This page will be regularly updated with developments in the ambitious project by Mr. Stolyarov and MILE – the Movement for Indefinite Life Extension – to distribute 1000 copies of Death is Wrong to children, free of cost to them.

Funding Status

Recent Updates

Update of February 18, 2015
Update of September 25, 2014
Update of August 16, 2014
Update of August 7, 2014
Update of August 6, 2014
Update of July 27, 2014
Update of July 24, 2014
Update of July 18, 2014
Update of July 15, 2014
Update of July 13, 2014
Update of June 28, 2014
Update of June 27, 2014
Update of June 26, 2014
Update of June 17, 2014
Update of June 10, 2014
Update of June 7, 2014
Update of June 6, 2014
Update of June 4, 2014
Update of June 3, 2014
Update of May 28, 2014
Update of May 26, 2014
Update of May 22, 2014
Update of May 20, 2014
Update of May 19, 2014
Update of May 15, 2014
Update of May 11, 2014
Update of May 10, 2014
Update of May 4, 2014
Update of May 2, 2014
Update of April 27, 2014
Update of April 23, 2014
Update of April 21, 2014
Update of April 19, 2014
Update of April 17, 2014
Update of April 16, 2014
Update of April 11, 2014
Update of April 8, 2014
Update of April 5, 2014
Update of April 3, 2014
Update of April 2, 2014
Update of March 30, 2014
Update of March 29, 2014
Update of March 23, 2014
Update of March 19, 2014
Update of March 16, 2014
Update of March 13, 2014
Update of March 11, 2014
Update of March 8, 2014
Update of March 5, 2014
Update of March 4, 2014
Update of March 3, 2014
Update of February 26, 2014
Update of February 25, 2014
Update of February 24, 2014
Update of February 23, 2014

Update of February 18, 2015:
This week I was delighted to find out that Death is Wrong is charting new territory once again.

This is the first rap inspired by a children’s book on indefinite life extension. Thank you to Roen Horn of the Eternal Life Fan Club!

LYRICS by Roen Horn:

I know a book that every kid should read.

Death is Wrong has the wisdom they need.

There is nothing worse than not being alive.

And if we find the cure aging then we CAN SURVIVE.

Death is wrong because life is right.

If we want to live forever , well, then we need to fight.

Death is our enemy and aging is our foe!

This book has truth that every child should know.

There is real hero named Aubrey de Grey.

If you wanna save lives, then he has the way.

Aging kills more people than any other cause,

but lucky for us we have our wizard of Oz.

Evolution doesn’t care if we live or die.

Once you get old, you’re just pushed aside.

Nothing’s gonna change unless we get mad.

If you wanna save yourself, your mom and your dad,

Here’s a little wisdom you won’t hear in church.

If you want eternal life, then we need aging research.

I think death is a FAILURE, and I don’t want to lose.

We should be able to live for as long as we choose!

The world should admit that aging really sucks.

Until we cure aging, we’re all like sitting ducks.

We have no time to waste, so let’s get busy like the bees.

We gotta make haste to avoid disease.

The cure is gonna come, but will it come in time for us?

Our eternal life is way too important to miss this bus.

Eternal life fans know that we have to persist.

Because our life is meaningless if we CEASE TO EXIST.

***

Roen has also done magnificent work giving away copies of Death is Wrong to children and filming the occasions.

Watch this skillfully produced video by Roen – the third in his series.

Update of September 25, 2014:

I am pleased to report that, through late August and September 2014, the momentum of Death is Wrong has continued.

An excellent and entertaining recent interview of me was done by Leonardo Nunes Ricucci on La República Democrática de Leo, where we discussed Death is Wrong, transhumanism, indefinite life extension, risk management, and related topics. You can listen to the podcast and download an MP3 file of the episode here.

On September 6, 2014, Roen Horn of the Eternal Life Fan Club interviewed Wendy and me about Death is Wrong and related arguments for life extension and technological progress. The interview was extensive, and many subjects were discussed. Watch it here.

Here is the video trailer that was posted two days in advance of the interview.

Roen has been doing excellent work in recording his Death is Wrong book giveaways on video. Here is a quick video of his second giveaway of a book to a family with four children.

The book has continued to play a role in discussions of longevity and future remedies to the ravages of senescence. Here is a great post by Will Muessig of Unity Politics, mentioning Death is Wrong and refuting Ezekiel Emanuel’s deeply fallacious recent article about why age 75 is a good age to die.

I am also pleased to have had my thoughts included in “Cyborgs: The truth about human augmentation” – an excellent new article by Frank Swain on BBC Future. Mr. Swain had previously interviewed me about Death is Wrong, which led to his article “How to live forever” being published by BBC Future in April 2014. This time Mr. Swain asked me to help debunk common myths about human augmentation, and was happy to share my vision of “a future in which a thousand augmented flowers bloom” and in which augmentations will help people live longer, more fulfilling lives as well.

The continued infusion of the ideas of indefinite life extension into publicly prominent discussions was one of my key aims in writing Death is Wrong. Just like our book-distribution campaign, this aim is being fulfilled right now, and it will hopefully keep paying cultural dividends to the longevity movement for months and years to come.

Update of August 16, 2014: Read my article about the triumphant completion of the provision of all 1,029 Death is Wrong books to 50 longevity activists throughout the world: “Over 1,000 Kids Will Indeed Be Taught That Death is Wrong”.

Slate doubted that we would do it – but we did it anyway, and we exceeded our goals. Over 1,000 kids will indeed be taught that death is wrong!

Thank you to everyone who donated to the fundraiser, who accepted book shipments, and who helped to spread the word about this unprecedented campaign! The updates are not over. I will have more news, pictures, and videos to share as our most recent shipments arrive at their destinations and more kids receive their free books!

Now that this campaign has succeeded, I have asked myself what I could do to spread the book and its message even further. In an effort to increase the readership of the book, I have made the Second Edition available for FREE download as a PDF file. Perhaps, in this way, the book could reach tens or even hundreds of thousands of readers. Thus far, free PDF versions are available in English, Russian, and Spanish. 472 PDF copies of the book have already been downloaded since their publication. All three free PDF versions can be downloaded from this page.

PDF URL – Death is Wrong – English Edition: http://rationalargumentator.com/Death_is_Wrong_Second_Edition_Full.pdf

PDF URL – «Смерть неправильна!» – Russian Edition (translated by Marcus Baylin): http://rationalargumentator.com/Death_is_Wrong_Russian_Edition_Full.pdf

PDF URL – La muerte está mal – Spanish Edition (translated by Néstor Duno): http://rationalargumentator.com/Death_is_Wrong_Spanish_Edition.pdf

I would also like to thank Néstor Duno for absolutely excellent recent work in creating the Spanish translation of Death is Wrong – La muerte está mal. This edition is now available via The Rational Argumentator (see free PDF URL above), Amazon, and Createspace.

A paperback version can be obtained from Createspace for $9.13 here.

Amazon has begun to carry the paperback version for $8.67 here.

The Kindle version is available for $0.99 (the lowest price Amazon permits) here.

You have my permission to spread the electronic version of the book to Spanish-speaking audiences as widely as possible, with no strings attached.

Update of August 7, 2014: All 1,029 Death is Wrong books have been sent out as part of our distribution effort! This is a major success! Our last shipment of 9 books was sent to Giovanni Ranzo in Rome, Italy, a strong supporter of life extension and of ending death and senescence, who maintains the excellent Transhumanists community on Google+. He teaches literature at a technical high school in Italy, where students have expressed an interest in the emerging technologies that can bring about life extension in our lifetimes. Giovanni’s excellent review of Death is Wrong can be found on the website of the Italian branch of Amazon here. He writes that this is “A small book with the biggest content: the title couldn’t be clearer, Death is, indeed, wrong. This is the concept the author wants to convey to the youngest readers, who are the target of this project. The idea here is that if the youngest generations will start to understand the necessity of fighting against death, we will really have a chance to win this battle. And the book is, in my opinion, a good and refreshing reading also for the less young readers: we all need to be reminded that Death is Wrong and that we need to fight our battle against it.”

The success of our distribution effort is one further victory in this ongoing battle against death.

I have created a table displaying the numbers of books sent to longevity activists in each of 14 countries, the total cost of shipments in each country, the costs per book by country, and the total project costs.

Our Indiegogo campaign raised $5,141.00 in total. Printing and shipping the books cost slightly more than this at $5,259.23 – largely because international shipments are often more expensive than domestic shipments within the United States. An additional amount of $453.05 was paid in fees to Indiegogo, PayPal, and the payment processor used by Indiegogo to make transfers to my bank account. However, all of the cost overruns were covered out of my personal funds – and therefore I consider myself to have made an additional $571.28 donation to this distribution effort. It is certainly a worthwhile contribution to have made, if the result will be that over 1,000 kids will indeed be taught that Death is Wrong!

