🚀 go-pugleaf

I've been subscribing to the extropians list for over a year now, and
I've made many changes to my life that are due in good part to the
influence of that list.

First, I have changed my diet.  I am now a vegetarian, thanks largely to
the postings of Perry Metzger on the list about the health benefits of
that lifestyle.  I've been more interested in health for the last several
years, but it was because of the list that I took this latest step.  I'll
still eat non-fat dairy products and egg whites, but by avoiding other
animal products and sticking to low-fat vegetable products my percentage
of calories from fat is probably less than 15%.  I believe this will have
a very positive influence on my life span.  I also take anti-oxidant
vitamin supplements which should be helpful.

Second, I signed up for membership at the local health club, and try to
work out regularly.  Exercise should help keep me healthy and able to
enjoy life longer, as well as possibly extending life span.  (My wife, by
the way, is thrilled with my new interests.  She's been a health
enthusiast for many years.)

Third, I've gotten active in efforts to create software to increase
personal freedom and privacy.  I first heard about Philip Zimmermann's
PGP ("Pretty Good Privacy") program through discussion about the list.  I
got in contact with Phil, and was able to play a part in the development
and release of version 2 of that program, which has spread rapidly around
the world.

Fourth, as a result of that work, I was invited to write an article
for Extropy magazine on cryptographic applications, and it will appear
in the next issue.  This is very exciting for me.  (My wife, Fran, had an
article published on the health benefits of exercise in the previous
issue of Extropy so now we're both published authors.)

And fifth, I have signed myself and my family up for cryonic suspension
with Alcor Life Extension Foundation.  Cryonics is still in its
infancy, but hopefully by the time we need it (if we ever do) the
techniques will be improved and the organizations will be stable.  In
the meantime, I view this as a "safety net" which gives me a great deal
of peace of mind.

People new to the extropians list often arrive with very negative views of
extropianism.  When I look at all the good things that are happening in
my life which can be traced to the influence of that philosophy, I am
truly surprised and saddened that such opinions are so common.
Extropianism is a positive, life-affirming philosophy.  We embrace change
and dynamism.  How could a philosophy which is founded on such principles
as boundless expansion, self-transformation, and dynamic optimism be
otherwise?

Hal Finney