Category Archives: Immortality

Featuring simple, bold, and colorful illustrations, A Beginner's Guide to Immortality examines humanity's never-ending quest to discover the secret to eternal life. The book is categorized into five options on extending one's life: Elixirs, Meeting Immortals, Visiting Magical Places, Patience, and The Future.

Starting with a look at historical figures such as Gilgamesh's search for youth-restoring seaweed and Qin She Huang's hunt for a fruit which grants eternal life, the book touches on the unsuccessful search for mythical life-extending tools like alchemical elixirs, the philosopher's stone, and the flesh of the ningyo fish. The folkloric Moon rabbit is shown is vibrant yellow, stirring its cauldron of the Elixir Of Life.

The journey continues to mythical places where some form of a fountain of youth supposedly exists in Bimini, St. Brendan's Island, and Tir Na Nog. A dynamic full-page illustration of a maiden soaking in a mountain stream in bold aquamarine evokes an idyllic atmosphere. Real-life places such as those in Earth's Blue Zones occurring in Sardinia, Okinawa, and Loma Linda, California, where inhabitants regularly live to upwards of 90 years, are also investigated.

Venturing into the realms of biology and other sciences, long lived animals such as naked mole rats, planarian worms, and a jellyfish known as turritopsis dohrnii are described. A gene that centenarians may possess known as FoxO is examined. Healthy routines like eating well, regular exercise, and flossing are suggested. A humorous full-page illustration of famous literary immortals is shown, featuring amazons, wizards, Pinocchio, and Dracula.

Ending the book with options that might exist in the future, cryogenics, mummification, cloning, and inserting one's consciousness into a digital avatar are all represented. The theory of biomechanical immortality is vividly illustrated in emerald green with an enormous robot having its puny human brain installed as pleased scientists look on. Finally, the belief in an afterlife in world religions is presented.

A Beginner's Guide to Immortality is a lively, quick read, exploring concepts in history, science, literature, and geography, and presented in an easily digested manner. Charmingly illustrated in a blocky, comic book style, with chunky images of futuristic robots with glowing brains, medieval alchemists mixing strange chemicals, and Ponce De Leon wielding a metal detector, it's an informative, humorous book.

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A Beginner's Guide to Immortality: From Alchemy to Avatars by Maria Birmingham, Josh Holinaty (Illustrator) Owlkids 2015, 48 pages, 7.4 x 0.6 x 9.7 inches, Hardcover $11 Buy on Amazon

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Thanks to everyone who came out to last nights Walkaway tour-stop at Houstons Brazos Books; Im just arriving at the airport to fly to Phoenix for tonights event at Scottsdales Poisoned Pen Books with Brian David Johnson.

Thanks to everyone who turned up last night for a stellar event at Austins Book People! Im about to head to the airport to fly to Houston, where Ill appearing tonight at 7PM at Brazos Books, before heading to Scottsdale, AZ for appearance at Poisoned Pen (with Brian David Johnson)>

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A Beginner's Guide to Immortality: From Alchemy to Avatars - Boing Boing

You know what they saysatin sheets are very romantic, but everyone loves a biopic. Admittedly, that wasnt my best Madonna transition, but the point of it all is that Universal has recently acquired the rights to an unproduced screenplay, Blonde Ambition, and are currently brainstorming a film of the same name which will chronicle Madonnas rise to fame in New York of the early 1980s. If only I could go back in time to 1983 and rub this knowledge in my young fathers facewhos a flash in the pan now, dad?

If I had to speculate about similar biopics to come in the next few decades? Lady Gaga would probably be a good guess, but maybe Im a little biased as her rise to fame, personal style, and fan base remind me of Madonnas meteoric rise to prominence. Beyonc is up there tooI mean shes basically already hailed as a goddess, so I cant imagine that will diminish in years to come. In fact, archaeologists of the future may unearth Mother Monster and Queen Bey memorabilia buried beneath the ruins of our civilization and conclude that they were worshipped as deities. History is fascinating, isnt it?