I plan to write a longer article about the success of this effort soon, so expect future updates.

Update of August 6, 2014: Only 9 Death is Wrong books remain to be sent out as part of our worldwide distribution effort! If you wish to help in providing the books out to children, this is your last chance to get your free shipment now.

10 books were recently sent to Jason Limbert – a long-time supporter of radical life extension in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He will be distributing these books to children in his extended family, their friends, and children of neighbors.

3 books were sent to children of relatives of Wendy Stolyarov, my wife and the illustrator of Death is Wrong.

2 books were sent to RJ Lewis in California, a mother, inventor, publicist, and supporter of life extension and cryonics.

We continue to receive excellent exposure from the previous shipments. Here is a picture sent by Jennifer Huse of the shipment that recently arrived at the Spot the Knot medical spa in Eatontown, New Jersey.

Roen Horn of the Eternal Life Fan Club has begun a strongly publicized series of book giveaways, the first of which he captured on camera. Here is his video featuring two kids who know that death is wrong.

Accompanying Roen’s video are these excellent graphics.

All this was made possible by our distribution campaign. We see here great examples of the impact this book is having right now. We are making history by gradually injecting the ideas of indefinite life extension into the cultural mainstream. Help us finish this effort by spreading our last freely available books! To receive your free shipment, e-mail me at gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your MAILING ADDRESS, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the NUMBER OF COPIES of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Update of July 27, 2014: We have already sent out enough books to teach more than 1,000 kids that death is wrong! The Death is Wrong distribution effort is nearing its completion, with only 24 books remaining to be shipped.

10 books were sent to Alisha Allen in Henderson, NV, where they will be given to members of a support group for parents of epileptic children. If my book can help these children and their families build up the motivation and resolve to fight for life for as long as possible, then this will be a worthwhile outcome indeed.

In addition, I am pleased to report the great success of the books’ reception at the Church of Perpetual Life in Hollywood, FL, a science-based Transhumanist church, whose primary focus is on ending death and reversing aging.

 

Officiator Neal VanDeRee arranged for the Death is Wrong books to be given away at the Church of Perpetual Life service on July 24, where they were received with great appreciation by life-extension supporters who will be sharing the books with their families. Several copies of the book were added to the Library at the Church of Perpetual Life, to be made available to future visiting children.

Here is a picture kindly provided by Neal VanDeRee, where he presents a copy of Death is Wrong to the music teacher Dr. Angie Cook Wong and one of her students, who sang at the service.

You can still help out in distributing the remaining 24 books! To receive your free shipment, e-mail me at gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your MAILING ADDRESS, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the NUMBER OF COPIES of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Key Book Figures as of July 27, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 1005

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 24

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of July 24, 2014: Only 34 freely available Death is Wrong paperback books remain for distribution to children.

Recently, 8 books were shipped to Matthew J Price in Idaho, a dedicated transhumanist and life-extension advocate who will be donating the books to several libraries in the Boise, ID, area, and will also provide several copies to parents of children who may not have previously been exposed to the ideas of indefinite life extension.

5 books were shipped to Kyrel Zantonavitch in New York, author of Pure Liberal Fire, philosopher, and long-time supporter of radical life extension. He will be providing the books to select young people who show the intellectual inclination to take the ideas of indefinite life extension seriously.

3 books were shipped to David M. Medlar in New York, who will provide one book to children in his family and will distribute the others at a local “bikes for kids” charity.

In addition, here is an excellent photograph provided by Eric Schulke of a Death is Wrong book atop a world map – illustrating our intention to spread the message of indefinite longevity worldwide!

Help us to triumphantly conclude the distribution effort! To receive your free shipment, e-mail me at gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your MAILING ADDRESS, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the NUMBER OF COPIES of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Key Book Figures as of July 24, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 995

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 34

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of July 18, 2014: We have 50 Death is Wrong paperback books remaining for free distribution to children. Who will help us finish this effort by accepting an absolutely free shipment?

5 books were recently sent to Jennifer Huse at the Spot The Knot medical spa in Eatontown, New Jersey. The books will be made available in the waiting room, where children of patients often appear.

In additional, I have personally given away another book in Carson City, Nevada.

To receive your free shipment, e-mail me at gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your MAILING ADDRESS, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the NUMBER OF COPIES of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Key Book Figures as of July 18, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 979

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 50

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of July 15, 2014: We have reduced our remaining count of freely available Death is Wrong paperback books to 56.

10 more books were sent to Neal Van De Ree at the Church of Perpetual Life in Florida, to be provided to parents of members and to augment the Church’s lending library.

10 books were sent to Roen Horn of the Eternal Life Fan Club in California. Roen plans to personally deliver the books to children and to record his efforts on film – which would add to the many excellent productions by the Eternal Life Fan Club in support of indefinite life extension.

Who would like to help us complete this campaign and distribute the remaining 56 books? To receive an absolutely free shipment, e-mail me at gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your MAILING ADDRESS, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the NUMBER OF COPIES of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Key Book Figures as of July 15, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 973

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 56

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of July 13, 2014: Only 76 free Death is Wrong paperback books remain to be distributed to children. We have had several successes in our distribution effort during the past several weeks.

Just today I met with Christopher Jannette, co-founder of T.R.E.D. Laboratories, to give him 35 copies of Death is Wrong, which he will place in libraries throughout the United States on his cross-country trip.

5 books were sent to Chris Baca in Colorado to give to his child and children of friends.

Furthermore, 2 copies of «Смерть неправильна!», the Russian translation of Death is Wrong, were sent to Marcus Baylin, the translator, in Ukraine, for placement in libraries there.

We are close to the successful completion of our book-distribution effort. There is still an opportunity for those who wish to help distribute the remaining books to get involved. To receive an absolutely free shipment, e-mail me at gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your MAILING ADDRESS, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the NUMBER OF COPIES of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Key Book Figures as of July 13, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 953

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 76

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of June 28, 2014: Major progress continues to be made in sending Death is Wrong books. We have already arranged destinations for over 900 books – 911 at present.

50 books were sent to Stephen Tobin in Connecticut, whose neighborhood includes many children who would be promising recipients.

3 books were sent to Andrzej Lipski in Massachusetts for children in his family and for a friend of one of the children.

Moreover, I am pleased to announce that a free PDF version of «Смерть неправильна!» – the Russian translation of Death is Wrong – is now available for download from The Rational Argumentator. You can obtain your copy here and may spread it to Russian-speaking audiences as widely as you wish.

«Смерть неправильна!» was translated into Russian by Marcus Baylin.

We are within sight of the goal of this book-distribution campaign! Help us spread the remaining 118 paperback books that we would like to offer to children for free! To receive an absolutely free shipment, e-mail me at gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your MAILING ADDRESS, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the NUMBER OF COPIES of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Key Book Figures as of June 28, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 911

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 118

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

 

Update of June 27, 2014: Excellent news on multiple fronts!

We continue to send out Death is Wrong books.

11 books were sent to Verdean Mitchell in Texas, for spreading to families of children whom he knows.

10 books were sent to Charles Smith in Arkansas to give to his child and children in his local community, as well as to introduce Death is Wrong at a reading session held in his local library.

Moreover, the Russian translation of Death is Wrong – «Смерть неправильна!» – generously translated by Marcus Baylin – is now available via Google Books. You can see a complete preview here.

A paperback version can be obtained from Createspace for $11.23 here.

Amazon has begun to carry the paperback version here.

For some reason, the Amazon Kindle format does not yet support Cyrillic characters, so I have instead decided to offer an electronic version through Google Play.

The electronic version will be downloadable for FREE on Google Play within the next 24 hours on this page.

You have my permission to spread the electronic version of the book to Russian-speaking audiences as widely as possible, with no strings attached.

We can also send some free paperback Russian books to anyone who is willing to distribute them to Russian-speaking children. (This offer is good while supplies last; we have resources to ship 171 copies of Death is Wrong in either English or Russian. If you are interested, e-mail me at gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your MAILING ADDRESS, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the NUMBER OF COPIES of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.)

Key Book Figures as of June 27, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 858

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 171

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of June 26, 2014: Thanks go to Kamil Muzyka, who has been handing out Death is Wrong books to children in Poland. Here is a picture he sent in of one of the books that arrived for him.

Three books were recently sent to Russell Hanson of Brain Backups, to give to three children in Harlem, New York.

In addition, I have been able to personally give out another four books to families with children.

