Looking for volunteers...

Not a lot has been posted in this new forum in the past few days, and I'm hoping this little break has given everyone time to digest what's been said. What began as a discussion of the merits of the Methuselah Mouse Prize's having both an unrestricted category (allowing germline interventions) as well as a late-onset category, lead into a discussion of using flies, which lead to the discussion of creating a "Methuselah Fly Prize".

Pride and tempers flared for a while, among people who are typically more restrained: truly this topic has drawn out the passions for progress in us. Many have commented: Prometheus, Dr. de Grey, MethuselahMouse, myself, Lazarus Long, Robert Bradbury, reason, lightowl, apocalypse, und so weiter... The list of people who have offered their opinions and knowledge covers a broad spectrum, including biologists, businessmen, computer scientists, etc.

The Life Extension Prizes forum is here for us to discuss ideas and carry on our debates. But more focus is needed in actually bringing the fly longevity prize to fruition: whether this focus will be accomplished within this forum, or in an outside committee, will depend on support here. A very good first step will be the creation of a formal proposal for creating and setting up the fly prize. And creating such a proposal in detail and with all pertinent aspects--e.g., the scientific and business aspects, to name but two--covered in detail, is a daunting task for me to contemplate doing alone.

At this point, I would like to solicit volunteers, to help in any way you can. If not with the proposal, then with support down the road, or with spreading the word, or getting others to volunteer. Only you know what your available time and resources are, as well as what skill sets (and friends) you have to offer. If you are interested in helping to make this idea a reality, please let me know. I'm not a natural leader, so at some point I would like to hand that responsibility off to someone else. But so long as it is required of me, I will do my best to try to bring like minds together on this.

Feel free to post your desires to help here, so that others can see what resources are being donated. If you'd like to test the waters first, feel free to PM me, and we can discuss things further outside of the forum.

Let me finish by saying that the Immortality Institute is and will continue to be a shining beacon in the cause of anti-aging science. The first book is due out in less than two months, and the film project seems to hold good promise as well. ImmInst is more than just a club, or a hangout, where we can discuss immortality, and then get on with our lives. ImmInst is about more than advocacy, it's about projects, about ACTION! I know that there are those here who do not wish to participate in the fly longevity prize. But for those who see its potential, I'm asking you to help me to take a stand, and show how much ImmInst is truly capable of accomplishing! Thank you.

Jay Fox

I suppose I'll lead by example. I am a computer scientists and physicist by nature, though only the former by formal education and experience. I have also dabbed in technical writing and web design, though I make no claim to be a web developer. Content I can do. Layout/presentation is not my department.

I can assist with essays, proofreading, collecting and annotating articles, comments, etc. I can make suggestions about things that are inherently mathematical in nature, such as how the system or the forumulae used in awarding the prize should work. (I have more to say on this point in regards to the MMP as well.)

I don't have unlimited free time, but if the quantity and length of my posts in recent weeks is any indication, I have a fair amount of time to offer, at least for the foreseeable near term.

Once (if?) the prize gets off the ground, I will donate whatever financial resources I can spare at the time, but I make no promises yet on how large such support will be.

I have a friend who is a "scientist" at a genetics lab in Foster City, CA, and he's also a semi-professional filmmaker. I'm trying to set up a "trade" with him, where I help him with his filmmaking and/or other hobbies, and he provides his assistance to the fly prize. No word yet on whether he'll help, but the potential is there.

Jay Fox

Dear friends,

the time has come for us to embark on the most thrilling journey possible: partaking in the science behind extending human lifespan. Each of us has different reasons why we want to see this done - whether it is a wish to one day travel beyond our planet or merely to have a loved one around for a while longer. Each of us has different academic backgrounds - some us have those funny little letters after our name and some of us don't. Each of us have been apportioned differently from life's bounty - some of us visit this site using a a wireless connection whilst lounging with their laptop and others use their friends PC or the local library. What we share in common, however, transcends our differences - it is a deep knowing and conviction that the prospect of a measure of life beyond limits is possible and that it is a right that every human being on this planet is entitled to. Death has no place in a civilized world and it should only be a matter of time before we can leverage science and technology to enable us to make the necessary changes to our bodies to give each human being freedom from the fear of an end to life.

It is the singular mission of the Fly Prize to accelerate discovery towards human anti-senescence interventions. This prize is as yet unnamed and we hope that it will become the Methuselah Fly Prize because it is as yet undetermined if it will be embraced by and come under the Methuselah Foundation (MF) as a sister prize to the Methuselah Mouse Prize (MMP). I assure you though that it will not be an orphan for long. Should Dave Gobel and Aubrey de Grey decide not to make it part of the MF then I will gladly incorporate a non-profit organization to be based in the US or the UK from which this prize will be administrated. Dave and Aubrey will of course still be welcome to participate. I do ask of them however, that they make their decision known.

Let me say on the record, that should the MF decide not to take this on, the fly prize will not in any way compromise the efforts of the MF. We acknowledge the importance of the MMP and note that were it not for the pioneering efforts of the MF the fly prize would not have even been conceived. I am personally very grateful for the inspiration that the MF has provided.

Such an effort cannot succeed just with a few. So I ask for everyone's help and support. Everyone is welcome and all efforts are sincerely appreciated.

Harold Brenner,
aka Prometheus.

Happy to help where I can, Harold & Jay Fox. Let me know.

Bruce

One of the first things that we must do is get some leadership in order and I would like to suggest that Jay Fox be assigned that role (provided he is willing).

Jay Fox has truly championed this effort and has demonstrated both the diligence to persevere with understanding esoteric biology (he is educated as a computer scientist) and the character to moderate tiresome debates and belligerent members (myself not excluded). He has shown initiative and leadership and has engaged various members into joining the various debates and inspiring intelligent discourse.

One of the first things that we must do is get some leadership in order and I would like to suggest that Jay Fox be assigned that role (provided he is willing).

I am willing, although as I said, I would not object to, and indeed would welcome, someone else stepping up to that role in the future.

Great to have you on board BJ!