214 replies to this topic

[brokenportal]

Maybe this is redundant, or wouldnt work, but what do you think about starting a topic asking for 100 links to sites like blogs, other forums, and social networking sites that have at least something to do with the cause, that people have posted about the fund raiser in? Then people can go and find more, link the main fund raiser page http://imminst.org/a...-research-grant and we can try to motivate more. I can even have the internetworking team add them all to digg and the outside forums catagory then.

I just started this kind of proposal in the 30 for 30 topic, but I think it might do better in its own topic if one of you wants to start it. Ill then take it out of the other topic.

Edited by brokenportal, 12 August 2009 - 04:30 AM.

[Florin]

Maybe this is redundant, or wouldnt work, but what do you think about starting a topic asking for 100 links to sites like blogs, other forums, and social networking sites that have at least something to do with the cause, that people have posted about the fund raiser in? Then people can go and find more, link the main fund raiser page http://imminst.org/a...-research-grant and we can try to motivate more. I can even have the internetworking team add them all to digg and the outside forums catagory then.

I just started this kind of proposal in the 30 for 30 topic, but I think it might do better in its own topic if one of you wants to start it. Ill then take it out of the other topic.

If you can get more people involved in getting bloggers and other websites to promote this project that would be helpful. I recommend targeting Facebook life extension and transhumanist-related causes and groups.

Since the 30/30 fund will probably be met, I think it would be better to mentioning just the project itself.

[brokenportal]

SENS Foundation website breaks it down as follows.



http://sensf.org/ind...gename=lysosens


LysoSENS
Destroying junk inside cells.
Cells have a lot of reasons to break down big molecules and structures into their component parts, and a lot of ways to do so. Unfortunately, one of the main reasons to break things down is because they have been chemically modified so that they no longer work, and sometimes these chemical modifications create structures that are so weird that none of the cell's degradation machinery works on them.

This situation is very rare, but in the long run these modified chemicals add up. Ultimately the chemicals end up in the lysosome, a special vessel that contains the most powerful degradation machinery in the cell. If something can't be broken down there, it just stays there forever. This doesn't matter in cells that divide regularly, because division dilutes the junk enough that it remains at harmlessly low levels, but non-dividing cells gradually fill up with this stuff, making them dysfunctional. The heart, the back of the eye, some nerve cells (especially motor neurons) and, most of all, white blood cells trapped within the artery wall all suffer from this.

Eventually, these cells can't process any more of this junk, and they stop working correctly. This failure is the key cause of atherosclerosis (the unstable buildups, called plaques, that build up in the artery wall and eventually burst, causing heart attacks and strokes). As the cells responsible for clearing toxic fatty materials out of the blood vessels become engorged with indigestible materials, they cease functioning and die, leaving their corpses behind to build up in the vessel. Failure to process recalcitrant junk within the cell is also important in several types of neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's) and in macular degeneration (the main cause of blindness in the old). So, it's very important that we find a way to prevent or reverse the build-up of these wastes within the cell.

In neurodegeneration, aggregates also tend to form in parts of the cell other than the lysosome. There is, however, good evidence that this is a compensatory measure when neurons' lysosomes stop working properly as a result of the more modest accumulation of lysosomal toxins. Therefore, if we fix the lysosome then the non-lysosomal aggregates should disappear naturally.




Another great place to read all about this is here:

[Florin]

Here's an updated list of the status of each method (new or changed items in bold) that could be used to promote this project:

• Implemented promotional methods
  • 30 for $30 matching fund
  • Aubrey posted an announcement on his Facebook Wall
  • Blogs
  • Imminst homepage
  • Imminst forum banner (in or above header) FINALLY!
  • Imminst forum banner (in vacant ad space)
  • Imminst forum Meet&Greet ANNOUNCEMENTS (hidden by default)
  • Imminst forum's Staff Picks section
  • Links to project on life extensionist and transhumanist Facebook groups and causes
  • Promotional email to Imminst members
• Proposed promotional methods
  • Donor list
  • Facebook ads
  • Facebook cause (too late)
  • Facebook donation widgets (too late)
  • Facebook posts
  • Google ads
  • Imminst banner (in or above header)
  • Links to project on more life extensionist and transhumanist Facebook groups and causes
  • More blogs
  • Twitter posts

[caliban]

The last 24hrs of the funding drive are now underway. The $8000 ceiling is still within reach.

During the last few hours we have received another substantial ($500) donation (thanks Nenad!), but what keeps trickling in and what has helped us to get as far, are the many small donations from private individuals who want to help usher this type of blue skies science along, because they are tired of waiting for the research landscape to change by itself.
With no corporate sponsors, this is truly a grass roots effort, for grass roots science.

[Ghostrider]

I'll contribute $100 tomorrow if we can extend the deadline until at least this coming Friday! I have noticed a lot of progress over the past few days and think we can reach the goal if given just a little more time!

[Mind]

We had another $1,300 in donations today. If Caliban's previous estimate is reasonably accurate then we are around $7,400 with 8 hours to go!

I don't have an exact amount because Google has to take their cut and some of the donations might be rejected due to credit card problems. It will be about 2 days before all the donations settle into the Imminst bank account, at which point we can put an exclamation point on the fundraiser. We need about $600 more. Public promotion of the fundraiser will end at midnight (CST) tonight.

[Mind]

Correction: 6 hours left. The official fundraiser ends at midnight tonight (EST). Approximately $7,400 raised so far.

[Mind]

We have three pledges in the 3 for $250 challenge, which should bring us up to approximately $8,000. Great job everyone! Of course, we are accepting any last donations through midnight tonight (EST).