We have 192 books remaining, and we continue to welcome and encourage requests for absolutely free shipments. Send an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your mailing address, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the number of copies of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Key Book Figures as of June 26, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 837

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 192

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of June 17, 2014: We have fewer than 200 Death is Wrong books remaining to distribute to children! Two recent shipments were made to continue the progress of our distribution effort.

10 more books were sent to David J Kelley in the State of Washington after the previous 10 books sent to him were all successfully given away to children.

5 books were sent to Roy Carl Stanley in Texas, to be given to his son and the child’s friends.

Help us give away the remaining 199 books! Request your absolutely free shipment by sending an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your mailing address, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the number of copies of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Key Book Figures as of June 17, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 830

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 199

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of June 10, 2014: Excellent news! 101 Death is Wrong books were shipped earlier this week to James Phelps, a science teacher and supporter of SENS in the United Kingdom. Mr. Phelps plans to give 100 books to his students, while the one remaining book is an autographed, personally addressed copy that he would be able to show to students in discussions regarding the scientific pursuit of indefinite longevity. We are tremendously grateful to Mr. Phelps for his work in spreading the ideas of indefinite life extension to young people in the UK.

We have already sent out more than 79% of the total books made available via this fundraiser! 214 copies of Death is Wrong can still be requested by longevity activists for distribution to children. There are so many possible creative options for sharing this book with kids through direct gifts, donations to libraries, lessons in schools, and many other approaches. Request your absolutely free shipment by sending an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your mailing address, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the number of copies of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Key Book Figures as of June 10, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 815

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 214

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of June 7, 2014: Our international book-distribution effort continues, with 70 Death is Wrong books sent during the past 24 hours! Tremendous thanks go to Jameson Rohrer for finding these opportunities.

30 copies were sent to Mussharraf Hossen Shoikot, a transhumanist in Dhaka, Bangladesh, who will be distributing the books to younger family members, local children, and libraries. It will be excellent to establish a presence for Death is Wrong in Bangladesh.

15 copies were sent to Krystin Mavity, a librarian in Nebraska, who will distribute the books to children’s sections in various Nebraska library branches.

15 copies were sent to Andrew Carpenter in Iowa for his younger family members and Iowa libraries.

10 copies were sent to Bobby Brewster, a transhumanist and life-extension advocate in Hawaii, for distribution to Hawaii libraries and a child in his family.

In addition, I have highlighted the Death is Wrong distribution effort and its importance in a new article of mine, “Life Extension Activism Opportunities for All”, which you can read on IEET and The Rational Argumentator. Within the article, I mention several other easy but important ways in which an individual can directly contribute to the prospects of indefinite life extension arriving in our lifetimes.

Key Book Figures as of June 7, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 714

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 315

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of June 6, 2014: Death is Wrong is spreading through libraries! Thanks to the efforts of Jameson Rohrer, the Transhumanist Librarian, who donated copies to the public libraries in his town, the books are now accessible to many young readers. This is another achievement made possible by our fundraising effort.

Take a look at these great images of Death is Wrong books on display.

Another great success is the arrival of our largest shipment of 120 books to Demian Zivkovic in the Netherlands. Demian and his fellow activists at The Arma’thwynn Society (an international transhumanist group of which I am now also a member) are launching a campaign to spread the books to children in the Netherlands, and I am excited about the prospects for this effort.

You, too, can contribute to successes like these. Request your absolutely free shipment by sending an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your mailing address, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the number of copies of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Key Book Figures as of June 6, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 644

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 385

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of June 4, 2014: Watch this brief, charming video of Aleksander Kelley interviewing his sister Hanna, who is giving out Death is Wrong books to kids she knows. This is a wonderful success for our initiative!

Key Book Figures as of June 4, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 644

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 385

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of June 3, 2014: I was tremendously pleased to see this picture, taken and originally published by David J Kelley, of one of the great successes of our book-distribution effort – a little girl giving her friend a paperback copy of Death is Wrong! This is a wonderful and inspiring vignette of what can happen as a result of our dedicated and persistent activism in support of indefinite life extension.

You can help make more such scenes happen by requesting a shipment of books to be sent to you for distribution to children in your community! If you would like an absolutely free shipment for distribution to children, send me an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your mailing address, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the number of copies of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Key Book Figures as of June 3, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 644

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 385

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

 

Update of May 28, 2014: I have released a video call to action for longevity activists who could help us with distributing the remaining 385 free paperback copies of Death is Wrong to children. If you would like an absolutely free shipment for distribution to children, send me an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your mailing address, (iii) your support for indefinite life extension, (iv) the number of copies of Death is Wrong requested, and (v) your plan for spreading the books to children, free of cost to them.

Update of May 26, 2014: Two more shipments of Death is Wrong books were made this weekend.

20 books were sent to Collin Knight in British Columbia, Canada, for distribution to children and libraries in various British Columbia cities and towns.

10 books were sent to Jameson Rohrer, the Transhumanist Librarian in California. The books will be placed in multiple libraries and youth rehabilitation facilities.

There remain plenty of opportunities for interested life-extension activists to receive free shipments of Death is Wrong books for distribution to children. Please send me an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com in accordance with the previously provided instructions if you are interested in helping spread Death is Wrong to kids.

Key Book Figures as of May 26, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 644

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 385

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of May 22, 2014: I am happy to report the arrival of the shipment of 25 Death is Wrong books previously sent to Sarah Jordon Amechazurra in Bronx, New York. Thanks go to Sarah for providing this picture of the books in their box.

In addition, Rebecca Savastio of Guardian Liberty Voice has published an excellent interview with me, which mentions Death is Wrong in its introduction and delves into various questions surrounding transhumanism and emerging technologies. In my responses, I also make reference to writings by Ray Kurzweil, Max More, Julian Simon, and Singularity Utopia. It is wonderful that Death is Wrong has provided a bridge to this discussion of related concepts that are important within transhumanism and has enabled me to have an opportunity to advocate in favor of transformative technological progress on multiple fronts.

We can still ship 415 books to activists who wish to distribute them to children! As stated before, please send me an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com in accordance with the previously provided instructions if you are interested in helping spread Death is Wrong to kids.

Key Book Figures as of May 22, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 614

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 415

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of May 20, 2014: Death is Wrong books continue to be sent, and previously sent shipments continue to arrive at their destinations. A shipment of 6 books was made to Walter Crompton in California – five copies to distribute to children whom he knows, as well as one copy for his local public library.

Thanks go to Case van der Burg, who received his shipment of 10 books last week and who has sent me these excellent photographs of the books.

Key Book Figures as of May 20, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 614

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 415

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of May 19, 2014: Two more shipments of Death is Wrong books were made over the past weekend.

10 books were sent to Mitchell Baker in New York State, who commonly gives books to younger kids in his school when such books are not available through the school library and the public library. We wish him much success in enabling children in his area to gain access to Death is Wrong.

10 books were sent to David J Kelley in Washington State, who would be able to provide books to coworkers and friends who are parents of children.

Also, I was pleased to see this review of Death is Wrong by Giovanni Ranzo on the Italian website of Amazon, Amazon.it. It is great to see the book continue to gain an international presence. Mr. Ranzo calls Death is Wrong “A small book with the biggest content” and expresses his view that the book is “a good and refreshing reading also for the less young readers: we all need to be reminded that Death is Wrong and that we need to fight our battle against it.”

Key Book Figures as of May 19, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 608

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 421

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of May 15, 2014: I am pleased to announce that a new shipment of 19 Death is Wrong books has been made to Kamil Muzyka in Poland. Kamil will make the books available to children through a variety of methods, including teachers in Poland who have asked to use the book as a way to teach English to Polish children.

Moreover, the most recent shipments will consist of some of the first copies of the Second Edition of Death is Wrong. The changes in the Second Edition are very minor – listing The Rational Argumentator Press as the sole publisher and updating the reference to the turritopsis nutricula jellyfish to its more current name, turritopsis dohrnii, while still referring to turritopsis nutricula as the former name.

You can also now view Wendy’s recently updated online art portfolio here. It includes select images from Death is Wrong as well as many of Wendy’s other artistic highlights.

Key Book Figures as of May 15, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 588

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 441

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of May 11, 2014: Our distribution effort accelerated significantly this weekend, as we raised the total number of Death is Wrong books sent out to 569.

80 books were sent to Toowoomba High School in Queensland, Australia, for use by Liam Reardon in organizing a Science Week, where the books will be handed out to students.

30 books were sent to Arets Paeglis, Founder and Managing Member of the Latvian Transhumanist Association in Riga. These books will be shared with children via both individuals and libraries in Latvia and will be made available during public lectures and awareness-raising events.

20 books were sent to Nelson Kruger in California for distribution to local libraries at the city and county levels.