But what exactly elevates a pop star or group to that level of immortality that only a few chosen artists have managed to attain? Is it the number of hit singles under their belt, their daring fashion choices, the sheer magnitude of their fan base, or is the accidental genius of an early, tragic death? Artists have become immortal in all the aforementioned waysjust look at Diana Ross, Cher, Michael Jackson, or Prince (who is still staking a claim in the industry post-mortem, with the issue of several new, previously unreleased songs), artists that fit snugly into one or more of those categories.

Perhaps, in order to solidify ones place in the pantheon of undead icons that are emblazoned forever in the collective musical psyche, you have to conquer all of the above in one way or another. Killer, experimental fashion sense, the ability to produce hit after hit, and the undying love of millions of fansall these accoutrements combine to create an indestructible force of musical domination. And the untimely demise? Maybe that is just the morbid cherry on top that really puts you over the edge into eternal super-stardom.

Only time will tell which artists of our generation manage to make legendary status and achieve eternal fame. Until that time, we can only satisfy ourselves with watching the biopics and post-mortem releases of our parents idols, wondering fondly what the future may bring.

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Musical Immortality: What Does it Take to Become a Legend? - Noiseporn

One of the things humans have plotted for centuries is escaping death, with little to show for it, until now. One startup called Humai has a plan to make immortality a reality. The CEO, Josh Bocanegra says when the time comes and all the necessary advancements are in place, well be able to freeze your brain, create a new, artificial body, repair any damage to your brain, and transfer it into your new body. This process could then be repeated in perpetuity.

HUMAI stands for: Human Resurrection through Artificial Intelligence. The technology to accomplish this isnt here now, but on the horizon. Bocanegra says theyll reach this Promethean feat within 30 years. 2045 is currently their target date. So how do they plan to do it?

The company writes on their website: We're using artificial intelligence and nanotechnology to store data of conversational styles, behavioral patterns, thought processes and information about how your body functions from the inside-out. This data will be coded into multiple sensor technologies, which will be built into an artificial body with the brain of a deceased human.

Advances in many new technologies including cryonics will be required for the plan to be successful. Getty Images.

This will be done with Humai company-developed apps. Theyll be collecting data on you for years. Over time, theyll get a good model of who you are, what you know, what youve been through, and even your personality quirks. Then when the inevitable is upon you, cryonics will freeze your brain for storage while they prepare your artificial body.

How and of what the body will be made of hasnt been elaborated on. Your brain will be thawed and any damage repaired via nanotechnology, borrowing information from backup files, if need be. As the brain ages we'll use nanotechnology to repair and improve cells, Bocanegra said. Cloning technology is going to help with this too." Once your brain is transplanted into this new body, your brainwaves will control it, as if it was your own.

Futurists like Ray Kurzweil say the singularity will shortly be upon us. This is when AI becomes so advanced, that it can program itself to become better, smarter, faster, and therefore, beyond human control. Elon Musk says well need to create neural implants thatll link our brains with computers, in order to keep up.

We already have AI thats so advanced, researchers dont completely understand it. But this plan and Musks go beyond aligning us with technology. They ultimately seek to interweave us and advanced technology, to the point where we may not know where the person ends and the machine begins.

We can now hook the brain up to prosthetic limbs, even give them touch sensation. Getty Images.

This brings up all kinds of philosophical and existential questions. Are we merely data imprinted into neural networks? Will this become a service to lend immortality to the rich, while forgoing others? Bocanegra says it will be made available to everyone and should lead to other life-saving techniques and technologies. And you wouldnt have to undergo the process, if you didnt want to. I dont think of it as fighting death, he told Popular Science. I think of it as making death optional.

How might the advent of such a technique change the allocations of resources on our planet? Eliminating death from the equation could see our world become overpopulated and resource scarce, should no controls be put into place, leading to social turmoil, even war. And would we still savor life, without an end to it, and work to make it as rich an experience?

Or would we become, as Freud once called us, prosthetic gods, completely bored because the world has become devoid of any discovery or surprise? Such concerns arent quite around the corner, and many critics have questioned the soundness of Bocanegras plan and the forthrightness of his motivations.

