimized state.
"There are no guarantees in this procedure. It would be naive to think that the process is simple, easy, or inexpensive. But how exciting it is to be a part of a rather small group currently, who have at least a measurable and scientific chance of being alive at AD 2000 and AD 3000!
"I look forward to learning from each of you, and sharing ideas in our bright and joyous future for thousands of years!
"My current and everyday life has been dramatically improved by learning to think about my life in these longer terms. I hope you will investigate your options and find some value that may dramatically improve your life as well."
In addition, a very generous pledge for $6,800 per year was received from Larry Lee, who wrote:
"I believe it is most important at this time to do research on cryogenic preservation, especially on brain cryopreservation. I want to see some hard evidence (based on current technology) to support my dream of extending my life.
"The more scientific results supporting cryogenic preservation, the easier it is to present cryonics to the scientific and medical community and to the public at large.
"The pledged amount is about 2 months of my full-time salary before tax. I am prepared to continue working for the next 10 years so I can commit this amount each year. I hope my effort will help to achieve significant results on brain cryopreservation.
"My second hope is to make some profits, where possible.
"I think you are doing a courageous job of initiating the Prometheus Project. You have worked hard and have persevered well in the past months. Therefore, I have one more hope--that you continue your effort to get this important project underway. For that, you have much for me to thank you for."
I wish to give special acknowledgement and thanks to Larry for showing that he really and truly does want to do everything possible to see that his life is extended by pledging one-sixth of his earnings before tax. This level of pledge is very gratifying to me. If even a small percentage of those who desire vast life-extension would show their sincerity by pledging this percentage of their income, we would have the project funded very quickly.
The pledge totals at each dollar level are now:
The 69 pledges total $3,579,000 over all ten years.
42% of the pledgers having pledged 18% of the total are not signed up with any cryonics organization.
Pledge totals per year by national origin:
Australia $5,500 Canada $26,000 France $2,000 New Zealand $1,500 Sweden $1,000 United States $316,900 No country $5,000
Some time ago the Prometheus Project established a Board of Science Advisors. The purpose of this board is to "be actively involved in the formulation of the scientific plans and, later, the oversight of the execution of the Project". The first appointment to the Board was Thomas Donaldson, Ph.D., a well known cryonicist who is particularly knowledgeable about brain operation. His CV is on display at the Prometheus Project Web Site, www.prometheus-project.org/prometheus/.
It gives me great pleasure now to announce that Professor Lester Ingber, Ph.D. has accepted appointment to the Board of Science Advisors. Lester Ingber has been a leader in several physical and research disciplines. Today, primarily via the Internet, he works with many groups world-wide who use his codes and algorithms, e.g. his Adaptive Simulated Annealing (ASA) optimization C-code, available to the public from his Internet archive. He also performs short-term consulting, maintains the ASA code, and regularly helps others apply these sophisticated techniques. Since 1992, he has worked with thousands of people to apply his ASA code across many disciplines, e.g. neural networks, imaging, chaos theory, etc.
Lester Ingber has published over 85 papers and books in the categories of: theoretical nuclear physics, neuroscience (short-term memory and electroencephalography), finance, general optimization, combat analysis, karate, and education.
He received his diploma from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1958; his B.S. in physics from Caltech in 1962; his Ph.D. in theoretical nuclear physics from UC San Diego in 1966. He studied at the Niels Bohr Institute in 1964, and consulted at RAND in 1965-1966. He was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley in 1967-1968 and at UC Los Angeles in 1968-1969, an Assistant Professor in physics at SUNY at Stony Brook from 1969-1970, and a research physicist in the Physics department and in the Institute for Pure and Applied Physical Sciences (IPAPS) at UC San Diego from 1970-1972. From 1970-1986 he was President of Physical Studies Institute (PSI), a nonprofit corporation he founded in 1970, which was an agency account in IPAPS from 1980-1986. From 1970-1972 he developed teaching methodologies for academics and fine arts, instructing in and administrating a six-course program through UC San Diego Extension. From 1972-1978, though PSI, he founded, funded, and instructed in an experimental alternative high school offering 30+ courses in academics, fine arts, and physical disciplines. He was a Research Associate at UC San Diego in the Music department from 1972-1974 and in IPAPS from 1980-1986. He was awarded a Senior Research Associateship for 1985-1986 by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences, taken at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, CA.
From 1986-1989, he was Professor of Physics at NPS at a GS-15 Step 10 equivalent position. In March 1988 he was officially offered an ES-4 Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment as Assistant Director of the Joint Tactical C3 Agency (JTC3A); he declined in order to complete his projects. From February through June 1989 he was on extended temporary duty at US Army Concepts Analysis Agency (CAA) in Bethesda, MD. In 1989 he won a second NRC Senior Research Associateship, taken at the Naval Ocean Systems Center (NOSC) in San Diego. From 1989-1990 he was Research Professor of Mathematics at The George Washington University (GWU), D.C. Since 1990, through Lester Ingber Research, he has consulted on projects in his fields of expertise.
He is married to Louise Frazer Ingber, previously Principal Ballerina and Director, Conservatory of Ballet Arts Company in CA. They have grown Dansant Boutique since 1987 into a retail and mail-order business serving the ballet community.
Lester Ingber may be contacted as follows:
email:
FTP: ftp.ingber.com
Web Site: www.ingber.compostal
mail: P. O. Box 857, McLean, VA 22101-0857
It is indeed a pleasure to have Prof. Ingber as one of the supporters of the Prometheus Project's revolutionary goal.