10 books were sent to Edgar Winoc in Singapore for distribution to the children of his friends.

4 books were shipped to Rafael Martinez in Florida for sharing with the children and adults in his family.

We are proud of the extensive international reach of our campaign thus far, and we have already sent out more than 55% of our planned book total! There are still plenty of opportunities for interested activists to take part in this unique and unprecedented effort. As stated before, please send me an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com in accordance with the previously provided instructions if you are interested in helping spread Death is Wrong to kids.

Key Book Figures as of May 11, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 569

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 460

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of May 10, 2014: We continue to send shipments of Death is Wrong books.

30 books were sent to the Church of Perpetual Life in Hollywood, Florida. The Church of Perpetual Life has a book section that kids can look through while events for adults are ongoing. Having numerous copies of Death is Wrong available there would render the book accessible to many young visitors over the coming months and years.

25 books were sent to Sarah Jordon Amechazurra in Bronx, New York. These books will be made available at the kids’ college on her college campus – a great place where children gather and can be exposed to thought-provoking, inspiring ideas that will drive the next wave of technological progress.

Hopefully, these shipments will motivate even more children to set their sights on working to achieve indefinite life extension in our lifetimes.

We would welcome many more volunteers to help us with distributing books in their local areas! Please send me an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com in accordance with the previously provided instructions if you are interested in assisting in the distribution effort.

Key Book Figures as of May 10, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 425

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 604

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of May 4, 2014: Excellent news on two fronts! First, all funds from this campaign have now been received and are ready to use for ordering and shipping books.

Second, we have again made a record shipment. 120 books were sent to Demian Zivkovic in the Netherlands. Mr. Zivkovic is Founder and President of The Arma’thwynn Society, an international transhumanist think tank with a dedicated network of supporters capable of conducting a well-organized, large-scale distribution effort. We look forward to working with The Arma’thwynn Society to establish a strong presence for Death is Wrong within the Netherlands and perhaps in other countries as well. Estimated arrival of this shipment will occur on June 16, 2014.

We have already shipped out nearly 36% of the books for which we have the resources – but more are available! Please send me an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com in accordance with the previously provided instructions if you are interested in assisting in the distribution effort.

Key Book Figures as of May 4, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 370

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 659

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

 

Update of May 2, 2014: A shipment of 10 Death is Wrong books was made to Case van der Burg, one of the donors to our effort, in Northern California. The books will be given or loaned over the next several months to children in Mr. van der Burg’s local area, and it is possible that they might reach more than 10 children if the same copy is loaned multiple times.

I have received the last of the PayPal funds – the Indiegogo refund of 5% of the total amount donated via PayPal, due to the fact that we have reached our goal. I was also notified today that the credit-card payments are en route to my bank account, and that I should receive them before May 9. At that time, I would have the ability to immediately ship any number of books up to our ultimate total of 1029.

Instructions for Longevity Activists to Request Copies of Death is Wrong

– Send an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com

– Provide (i) your name, (ii) your mailing address, (iii) a statement of your support for indefinite life extension, and (iv) a brief description of your plan to spread the book to children in your local area. Remember that all copies received pursuant to this initiative would need to be offered to children free of charge (as gifts or reading opportunities) and may not be resold.

– Provide the number of copies of Death is Wrong that you are requesting.

– Preferably, provide an indication that you would be willing to send photographs of the books that have been delivered to you as well as events where you will be distributing the books.

Key Book Figures as of May 2, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 250

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 61

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of April 27, 2014: Excellent news! Our largest shipment to date, consisting of 100 books, has been made to the transhumanist hip-hop artist Maitreya One in New York City. You can listen to some of his work here and here. Maitreya One wrote in his Amazon review of Death is Wrong that he would like to give away 100 books to children in his community. Our fundraiser will make this happen for him.

Eric Schulke has written an excellent article chronicling our fundraiser’s progress and success. Read it on The Rational Argumentator and IEET.

On April 25, 2014, TheBlaze, Glenn Beck’s media outlet, published an article about Death is Wrong, which mentioned the success of our fundraiser and gave the most positive coverage I could have expected from a venue whose primary audience consists of religious conservatives. The reasonably fair coverage of the book was influenced, in part, by the friendly, sincere, and thorough interview Wendy and I gave to the article’s author, Elizabeth Kreft. The article’s associated reader poll asked the question, “Would you let your kid read Death is Wrong?” I am pleased to say that the answer “Yes, I agree, death is wrong” has held steady at 50% of the votes or higher, even as the number of people voting has grown substantially! The more successes like this we advocates of life extension have, the clearer will be the message we send to the world: we are here, we are growing in number, and we cannot be ignored.

Key Book Figures as of April 27, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 240

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 59

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 1029

Update of April 23, 2014: A compounded victory! We have raised enough funds through Indiegogo to provide at least 1029 free paperback copies of Death is Wrong to children throughout the world.

Please watch my video announcement of the fundraiser’s success! (The number of available books has increased since I mentioned being able to provide 1024 books in the video.)

140 copies have been distributed; 159 are immediately ready to go upon request. Within 15 days, we will have the funds to distribute all of the remaining books to activists who ask for them.

Extensive thanks go to Bill Faloon of the Life Extension Foundation and Tonya Scholz, who persuaded Mr. Faloon to provide the Life Extension Foundation’s support. They have my eternal gratitude for their generous willingness to step in and get us the rest of the way to our goal. Thank you, also, to every single one of our 92 funders and hundreds of supporters throughout the world!

Earlier today I was interviewed by Tonya Scholz and Sandra Lopez on their Social Chats livestreamed radio program. We had a delightful conversation about Death is Wrong and the amazing reach it has had thus far. You can listen to the recording of the interview here.

Also, I am happy to announce that the five-day window for free downloads of the Kindle version has resulted in 318 downloads – an additional way in which the book has spread significantly!

Instructions for Longevity Activists to Request Copies of Death is Wrong

– Send an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com

– Provide your name, your mailing address, a statement of your support for indefinite life extension, and a brief description of your plan to spread the book to children in your local area. Remember that all copies received pursuant to this initiative would need to be offered to children free of charge (as gifts or reading opportunities) and may not be resold.

– Provide the number of copies of Death is Wrong that you are requesting.

– Preferably, provide an indication that you would be willing to send photographs of the books that have been delivered to you as well as events where you will be distributing the books.

Update of April 21, 2014: I offer this video update to motivate one final push in the fundraising effort.

Two days remain until the April 23, 2014, deadline for fundraising for the effort to spread 1000 paperback copies of Death is Wrong to children, free of cost to them. This is just the beginning of our distribution effort, however.

I am immensely grateful to our funders, who have enabled us to already achieve a great victory in accumulating the resources to spread at least 725 books to children. Let us now see if we can compound this victory by reaching our goal.

As of April 21, 2014, $3,620 have been raised in this flexible-funding campaign, and $1,380 remain to reach the $5,000 target.

* At least 725 books will be shipped in total.

* 140 books have been shipped already to longevity activists in the US, UK, Mexico, Poland, India, and Indonesia.

* 133 books are ready to be shipped upon request.

The Kindle version of “Death is Wrong” is still free to download through April 22, 2014. Get it here.

Get your copy today and refer as many children as you can to the link.

The impact of Death is Wrong is just beginning to occur!

References

BBC Future – “How to live forever” – Article by Frank Swain – April 21, 2014

Viral Global News – “Indefinite Lifespans Are Possible in Our Lifetimes” – Article by Gennady Stolyarov II – April 21, 2014

The Future And You – Discussion Between Stephen Euin Cobb and Gennady Stolyarov II
– Part 1 – http://traffic.libsyn.com/thefutureandyou/TFAY_2014_4_2.mp3
– Part 2 – http://traffic.libsyn.com/thefutureandyou/TFAY_2014_4_9.mp3

LongeCity Now – Justin Loew Interviews Gennady and Wendy Stolyarov – http://www.longecity.org/media/LongeCityPodcast_Stolyarov2014_A01.mp3

Update of April 19, 2014: I am pleased to announce that our distribution efforts have accelerated. Just in the past 24 hours, three new book shipments have been ordered.

(1) 25 books were shipped to Mariana Nocetti for distribution to children in Mexico City, within an area where 60-70% of the population can speak English. This will help the paperback version of Death is Wrong gain a presence in Mexico and, by inspiring children there, will contribute to building another pillar of the international movement for indefinite life extension.

(2) 10 books were shipped to Alekhya Chugurupati at Manipal University in Karnataka, India, a large and renowned educational center known for excellent programs in engineering and medicine. We hope that the books will garner a lot of discussion and interest there and will spread to children in India through the intellectual community at Manipal University.