This isnt exactly pie in the sky. But it isnt doable yet either, and some wonder whether Humais timeline is sound. For instance, we havent yet successfully placed a human in suspended animation and revived them. And thats just one piece of an exceedingly complex puzzle. According to Bocanegra in an interview with Popular Science, the most challenging part will be surgically implanting the preserved brain into an artificial body.

Other biological processes too would have to come with this new body. A lot of delicate factors would have to be understood and balanced properly. Consider that our behavior isnt only regulated by our brain. Hormones for instance play a crucial role. Colonies of bacteria in our microbiome also contribute quite a bit to our neurochemistry. Yet, we know very little about how they work.

Theres a question as to whether the human mind can be digitized. Pixababy.

Experts questions whether or not it will be possible to download someones thoughts into a computer. "The technology which could extract legible thoughts and ideas out of an organ made of living tissue is nowhere near anything we have yet, according to British software consultant Michael Maven.

He told the Huffington Post that Humai has just two researchers working on the project, and a total staff of five. An impressive source of funding and large teams of scientists would have to be employed for decades, to ensure such advancements, unless Humai is planning to piggyback on others work, or merely to collect payments from desperate parties hoping to escape their demise.

Even so, the trajectory of these technologies overall, will likely make such a feat possible in the distant future. And this isnt the only ambitious project looking to cheat death. The 2045 Initiative, started by Russian billionaire Dmitry Itskov, is also looking to develop technology, which would allow someone to transfer their personality into a non-biological carrier and extend life, perhaps indefinitely.

Futurist Ray Kurzweil thinks the first step is not only possible but inevitable.

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Startup Promises Immortality Through AI, Nanotechnology, and Cloning - Big Think

Published April 29, 2017, 1:30 AM

by Nick Giongco

Donnie Nietes shoots for immortality tonight when he faces Komgrich Nantapech of Thailand for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight (112 lbs) crown at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City.

If he gets past Nantapech, younger by almost eight years than the soon-to-be 35-year-old Filipino, Nietes will become a three-division champion after wins at minimumweight (105 lbs) and light-fly (108 lbs).

Donnie Nietes seeks to become a three-division world champion today. (Juan Carlo de Vela | Manila Bulletin)

Only Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire have more than two division titles.

Pacquiao won an unprecedented eight titles, and while Donaire has four.

Other Filipino two-division titlists include Dodie Boy (108 and 112 lbs) and Gerry Penalosa (115 and 118) and Luisito Espinosa (118 and 126).

During yesterdays official weighin at the Robinsons Galleria, Nietes came in at the division limit of 112 after stripping naked.

The Thai also came in at 112.

Nietes has a 39-1-4 mark with 22 KOs while Nantapech has a 22-3 with 15 KOs.

Nietes will attempt to join Pacquiao and Jerwin Ancajas as the countrys reigning world champs following the heartbreaking stripping of bantam Marlon Tapales last week in Osaka.

Tags: Donnie Nietes, immortality, International Boxing Federation, Komgrich Nantapech, Manila Bulletin, mb.com.ph, Nietes seeks immortality

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Nietes seeks immortality - Manila Bulletin

I first realised my brother was missing when I logged into Facebook one evening to see his bashful face grinning at me from a MISSING notice. Rather absurdly, I wondered why they hadnt picked a better photo of John instead of this blurry, orange-toned selfie. I continued scrolling through Facebook while frantically calling my family. Funny, innocuous videos of cats being alarmed by cucumbers were interspersed with worried messages from friends. Then came the awful, awful Skype call from my parents, when I realised that my brothers digital life was really the only thing I had left of him. His body had been found.

Not much thought is given to ones online legacy after death. Yet according to statistician Hachem Sadikki, by the year 2098, the number of dead people on Facebook will outnumber living members. Our profiles might not have the same crumbling grandeur of Dunedins Southern Cemetery, but our old statuses and selfies will preserve us indefinitely. Sometimes, I imagine my brother floating through cyberspace like an unmoored astronaut.

