Maybe I am preaching to the choir in this forum. I wanted to get an opinion on funding the 2nd year of the Prize, which begins April 1st. I have not gone to the Board for a funding request as of yet. DNAmechanic and myself have been working on a grant proposal. I have asked Reason on his thoughts as well and waiting for a response. LEF has stated they will continue to offer their support indefinitely.
I was thinking of going exclusively for some grant money, but DNAmechanic thought it would not be a good sign if the Institute was asking for grant support of a project that it does not support itself. That sounds fairly reasonable to me. However, even if the Institute does not support the Prize financially, we do provide structural support (record-keeping and promotional efforts).
So far Caliban has offered the most resistance to funding a 2nd year of the prize, based on the fact he can see no redeeming value to offering monetary prizes. He suggests or thinks that people would fold no matter what, and that folding is really not a life extension endeavor, thus not in accordance with the mission of the Institute. Just wondering if anyone else had those thoughts?
I think the original logic behind the Prize still holds and that the $805 spent by the Institute was a good investment.
1. As far as Imminst projects go, this one has BY FAR the most participation. People have volunteered not only their computer cycles but their time to help promote the Prize and the team.
2. There are multiple levels of incentives to keep people participating.
3. It has created a sense of camaraderie and purpose, having the team rise through the rankings. In my estimation, the team would not be in the top 100 right now without the Prize.
4. The Prize has brought life extension organizations together. LEF, Imminst, MFURI, and the Longevity Meme have all contributed.
5. The rise of the team, buoyed by the Prize, is providing more visibility for the Longevity Meme and life extension advocacy in general. Our team is kicking the pants off the gamers.
6. Folding DOES help life extension research.
7. Vijay Pande was on the Sunday Evening Update! Ok, maybe that is off topic a little - but it was cool!