(3) 10 books were shipped to Eric Schulke in Wisconsin. Eric, the chief organizer of the Movement for Indefinite Life Extension, is one of the most dedicated and passionate activists for longer lifespans today. He plans to distribute the books to public libraries and elementary schools, as well as to have some on hand for serendipitous opportunities when he could give them away to families with children.

Because of the generous efforts of our contributors in the past several days, we are narrowing the distance from the $5,000 goal. We are $1,430 away from the goal at present. I have modified the highest reward tier to be triggered by a $1,430 donation and to be associated with all the rewards of the other tiers, plus five articles written by me, on the subject of the contributor’s choice.

The Kindle version of Death is Wrong continues to be free on Amazon until April 22. Get it here. This is an excellent opportunity for those who have not yet read the book to obtain it, and I encourage spreading the e-book to as many children as possible.

So far, Death is Wrong has performed strongly in the Amazon “bestsellers” rankings for free Kindle books. Early on April 19, it ranked #1,636 in the Kindle Store and #5 in the Children’s Nonfiction and Children’s eBooks categories on Science, Nature & How It Works. The more downloads it gets, the more visibility it will have on Amazon, and the more likely it will be that a new spike notice and interest from the general public will occur. Therefore, I ask everyone reading this to download a free Kindle copy and tell as many others as possible that this free e-book is available.

Key Book Figures as of April 19, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 140

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 123

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 715

Update of April 17, 2014: Starting tomorrow (April 18) and continuing through April 22, the Kindle version of Death is Wrong will be available for free on Amazon. Those who have not yet read the book will be able to obtain it here. One does not need to own a Kindle in order to be able to read the Kindle e-books from Amazon.

Amazon allows a 5-day time window for free Kindle distribution at most, but this is another opportunity for the book to spread as widely as possible. If you obtain a free version and like what you read, please consider donating to our effort to spread 1000 paperback copies to children whose Internet access may not be as continuous and unfettered as ours. On the other hand, if you happen to know some children who do have sufficient Internet access to obtain the Kindle version, I ask that you link them to the Amazon page during the time the e-book is available for free.

Yesterday, a new article about Death is Wrong was published by Viral Global News, summarizing some of the progress of our campaign. Read it here.

Also, I had the opportunity today to distribute another paperback copy of the book to a family with children in Carson City, NV. Below are our updated key book figures.

Key Book Figures as of April 17, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 95

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 136

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 676

Update of April 16, 2014: I am delighted to announce that a shipment of 10 Death is Wrong books was made yesterday to Dr. Aubrey de Grey himself at the SENS Research Foundation. Since Dr. de Grey’s work is a crucial inspiration for Death is Wrong and my longevity activism more generally, I am immensely pleased that he has agreed to receive this shipment and make the books available for distribution.

Moreover, Wendy and I were recently interviewed by Justin Loew of LongeCity. The audio broadcast of our excellent conversation has been posted on this thread on the LongeCity forum. Here is a link to the MP3 file: http://www.longecity.org/media/LongeCityPodcast_Stolyarov2014_A01.mp3.

The highest reward tier for the fundraiser has been further modified to enable a contributor to claim it for a $1,640 donation in place of the previous $1,800 threshold.

As we enter the last week of the fundraiser, I ask everyone who supports this cause to spread the word to any circles where possible additional supporters may be found. We will already be able to do much good – but let us see how far we can take this effort! Every child reading this book is a potential great future thinker and innovator who could accelerate the arrival of indefinite longevity. Even shortening the timeframe for the achievement of engineered negligible senescence by one day would save approximately 100,000 lives. Furthermore, if we reach the $5,000 funding goal, this would send a strong message to the world regarding the growing influence and impact of our Movement for Indefinite Life Extension!

Key Book Figures as of April 16, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 94

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 136

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 675

Update of April 11, 2014: Today I have given away five Death is Wrong books to families with children in Carson City, NV. This raises the total number of books distributed thus far to 84.

Bob Lane has written an excellent post about Death is Wrong on his site LifeVsDeath.com. Read it here. Mr. Lane writes that “This is an important step in a long-term effort to win minds and change attitudes. I applaud the author’s efforts and plan to share a copy with my 15 year old. […] Even if you don’t have children, please consider supporting the author in what he is trying to accomplish.”

Due to the generosity of our 67 funders thus far, we are less than $1800 from our goal at present. I have therefore modified the highest reward tier (previously associated with a $2300 donation) to instead be triggered by a $1800 pledge. To a contributor who pledges this amount, I offer the rewards of all of the previous tiers, as well as 7 articles written by me on the subjects of the contributor’s choice.

We have 12 days remaining in the fundraiser timeframe. Every bit of activism will help – so I encourage everyone to spread the word as widely as possible in order to maximize the impact of this campaign.

Update of April 8, 2014: I am pleased to report on the continued impact of Death is Wrong. Adam Alonzi has produced an excellent, thoughtful review of the book. Reason at Fight Aging! has written of efforts like this campaign that “it is through them that the longevity science community finds its way to a louder voice in the public sphere, a taller soapbox from which to persuade and educate. Aging is a horror, the greatest cause of pain and suffering in this world of ours, and we stand at the verge of being able to do something about it – but only if many more people come to think that this cause has merit and make their own contributions to help out.”

Stephen Euin Cobb, host of The Future And You podcast, recently interviewed me about Death is Wrong, life extension, visions of the future, and related topics. The second half of our excellent conversation was just posted as this week’s episode of The Future And You. Find it here.

Here is the link to the MP3 file of our interview: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thefutureandyou/TFAY_2014_4_9.mp3

You can also listen to the first part of our interview, posted on April 2, 2014. Here is the MP3 file for Part 1: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thefutureandyou/TFAY_2014_4_2.mp3

We continue to make valuable progress in conveying the message of indefinite life extension to the general public, and, as the figures below show, we will certainly be able to achieve much more in the weeks and months to come!

Key Book Figures as of April 8, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 79

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 131

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 592

Update of April 5, 2014: I have created a new Campaign Update video, where I discuss the progress of this effort thus far and make an important announcement that will hopefully help propel this effort forward. Watch it here.

I am pleased to offer a new reward tier to help this campaign reach its goal of reaching 1000 children, if a contributor who is passionate about indefinite life extension is willing to step forward to enable us to exceed the $5,000 target.

For a $2,300 donation, in addition to the rewards of the previous tiers (signed copy of Death is Wrong, personalized article about you, and a portrait of you by Wendy Stolyarov, in the style of the philosophers depicted in Death is Wrong), I will write 9 articles on the subjects of your choice – at least 1500 words in length each. The articles would be created at least monthly once the fundraiser goal is met. The articles would be thoroughly researched and would be written with the highest standards of objectivity and excellence that I expect from my work.

Key Book Figures as of April 5, 2014:

Number of books shipped so far: 79

Number of books that can be shipped immediately upon request: 111

Number of books that can be shipped in total, via the funds raised: 545

Update of April 3, 2014: As part of the international outreach efforts involved in the campaign to distribute Death is Wrong, two paperback copies of the book have been mailed to Mr. Oky Bastian in Surabaya, Indonesia. Mr. Bastian plans to use the paperback copies, as well as an electronic version that was also sent to him, to motivate discussions about indefinite life extension among children and adults in Indonesia. I am very pleased that Death is Wrong has provided an opportunity for life-extension ideas to gain strength there, as we would benefit from support all over the world.

79 books have been shipped or otherwise distributed pursuant to this campaign so far. We can presently ship 105 additional books to those who seek to distribute them. We are presently at 53.9% of our goal, which will enable us to provide at least 539 books in total. We have approximately a third of the fundraiser timeframe remaining. During the next 20 days, let us build up some momentum in this effort for a decisive push to get this book out to as many children as possible!

Update of April 2, 2014: Stephen Euin Cobb, host of The Future And You podcast, recently interviewed me about Death is Wrong, life extension, visions of the future, and related topics. The first half of our excellent conversation was just posted as this week’s episode of The Future And You. Find it here.

Also, here is the link to the MP3 file of our interview: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thefutureandyou/TFAY_2014_4_2.mp3

The second half of our discussion will be posted next week on Wednesday, April 9.

Update of March 30, 2014: I am pleased to announce that our largest shipment of Death is Wrong books to date has been received by the activist in London, UK. Here is a photograph kindly provided by him of the 50 books in their just-opened box.

Also, I am grateful to both The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) and Brighter Brains for republishing my article “Spreading the Word That Death is Wrong”. Let us keep spreading the word and enable many more shipments to occur!