With 1.86 billion users worldwide, Facebook is an integral part of our lives and our deaths too. While it was not the first social media platform to establish a policy for deceased users, it certainly addressed the issue in a unique way. In the early days of our favourite electronic bulletin board, family members took control of a deceased users account, often posting eerie messages from beyond the grave. There is nothing more surreal than seeing that little green active dot hovering beside a dead friends name in a chat log.

Now however, Facebook ensures ones digital legacy can live on in the form of a memorialised timeline where friends can visit the page, view prior status updates or photographs and leave posts of remembrance. I often find myself scrolling through my brothers Facebook page, digging up silly photos of him pulling faces at the camera, or laughing at his old statuses. Its the other posts though the ones full of sadness and love from his grieving friends that really get to me.

Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram have similar policies, but with other social media platforms, the deceased accounts remain dormant until they are deleted due to inactivity. I think theres a certain sadness to this quiet erasure of ones digital footprint. Some alternatives, however, are far stranger. Take for instance the online service Dead Social. Founded by James Norris after he watched a video of comedian Bob Monkhouse posthumously starring in an advert for prostate cancer, Dead Social allows people to schedule posts after they have died. I have to admit, if I am ever diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ill probably use this service to plague my friends and loved ones with awful jokes and puns long after Ive shuffled off this mortal coil.

It gets weirder though. In my favourite episode of the British science fiction anthology series Black Mirror, a young womans boyfriend is tragically killed in a car accident. As she grieves, the woman discovers a technology that allows her to communicate with an artificial intelligence imitating her deceased lover. In this case, truth certainly lives up to fiction. Eternime is an online service that uses artificial intelligence to collect your thoughts, stories and memories to create an avatar that mimics your looks and manner of conversation. As you chat with the avatar for the remainder of your life, theyre able to learn more about you and your personality. Naturally with more information, the avatar becomes more adept at mimicking you, eventually becoming your digital alter ego after death.

The internet is truly redefining the grief process. Online memorial sites provide a much more interactive experience than viewing a concrete headstone in a cemetery. Moreover, they can be accessed from anywhere in the world, connecting loved ones with the click of a mouse. And in missing people cases, memorialised social media accounts offer the bereaved an opportunity to visit a memorial.

I often find myself obsessively trawling the internet, trying to piece together every fragment of Johns online life. Finding his YouTube channel was a bittersweet moment. I never knew he could play the guitar so beautifully, though his singing left a lot to be desired. And as for his Instagram account? Who knew a simple photo of muddy feet could affect me so much? The photographs, jerky videos, Facebook messages, likes and dislikes all amounted to a precious scrapbook of memories. I cant visit Johns grave every day, but I can fondly remember him through the pixels on my computer screen.

Lets face it death is inevitable. But in cyberspace, you may live forever.

Jean Balchin is an English student at the University of Otago.

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Immortality found in cyberspace - Otago Daily Times

Photo: LiveLeak

A psychic in Thailand named Theprit Palee was in the middle of performing a traditional spirit dance in front of onlookers when he decided to stab himself in order to show that he is immortal. And lets just say that things did not go well.

The 25-year-old was performing the ritual that isbelieved to honor the ghosts of ancestors and this show involved Palee pressing the blade of a sword against his chest where it was supposed to break like it has broken in previous shows. Well something went wrong and the weapon failed to break, which of course led Palee to stab himself in the chest.

And unfortunately for Palee, he didnt make it as he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Take a look at Palee performing this ritual thanks to theLiveLeak video below.

According to a resident, this psychic had provided readings to local people for several years.

This is a tradition that happens every year. The sword normally breaks but this time it went inside him, the resident said. The medium has been respected for many years. People love him. He is one of peoples favorites.

It is pretty sad that this guy died so young because of a freak accident. But if theres a lesson to be learned here it is to please dont point swords at your chest, kids. In fact, dont even pick up a sword. You are not onGame of Thrones.

h/t Metro

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Psychic Stabs Himself To Prove His Immortality And Then Dies - Crave Online

The sword is supposed to break during the act (Picture: Mercury)

A psychic medium has died after accidentally stabbing himself in the heart while trying to prove his immortality, it has been reported.