[kevin]

We have three pledges in the 3 for $250 challenge, which should bring us up to approximately $8,000. Great job everyone! Of course, we are accepting any last donations through midnight tonight (EST).

Congratulations on a successful run all!.. and a big congrats to Mind and those who have been administering it... I am proud to be part of a group that can pull something like this off.. excellent work.

[Ghostrider]

Very proud to be apart of this effort. Big thanks to BrokenPortal, Mind, and all the other donors. When will the research start?

[Mind]

It will take a couple days to get the exact accounting of the amount donated. Then Imminst will cut a check to SENSF. Nason has already begun preparations for full blown experiments and expects to keep us up to date when things start in earnest. So things are already set-up and should get going in about a week or two.

[reason]

Please keep a page active at:

www.imminst.org/archive/articles/laser-research-grant

To explain what you were up to and why. There are a lot of inbound links to that URL, and presently they're going to what is essentially a 404.

[Florin]

Please keep a page active at:

www.imminst.org/archive/articles/laser-research-grant

To explain what you were up to and why. There are a lot of inbound links to that URL, and presently they're going to what is essentially a 404.

I agree; the page should be kept and expanded with research results from the project.

Also, Imminst's homepage should display the news about reaching the $8k goal more prominently.

[caliban]

I guess Mind took it down to signal the end of the funding drive.
I have reprublished the page and I'll put up the banner again to celebrate for a few days.

[MichaelGR]

Please keep a page active at:

www.imminst.org/archive/articles/laser-research-grant

To explain what you were up to and why. There are a lot of inbound links to that URL, and presently they're going to what is essentially a 404.

I agree. I donated, and would love to keep track of the progress made.

[Mind]

Sorry about taking the page down. I wanted to re-write it but didn't have time yesterday so I took it down temporarily. I plan on creating a new page/forum for keeping track of the research progress.

[John Schloendorn]

Thanks to everyone for the fantastic help! It was wonderful to see ImmInst's grassroots power at its best in the past couple of weeks. I believe that Nason is uniquely situated to put these funds to good use in the fight against death. I hope we can keep this spirit up towards many challenges to come. It is really important to me to keep this awesome community posted on our progress. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any requests.

[ag24]

Hi everyone,

I'd just like to express my warm gratitude to everyone who made donations, large and small, to achieve this outstanding goal. It really was a massive demonstration of what ImmInst does best - grass-roots lobbying and enthusiasm-building. We'll not only use this money well: we'll use the campaign as a great example of what's possible with appropriately energetic fundraising, so that we'll do it bigger and better in the future. Thanks so much to everyone!

Cheers, Aubrey

[Nason]

Thanks everyone for the contributions and all the tremendous fundraising work!

Nason

[dumbbellina]

Echoing those thank yous - to all donors, supporters, movers and shakers, and most definitely to Nason! Congrats, Nason! Keep us all updated as you progress.

[hamishm00]

Well done!

[Mind]

Well done is right. We ended up with with $10069.39. I take responsibility for the inaccurate total displayed during the last day or so of the funding drive. I was out of town for a couple days. I should have checked the numbers a bit more closely. Still, the money could be put to very good use by Nason and SENSF, however

Although this is a wonderful amount, Imminst only pledged to match $8,000, and those making donations at the last minute expected their money to be matched (by Imminst AND Theil). Since the extra $2,000 will only be matched 50% by Theil, these last minute donors should have the option to rescind. These include the people who fulfilled the 3 for $250 pledge plus one other large donor who I will contact privately.

If everyone agrees to let their donations remain then Imminst will be cutting a check to SENSF for $18,069.39 for use by Nason on the Laser Ablation research. I am sure Nason will make good use of the extra money designing some high value experiments. SENSF will receive another $9034.70 from Theil (50% match) for use in other research.

[Mind]

Also, we received 117 distinct donations meaning we had an average of $86.06 per donation, a real grassroots effort.

[kevin]

Although this is a wonderful amount, Imminst only pledged to match $8,000, and those making donations at the last minute expected their money to be matched (by Imminst AND Theil). Since the extra $2,000 will only be matched 50% by Theil, these last minute donors should have the option to rescind. These include the people who fulfilled the 3 for $250 pledge plus one other large donor who I will contact privately.

I don't agree that donors should have the option to rescind as donating to the project itself is the primary reason they donated, I would hope. Besides, the potential for exceeding the 8k matching by ImmInst was always there and such a possibility will exist for similar efforts in the future and one cannot guarantee that a donation will be matched...IOW, a donation is a donation.

KP

[Mind]

A couple last donations and a final tabulation reveals a total of $10,077.80 donated. I will be writing a check for $18,077.80 to SENSF and they will be getting and additional $9,038.9 from Theil.

This is not chump change. Everyone should be proud of their effort. This is the biggest and perhaps one of the most important checks I have written on behalf of the Institute and it feels good.

[JLL]

Damn, that's great!

[niner]

This is not chump change. Everyone should be proud of their effort. This is the biggest and perhaps one of the most important checks I have written on behalf of the Institute and it feels good.

I've never been more proud of the institute. You guys deserve to feel good. The laser ablation project is something that I think holds a lot of promise and I'm really looking forward to it getting off the ground.

[Sprengmeister]

I'm very proud to be part of this movement.
Please keep us up to date about the progress of this project!

[lunarsolarpower]

Any idea when things will get started? Actually, more specifically, any idea when we'll start getting updates on the process? Even a few words posted once a week would be great for helping us feel like we're "in the loop" on what's happening.