Update of March 29, 2014: Excellent news! We have exceeded the 50% milestone of this campaign, and are presently at 53.3% of our goal. The generosity of our 59 donors so far has been tremendously encouraging and inspiring to me. Anything can still happen until the April 23 deadline, and spreading the word about this effort has been my top priority for my discretionary time. The funds that were pledged via PayPal presently allow for immediate shipment of at least 107 additional books to those who seek to distribute them. The instructions to request copies of Death is Wrong for distribution to children remain the same, and I encourage all those who are interested to apply.

I have written a comprehensive article, encapsulating recent developments regarding this effort. Read “Spreading the Word That Death is Wrong” – where I chronicle the book’s impact to date.

Also, here is a preliminary version of an outreach video developed by Peter Caramico, a filmmaker and advocate of life extension and cryonics, in affiliation with LongeCity. This short film is available on Peter’s Cryonics Culture video channel. It is, in its own right, a work of great potential impact for the ideas of life extension.

RJ Eskow’s The Zero Hour has posted a new, separate video of his March 22, 2014, interview with me regarding Death is Wrong. Watch it here.

You can expect more great news regarding the spread of Death is Wrong in the coming days.

Update of March 23, 2014: I was interviewed regarding Death is Wrong by Richard (RJ) Eskow for the March 22, 2014, episode of his Zero Hour radio program (accessible online here and here). The 9.5-minute discussion included a brief introduction to the book, recent reactions to it, the morality of fighting death, how defeating senescence might motivate people to more resolutely combat and avert other perils and risks, and why I aim to spread the ideas of indefinite life extension to children. I was very pleased to have the opportunity to communicate indefinite life extension’s feasibility and desirability in the intelligent, thoughtful, and straightforward forum that Richard’s show provides.

My segment begins at 1:27:19. Watch it here.

We are currently 36% toward this fundraiser’s goal, with the present means to distribute 44 Death is Wrong books to activists who send in requests. Total funds pledged to date will allow for the combined distribution of 360 books. I remain tremendously grateful to everyone who has supported this effort thus far – from our donors to the activist-distributors to the life-extension advocates who have been tirelessly spreading the word. What we have done so far will make a significant difference. Let us spread the impact of the life-extension message even further!

Update of March 19, 2014: Distribution of Death is Wrong books continues. Today, a shipment of 50 books, the largest to date, was placed to be sent to an activist in London, United Kingdom, who seeks to distribute Death is Wrong to children and schools in the UK in conjunction with like-minded supporters of indefinite life extension.

In total, 77 books have already been shipped or otherwise distributed from the proceeds of this fundraiser. We can presently send 23 more to activists who send in requests. Total funds pledged to date will allow for the combined distribution of 328 books. We hope to be able to do much more with your help!

In recent days, Death is Wrong has also seen some positive publicity. Two great reviews – one by Giulio Prisco at the Turing Church, and another on the “Me and My Kindle” blog – express strong words of praise for the ideas, vision, and impact of this book.

Sales rankings on Amazon peaked late on March 16, 2014, at #5 in the Kindle store in both Children’s eBooks and Children’s Nonfiction in the category of “Science, Nature & How It Works”, as well as #72 overall in the category of all Children’s Books on Science, Nature & How It Works. As more people purchase Death is Wrong and read it, its message resonates and spreads. Once the books freely distributed via this fundraiser come to have a similar impact on their readers, I hope that an even more significant mark on our culture will be made.

 

Update of March 16, 2014: I am happy to report that Death is Wrong has achieved extensive publicity over the past week. I was pleased to see that Mashable’s Rebecca Hiscott wrote a fair, thoroughly researched, and factually accurate piece on Death is Wrong. Ms. Hiscott interviewed me on March 13, 2014, and incorporated my remarks in her new article, “Children’s Book Teaches Kids ‘Death is Wrong’”. I am hopeful that this development will aid in spreading the book’s reach and impact. The book was also listed on Slashdot, where a brief but fair and factual description has triggered quite an intense discussion, with both supportive and contrary arguments.

My new article “Liberty or Death: Why Libertarians Should Proclaim That Death is Wrong” has been published by Le Québécois Libre. My hope is that more libertarians, who espouse individualism and deeply respect for the right to life of each person, will discover this book and see the indispensability of indefinite life extension for achieving liberty in our lifetimes.

Joelle Renstrom of Slate wrote a highly critical article regarding the book – reasonably well-researched as to its contents and my viewpoints, but fallacious in espousing common rationalizations for death (alleged dangers of overpopulation, technological progress, and humans taking control of evolution). Eric Schulke has written a passionate, point-by-point rebuttal, “Slate is Wrong about Death is Wrong”.

I am also pleased that the Amazon ranking for Death is Wrong has increased to unprecedented levels. The book is now ranked #6 in the Kindle store in both Children’s eBooks and Children’s Nonfiction in the category of “Science, Nature & How It Works”, as well as #88 overall in the category of all Children’s Books on Science, Nature & How It Works. Could Death is Wrong become a bestseller? If so, its long-term impact on the culture could be just what I aspired toward – educating the next generation of life-extension researchers and activists, so as to accelerate the arrival of indefinite longevity for us all.

Update of March 13, 2014: A new shipment of 10 Death is Wrong books was made yesterday to Shannon Vyff and her family in Massachusetts. Shannon Vyff is the author of 21^st Century Kids (2007), a futurist children’s book that delves into possibilities for our civilization’s progress by the year 2189 – addressing areas such as nanotechnology, croynics, space exploration, robotics, artificial intelligence, and radical life extension. I am very pleased that Ms. Vyff’s own children are interested in spreading the book to people they know.

So far 27 books have been shipped or otherwise distributed pursuant to this fundraiser. We have the present resources to send 72 more.

I was also interviewed this morning by Mashable regarding Death is Wrong and this fundraiser. I look forward to seeing the article based on the interview and will share it when it is available.

Update of March 11, 2014: I am immensely pleased with the progress we have made thus far. We have raised $1,620, or 32.4% of our goal, which means that 324 books will be distributed to children no matter what. 82 of those can be shipped upon request already. Interested activists should see the previously provided instructions.

The distribution effort is beginning to have an international reach. Five books were shipped this weekend to Violetta Karkucinska in Warsaw, Poland, who plans to provide four books to public libraries that already accept English-language books, while the remaining book will be used in public readings and short presentations on indefinite life extension to general audiences that will attract publicity for Death is Wrong.

I have also distributed one copy of Death is Wrong to the family of a child in my local area. I am extremely interested in feedback from children and am hopeful that I will receive more as time passes. If you know of a child’s reaction to the book, I would be grateful if you could e-mail a description of it to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com.

Update of March 8, 2014: I am thrilled to report that the fundraiser to spread Death is Wrong to children has passed the milestone of $1000 and is now solidly in quadruple-digit territory. We are 22.4% of the way to our goal, with 46 days left. We can also ship 88 books with resources presently on hand. Now we need to get the books into the hands of more children to increase the momentum and exposure of this effort. Interested activists should send an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com with (i) your name, (ii) your mailing address, (iii) the number of copies you are requesting, (iv) your statement of support for indefinite life extension, and (v) your plan for spreading the book to children in your local area. Together, as a true movement in pursuit of immensely greater longevity, we will be able to achieve the cultural transformation we need.

Death is Wrong continues to receive significant media exposure. Today I refer you to the Huffington Post, where James Moore has published the article “Transhumanism and All My Mortal Friends”. It is a poignant story of Mr. Moore’s friend Murph, who lost the battle with senescence and degenerative disease. Mr. Moore writes, “Nobody wants to lose control. And nobody really wants to die. I want to live a million years and see what happens and if we ever figure out how to exist together and responsibly manage our resources and technology and how far we will reach into space. I know Murph wanted that, too, but he could not have it.”

The article includes a paragraph about Death is Wrong and our endeavor to spread it to children. Mr. Moore states that I aim to reach five thousand children – which would be wonderful if enough support could be found for such widespread distribution. Of course, the ideal situation would be one in which every child in the world has the opportunity to read this book. But one must always begin somewhere. Let us strive to do what we can and spread this book as far and wide as possible! I am grateful to all of you who have played an integral role in this campaign thus far. We are in the early days still.

Update of March 5, 2014: I am pleased to announce that autographed, personally addressed copies of Death is Wrong have been shipped today to every individual who pledged at least $100. Thank you tremendously for helping to make this effort happen. Delivery of the books may take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, as some of this fundraiser’s major supporters reside in Europe.

Also, a new reward tier has been added to this campaign. Wendy Stolyarov has generously offered to paint a digital portrait, in the style of the portraits of the five philosophers included in Death is Wrong, of any person who contributes at least $500 to this fundraiser. This is literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be illustrated in the same style as the great thinkers who helped push forward the cause of indefinite life extension during its early days: Francis Bacon, Benjamin Franklin, Marquis de Condorcet, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Alan Harrington.