Theprit Palee, 25, had been performing the traditional spirit dance in front of spectators in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, yesterday afternoon when the accident occurred.

The folk ritual is believed to honour the ghosts of ancestors and in previous shows the blade of the sword broke when it was pressed against his chest.

But on this occasion the act went wrong and the weapon failed to snap causing the 25-year-old to stab himself in the chest.

The story was published bySanook.and English-language website Coconuts, which both reported that the medium was pronounced dead in hospital.

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According to a resident calledNoom Udorn, Mr Paleehad provided readings for several years to local people.

This is a tradition that happens every year. The sword normally breaks but this time it went inside him, he said.

The medium has been respected for many years. People love him. He is one of peoples favourites.

Deputy Police Inspector Chaiwat Phan said officersarrived at the San Kamphaeng district of the province at 3pm on April 24 and found the medium bleeding.

He said: We were informed that a man armed with a knife had stabbed himself. We are coordinating with the hospital while an autopsy is performed.

There were people at the scene helping Mr Palee but he died later in hospital. He had a stab wound to the chest.

MORE: Man kills his child on Facebook live before taking his own life

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Psychic trying to prove his immortality stabs himself to death | Metro ... - Metro

George Bridges/Associated Press

Jimmer Fredette was surprised by how easy the transition was. He knew what he was getting into when he made the decision to move across the world from Denver to Shanghai. He'd spent a significant amount of time mulling over the decision to move to China, talking to several players about the transition, and the Shanghai Sharks, Fredette's Chinese Basketball Association team, set him up with a nice apartment. The research, the conversations and the accommodations all made the landing a bit smoother.

The food, however, would prove to be one of the toughest parts of the move.

Chinese food in China is wildly different from Chinese food in America, and Panda Express classics like General Tso's chicken and fortune cookies are nowhere to be found. Initially, cultural culinary differences didn't prove to be a problem. In Shanghai, the world's most populous city, Fredette could find anything he wanted to eat.When the Sharks began to hit the road, though, Fredette soon understood why he'd been warned.

"Once you got to different cities, it was like, 'Oh, I don't know what I'm going to do,'" Fredette tells Bleacher Report. "It was like, 'Pizza Hutshould I order that again?' I ate a ton of hard-boiled eggs and a lot of rice. I haven't eaten that since I've gotten home [to the United States]."

Whatever difficulties Fredette had with food, however, didn't hinder his abilities on the court. The former BYU star and 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, now known as the "Lonely God" overseas, tore up the CBA. He averaged 37.6 points per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 39.6 from beyond the arc, and he took home both the All-Star game and league MVP awards. The accolades, combined with Fredette's 73-point performance in a February regular-season game, stirred up memories of Jimmermania, which swept the country during Fredette's senior year at BYU in 2010-11.

Interestingly, Fredette's numbers in the CBA compare favorably to several players who went to China and returned to the NBA. Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith averaged 32.4 points per game on 49.7 percent from the field, while Wilson Chandler averaged 26.6 points on 45.7 percent from the field. The game in China perfectly suited Fredette's strengths. The CBA favors quick guards confident in their scoring abilities. Deep threes are taken regularly, and when an offensively skilled player travels overseas, they are given "the greenest of green lights," according to Andrew Crawford, writer for Chinese basketball website Shark Fin Hoops.

"Someone like Jimmer who is confident about his shot, that's perfect for him," Crawford says. "You can't be a shrinking violet in Chinese basketball. You're going over there and they're paying the money that they are, you have to be able to shoot and you have to be confident about your shot."

Fredette wanted an opportunity to showcase his abilities after toiling on the ends of NBA benches and D-League (now G-League) rosters for years. Fredette spent most of 2015-16 playing for the Westchester Knicks, scoring 21.1 points per game while shooting 45.8 percent, but he couldn't find the right opportunity stateside for 2016-17.