Word regarding Death is Wrong and the fundraiser is spreading. A post on disinfo.com, largely based off of the previous Motherboard article has generated some vigorous discussion. Unfortunately, many of the commenters there are under the spell of the very same pervasive pro-death prejudices that Death is Wrong endeavors to combat. I encourage any transhumanists, techno-optimists, and life-extensionists to participate in the discussions in order to provide counterpoints to the pro-death misconceptions within these comment threads.

Update of March 4, 2014: The fundraiser to spread Death is Wrong to children has gained excellent momentum and publicity in the past several days.

We have present resources to distribute about 58 more copies of the book to longevity activists. If you wish to claim a shipment of books, please refer to these previously provided instructions. In total, the fundraiser has thus far raised $965.00, or 19.3% of its goal, after 10 days. Therefore, at least 193 books will be distributed in total, and we will be working diligently in the coming weeks to increase this number. The generosity and forward-thinking disposition of 41 donors has made our present situation possible. I am also tremendously grateful to MILE and Eric Schulke for their tireless efforts in spreading the word about this fundraiser.

An excellent article was published yesterday by B. J. Murphy on The Proactionary Transhumanist blog. The article discusses the Transhuman Visions 2.0 conference and focuses on Wendy’s and my presentation of Death is Wrong and the fundraiser, as well as the pro-longevity activism that transpired at the conference. Thank you, B.J., for the continued support!

On March 1, Motherboard (an outlet of the VICE Network) published a prominent article about Death is Wrong and this fundraiser: “A Transhumanist Wants to Teach Kids That ‘Death is Wrong’” by Meghan Neal. The article offers largely positive coverage to the book, and it has triggered considerable discussion (and, of course, some of the controversy that inevitably comes with that level of exposure). For instance, an extensive discussion thread about Death is Wrong has emerged on Reddit.

I do wish to note that, on my fear of death, the Motherboard article seemed to be based on a part of my response to a question from an earlier interview with Fast Company’s Leanne Butkovic. The Fast Company article mentions that fear was not my primary motivation for writing the book. More fully, I said that fear only exists in the face of the possibility of losing something one values. The reason I wrote this book is not primarily that I fear death, but rather that I love life and wish for all innocent humans to have the opportunity to live indefinitely. But I also see no shame in fearing the loss of what one loves. It is regrettable that the Motherboard article did not reflect that more nuanced position, but it is still good publicity for the feasibility and desirability of indefinite life extension. The more extensive exposure the fundraiser receives, the greater our likelihood of achieving our goal.

Thank you again to everyone who has assisted in this effort, both through donations and through increasing exposure. I expect to update you regularly regarding our continued progress.

Update of March 3, 2014: On March 1, Wendy Stolyarov and I spoke at Transhuman Visions 2.0 in Piedmont, CA, regarding Death is Wrong and our fundraiser to spread the book to 1000 children.

You can now see the video version of our presentation, preceded by an introduction from conference organizer Hank Pellissier.

You can also download our presentation slides to follow along with the talk, to better emulate the experience of the audience at Transhuman Visions 2.0. Presentation slides can be downloaded in PDF and in Microsoft PowerPoint formats.

 

Update of February 26, 2014: I am pleased to announce that the first order of Death is Wrong books made possible by this fundraiser has been shipped. 11 books were requested by Richard Lacroix from a greater Boston suburb, who has taken an interest in indefinite life extension and seeks to provide Death is Wrong as a resource to children in his extended family. The total cost of the order, including shipping, was $52.80. I estimate that funds received thus far via PayPal ($72.20 remaining at my immediate disposal) will be sufficient for approximately 15 additional books. Longevity activists are welcome to e-mail me at gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com per the previously distributed instructions, in order to request shipments.

I am again grateful to the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) for featuring my newest article, “Putting ‘Death is Wrong’ in Children’s Hands”, where I provide status updates regarding this project and include the instructions for activists to request shipments of the book. I am hopeful that this will increase awareness of the fact that books can indeed be requested today, and the process of actually spreading the book to children is already underway.

Update of February 25, 2014:

In this video, I offer an update regaring the impact of Death is Wrong, the status of the Indiegogo fundraiser to spread this illustrated children’s book to 1000 children, the forthcoming presentation regarding Death is Wrong at the Transhuman Visions 2.0 Conference on March 1, 2014, and the beginnings of the effort to distribute copies of Death is Wrong to longevity activists.

Instructions for Longevity Activists to Request Copies of Death is Wrong

– Send an e-mail to gennadystolyarovii@gmail.com
– Provide your name, your mailing address, a statement of your support for indefinite life extension, and a brief description of your plan to spread the book to children in your local area. Remember that all copies received pursuant to this initiative would need to be offered to children free of charge (as gifts or reading opportunities) and may not be resold.
– Provide the number of copies of Death is Wrong that you are requesting.
– Preferably, provide an indication that you would be willing to send photographs of the books that have been delivered to you as well as events where you will be distributing the books.

References

– “How Young Is Too Young To Learn About The Singularity?” – Leanne Butkovic – Fast Company
– Transhuman Visions 2.0 Schedule for March 1, 2014 – Brighter Brains
– Original Fundraiser Video
– Death is Wrong on Amazon
– Death is Wrong – Official Home Page
– Death is Wrong: Illustrated Children’s Book on Life Extension – Announcement and Short Excerpt  – Video by G. Stolyarov II

Mentions of the Indiegogo Fundraiser for “Death is Wrong”

– “Join Us in This Project to Tell Children That Death is Wrong” – Article by Eric Schulke – The Rational Argumentator
– Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET)
– The Wave Chronicle
– FightAging.org
– Immortal Life
– Philly Futurists
– The Lifeboat Foundation

Update of February 24, 2014: Earlier this month I was interviewed by Leanne Butkovic of Fast Company. The result is this article about Death is Wrong – which also mentions this campaign to spread the book to 1000 children. There is an extensive question-and-answer portion, where the answers were transcribed from our 50-minute Skype conversation.

This is great progress for spreading awareness of the book and increasing its cultural impact.

Update of February 23, 2014: I am immensely pleased with the surge of progress in this campaign during just the first 24 hours. The project is already 6.8% of the way toward its goal, with $340 raised from 16 generous contributors.

A page has been established for the project on The Rational Argumentator, which will be updated regularly along with the Indiegogo page. This page will be especially utilized once solicitations are sent to longevity activists and books begin to be ordered and shipped. Find it at https://www.rationalargumentator.com/index/teach-kids-death-is-wrong/.

Open Badges for the five levels of contributions have been created and are being issued via Badg.us. Wendy Stolyarov’s tremendous skill in graphic design produced a coherent set of elegant, colorful Educator badges in Indefinite Life Extension, with the height of the stack of books in the background increasing with the level of contribution.  All contributors to date have been sent e-mails with easy instructions for claiming the badges, and I anticipate continuing to issue badges as new pledges come in.

I am also thankful for the support provided by numerous individuals and organizations in spreading the word about this project throughout the transhumanist and life-extension communities.

* Eric Schulke has written an eloquent article, “Join Us in This Project to Tell Children That Death is Wrong”, which highlights the importance of this effort. Read it on Immortal Life and The Rational Argumentator. Thanks also go to Jason Shields, a contributor to this fundraiser, for his work as the editor of the article.

* The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) has republished the project description and video.

* The Lifeboat Foundation linked to the project via its news feed on the front page.

* Zoltan Istvan, best-selling author of The Transhumanist Wager, has endorsed the project and has assisted with spreading the word via Facebook.

Let us keep up the excellent momentum of this effort, one that could potentially initiate a long-term transformation of our culture toward one where the pursuit of indefinite longevity becomes the major human priority.

~ Gennady Stolyarov II

Introductory Video

Project Description

Who are you and what are you trying to do?

I am an actuary, author, philosopher, futurist, and advocate of indefinite life extension. I  have published The Rational Argumentator, an online magazine championing the principles of reason, rights, and progress, since 2002. You can find out more about me here.

For this project, I am partnering with the Movement for Indefinite Life Extension (MILE) to distribute copies of my book Death is Wrong to 1000 children. The concept for this project was the winner of the MILE Activist Contest in January 2014, by a vote of active members in the transhumanist and life-extensionist communities.

What is Death is Wrong?

Death is Wrong (currently available on Amazon and Createspace) is my ambitious new book for children and for life-extension advocates of all ages, concisely introducing the major reasons for the feasibility and desirability of indefinite life extension. The book was written by me and illustrated by my wife Wendy Stolyarov, some of whose artwork can be viewed here.