Feeling he'd accomplished all he could in the D-League, Fredette began looking overseas. When Jackson Emery, Fredette's teammate from BYU, heard his friend was heading to China, he was surprised.

"I was thinking a little more Europe. I thought he'd fit them better in terms of their lifestyle and wouldn't be as much of a culture shock," Emery says. "Once [Fredette] started talking to me about the shorter season, the money paid, the endorsement opportunities and the marketshare, it made more sense. He definitely made the right move."

Fans in China fell in love with Fredette and his performance for the Sharks, the former CBA home for Hall of Famer Yao Ming. The adoration of Fredette overseas reminded Emery and former BYU teammate Noah Hartsock of the madness of Jimmermania.

"It brought back Jimmermania a little to the states," Hartsock says. "Hopefully next year we'll see a 120-point game. That's what I'm waiting for. He's still Little Jimmo to us."

Fredette, while consideringoptions for next year, reportedly turned down a couple of 10-day contracts as opportunities to audition late in the season. His actions thus far indicate he's positioning himself for an NBA return.Thinking back to the heat of Jimmermania, Emery said that Fredette's career certainly hasn't gone as many teammates and friends expected.

"At the time, you had guys like Kevin Durant tweeting that he was the best scorer in the world. When you get guys like that tweeting, it's funny," Emery says. "Steve Kerr, that's the type of guy you thought Jimmer would be and the career he'd have. It's about fit and timing, and it hasn't felt like he's had the right fit or timing. That's why he's taking the time and thinking about it."

Emery, now a sales manager at Domo, a software company in Utah, sees Fredette as a business opportunity for any NBA team willing to take a chance. Beyond what he brings to the court, what Fredette brings with fans in the seats and jersey sales still holds value.

"Obviously he knows he's not Russell Westbrook ... but he thinks he can be Raul Neto for the Jazz. He can bring five to 10 minutes, hit some shots and contribute," Emery says. "I'm a Utah Jazz fan and I wondered why teams wouldn't bring in Jimmer to sell jerseys at the very least. There is value from what he can do on and off [the court]."

"I compare him to Tim Tebow. People didn't want to play around with the Tebow circus. You feel like there's a similar sentiment around Jimmer."

A return to China, however, could prove to be equally, if not more, lucrative. Foreign players can become legends in the CBA, as evidenced by the success of Stephon Marbury, who now has a museum in Beijing and is a naturalized citizen of China. Crawford says Fredette could prove to be equally successful if he continues playing at a high level.

"There is a legacy of overseas players coming over and committing themselves to a team and it goes over really well in that city," Crawford says. "If Jimmer came back and stayed in Shanghai and kept the success going, he would create an enormous legacy."

Those are the two paths present-day Jimmer Fredette can choose from: a chance to potentially become a bench player in the NBA or an opportunity to become a legend halfway across the world.

"I envisioned myself being a great basketball player in the NBA. I felt like I had the skill set to be able to do that," Fredette says. "I can shoot the ball and score the ball in today's NBA with the three-point shot. I had some great times in the NBA, I had some not-so-great times, but it's something that I've continued to work towards and not let it keep me down."

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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Jimmer Fredette Has a Decision: Immortality in China or Role Player in America - Bleacher Report

Those who know Jeff Hastings well say he is the last person to take credit for anything, no matter how hard hes worked or how much hes accomplished.

Recognition is not something the Norwich native seeks out, despite an accomplished career in ski jumping as an athlete and an Olympic broadcaster with NBC.

Thats a difficult thing to keep up when others see you as a vital centerpiece for a sport in the process of rebuilding its national image.

Hastings was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame on April 8 in Stowe, Vt. The honor, Hastings said this week, caught him completely off-guard.

Its a hard thing to have a reaction to, he said. Ski jumping has been a huge part of my life since forever. To get recognition like this, its something I never could have dreamed of. Its an enormous honor.

Hastings, a Hanover High graduate, began skiing at 4 years old and was part of the Ford Sayre ski jump program in Hanover growing up. He attended Williams College in Massachusetts to continue his ski jumping pursuits before joining the U.S. Ski Team. Hastings qualified for the 1984 Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, where he finished in fourth place, setting a modern American record. He also is a four-time U.S. national ski jumping champion.