Why is Death is Wrong important?

Death is Wrong fills an important void and can inspire a new generation to join the struggle for greatly increased longevity. Virtually everyone learns about death as a child, and the initial reaction is the correct one: bewilderment, horror, and outrage. Yet there has been no resource to validate these completely correct first impressions. Almost immediately, the young ones are met with excuses and rationalizations, so that they might be consoled and return to a semblance of normalcy. Over millennia of facing indeed inevitable demises, humans have constructed elaborate edifices of rationalization, designed to keep thoughts of death from intruding upon their day-to-day lives.

While transhumanists and life-extension advocates have made headway with conveying their aspirations for the future to some of the most technically educated and philosophically inclined adults, the mainstream of society remains pervaded by the old death-acceptance arguments – religious and secular: from the fear of “playing God” to the specter of overpopulation. Every mind held captive by these traditional and Malthusian pro-death prejudices is a mind that will at best not help life-extension progress and at worst hinder it greatly – a higher likelihood for the most intelligent purveyors of the death-acceptance mindset. People who embrace these notions and find them credible (despite the relative ease of debunking them using logic and evidence) largely do so because the fallacies were ingrained into them since childhood, with no counterarguments being presented or even posited as conceivable. So, if the antidote to these fallacies is to be most effective, it must be administered in childhood.

Death is Wrong will be easily understood by most eight-year-olds, though my aim is to encompass as young an audience as possible. The beautiful and detailed illustrations will help keep young minds engaged as they read about long-lived organisms found in nature, as well as the great advocates of life extension from the past and the present (featured in the book are Francis Bacon, Benjamin Franklin, Marquis de Condorcet, Friedrich Nietzsche, Alan Harrington, and Aubrey de Grey). The book discusses successes in animal life extension, along with providing a concise introduction to Dr. de Grey’s SENS program and the seven principal types of damage that must be addressed in order to reverse senescence. Parts of the book are autobiographical: they describe my own experiences as a child finding out about death and vowing to combat it. The book also focuses of refuting the common pro-death rationalizations and presenting young readers with all of the amazing opportunities and possibilities that can only exist if humans live much, much longer than is presently the case. At the end is a call to action and a list of further resources for young readers to find out more and to become involved with the life-extension movement.

Who will benefit from Death is Wrong?

Death is Wrong is written at a level readily comprehensible for children ages 8 and older, though ambitious children of younger ages would be an ideal audience as well. In facilitating the distribution of Death is Wrong, I would encourage life-extension activists to invest in quality. Even a single bright child who shows ample curiosity, interest in, and support for dramatic enhancements in human longevity could become a leading contributor to the Movement for Indefinite Life Extension. Cultivating such a passion extremely early in life could provide the MILE with just the kind of support it needs – a set of energetic, intelligent, talented, and idealistic young people who are equipped and eager to transform the world for the better.

What are you planning to use $5000 for?

The money will be used to purchase paperback copies of Death is Wrong upon request by longevity activists for distribution in their local areas. For instance, if a life-extension activist desires 25 copies of Death is Wrong to distribute to schools, libraries, or local gatherings, I could ship these copies to the activist, who would be able to identify the most effective local distribution channels and the most receptive audiences. Activists could use the donated copies to conduct public readings, including events that draw an audience of children.

As part of this distribution plan, I would be able to provide a similar arrangement for schools, libraries, and other organizations, particularly those which interact significantly with children, upon request by those organizations.

Activists and organizations will have wide discretion over the methods used to distribute the book. The only criterion for receiving copies is that they will need to be given away to their ultimate readers (children or their adult relatives) free of charge, or else made available for public reading free of charge (as in a public library). That is, activists and organizations would be able to give away copies or reading opportunities, but not resell the books obtained through this project. Under this rule, I may be able to personally conduct some of the book’s distribution, with assurance to my donors that the copies of the book that I obtain using their funds would also be given away and not sold.

While $5000 is the goal, any amount raised would be dedicated toward making a proportional number of copies of Death is Wrong available to longevity activists. For instance, raising $500 would enable me to make 100 copies available upon request. If we are fortunate and $10,000 is raised, then I will aim at making 2000 copies available. Also, the perks for each level of donation will be given no matter what the final amount raised.

How can you afford 1000 copies of Death is Wrong for $5000?

As the author, I am able to obtain paperback copies of Death is Wrong from Createspace.com at a highly discounted price of $3.79 per copy. 1,000 copies could be obtained at a cost of $3,790, not counting the variable costs of shipping. The remaining $1,210 would be set aside to pay shipping costs as needed. With shipping costs taken into account, I have been able to receive copies of the book at a total cost of approximately $4.71 per copy – so a cost of $5 per copy is a reasonable estimate, considering variations in shipping costs.

Upon request by a longevity activist or organization, I will place an order with Createspace for the desired number of books and will designate the order to be shipped directly to the recipient, while using the raised funds to pay for the order, including shipping.

How will you account for the funds spent?

A publicly available webpage will be set up on The Rational Argumentator to track spending as it occurs, as well as the number of books sent and the name of the recipient for each order and the funds that remain for this project after a particular expenditure has been made. I will request that each longevity activist or organization receiving the books provide updates regarding their receipt and distribution (preferably including photographs of the books received and any events at which the books were distributed).

Also, updates will be posted to the Indiegogo page of this project and will be e-mailed to supporters.

The entirety of the funds raised will be spent on procuring and shipping copies of Death is Wrong. There will be no administrative or overhead expenses paid from these funds, and I will pursue this project relentlessly until all donated funds have been utilized.

How will you make sure that enough recipients will come forward to acquire copies of the book for distribution?

The existence of this project and the availability of funds for distributing Death is Wrong will be made known by means of numerous transhumanist/life-extensionist publications, Facebook groups, and mailing lists. Once the fundraising campaign is completed, I will write and widely publish articles describing the opportunity available to longevity activists.I will also maintain robust e-mail correspondence with activists whom I identify as promising recipients of the book. I expect that many activists will be motivated to come forward by the message that resources for expanding the reach of the life-extension message are available to them, free of monetary cost.

How will you track the success of this project?

Success would be tracked through steady correspondence with activists and other recipients of donated books, to receive updates as to how many books were distributed and through which venues. The greatest mark of success, though, would be observing new people – both children and adults – entering the life-extension movement as a result of Death is Wrong. Through Amazon book reviews, online searches, and monitoring of life-extension social-networking groups and publications, as well as correspondence addressed to me and other longevity activists, it would be possible to gain an appreciation for how many hearts and minds have been won by this effort.

Once all funds have been spent, I anticipate writing and widely disseminating a status report that will gauge the success of the project, its impact, and lessons learned from this unprecedented exercise in life-extension activism.

Rewards

$5 Donation: You will receive a Level 1 Life-Extension Educator Open Badge (an Internet-based badge issued through badg.us and Mozilla Backpack), showing that you have made it possible for one child to learn about the feasibility and desirability of indefinite life extension.

$25 Donation: You will receive a Level 2 Life-Extension Educator Open Badge (an Internet-based badge issued through badg.us and Mozilla Backpack), showing that you have made it possible for 5 children to learn about the feasibility and desirability of indefinite life extension.

$50 Donation: You will receive a Level 3 Life-Extension Educator Open Badge (an Internet-based badge issued through badg.us and Mozilla Backpack), showing that you have made it possible for 10 children to learn about the feasibility and desirability of indefinite life extension.

$100 Donation: You will receive a signed copy of Death is Wrong, personally addressed to you and signed by both Gennady Stolyarov II and Wendy Stolyarov.

In addition, you will receive a Level 4 Life-Extension Educator Open Badge (an Internet-based badge issued through badg.us and Mozilla Backpack), showing that you have made it possible for 20 children to learn about the feasibility and desirability of indefinite life extension.

$250 Donation: With your consent, I will write a feature-length article about you as a major activist for and supporter of indefinite life extension. This could include a question-and-answer component regarding your goals, motivations, and visions of the future, as well as a component discussing any projects and achievements that you are involved with or are otherwise important to you. The article would be published on The Rational Argumentator and possibly other transhumanist and life-extensionist websites, in order to raise awareness of your role in advancing the prospects for greatly increased human longevity.

You will receive a signed copy of Death is Wrong, personally addressed to you and signed by both Gennady Stolyarov II and Wendy Stolyarov.

In addition, you will receive a Level 5 Life-Extension Educator Open Badge (an Internet-based badge issued through badg.us and Mozilla Backpack), showing that you have made it possible for 50 children to learn about the feasibility and desirability of indefinite life extension.