After his Olympic stint, Hastings took to the broadcast booth, where he has worked as a network ski jumping expert at every Olympics since the 1992 Games in Albertville, France. That streak will come to an end next year at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but Hastings, 57, said hes happy that hes been able to stay involved in the sport for so long.

(Broadcasting) is not something that comes naturally to me, he said. To have that front-row seat with a credential, to watch the sport up close and watch its athletes develop, to keep that connection to the sport was really exciting to be a part of.

Rex Bell, a ski jumping coach for the U.S. team from 1980-88, lauded Hastings for his contributions to the sport.

Jeff is one of the most successful ski jumpers of all time. Certainly in the modern era. He and Mike Holland are the best ski jumping athletes the U.S. has ever produced, Bell said. Beyond his success on the playing field, so to speak, hes someone who has meant a tremendous amount to the sport in the form of developing and creating programs.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association cut funding for ski jumping in 2010 and Nordic combined events in 2014. Bell the vice chairman and member executive of USA Nordic, the organization now responsible for developing future ski jumpers and Nordic combined athletes said Hastings was heavily involved in getting it started.

The way of thinking, the culture, is in large part shaped by Jeff and his attitude, Bell said. When we talked about whether to go ahead and form this organization and what the priorities should be, we agreed that one of the big focuses should be on the grassroot programs and to really get back to the basics.

Jeff was the most passionate, he added. He really took it upon himself to create all these really cool, fun programs to help recruit kids and keep them involved. Hes been doing it all this time, quietly and behind the scenes, not asking for help.

Hastings has helped organize the USANS Story Project, a ski jumping and Nordic combined blog where he acts as a curator for shared photos and stories throughout the season.

Hes also helped start an online event called Virtual Nationals, where youth athletes from across the country submit videos of their jumps to be judged by former and current Olympians.

The sport of ski jumping is kind of a niche sport. Its certainly a minor sport, Bell said. But were beginning to see, in part because of the programs Jeff has created and the efforts of this organization providing advance training opportunities, success at the international level.

Outside of the sport, Hastings has used his organizational skills for philanthropic purposes. He devised the Childrens Hospital at Dartmouth Hero Half Marathon while he was a volunteer board member for Friends of CHaD in 2006, and now serves as its race director.

Not only is he a ski Hall of Famer, hes also a CHaD Hero Hall of Famer, said Sharon Brown, director of community relations at CHaD. Hes continued to not only be the brains, but the brawn. ... Its our single biggest event; last year we raised $800,000.

Its an amazing event because Jeff keeps pushing us to think bigger, better, stronger, she added.

Hastings, who works full-time at Pro-Cut International in Lebanon, said he is looking forward to putting more of a focus on family and work and that watching the Olympics next year will be surreal after so many years on the air.

I think we hit bottom and were coming back, Hastings said of ski jumping. Its an incredibly unique sport, an individual sport in a team environment. Its a lot like life. Youre not competing against other people, youre competing alongside them. ... Its never going to be football or golf; it wouldnt be suited for that. But it will continue in pockets. Its a great sport for parents and kids.

Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.

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Soaring Into Immortality: Norwich Ski Jumper Enters Hall of Fame - Valley News

Rose Byrne, Oprah Winfrey.

Rose Byrne, Oprah Winfrey.

Rene Elise Goldsberry.

Rene Elise Goldsberry.

Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah Winfrey.

Henrietta Lacks story gains greater immortality in HBO film

The story of Henrietta Lacks and the long and ultimately successful campaign to identify her posthumous contributions to medical science is so emotionally compelling, it would take complete incompetence not to tell it well in a TV film.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the HBO film based on the book by Rebecca Skloot and airing Saturday, April 22, has been created with more than competent direction, writing and performances. Its an emotionally powerful film that does justice to Lacks, her legacy and her family.

When Lacks died in 1951 of cervical cancer, cells from her body were preserved by doctors at Johns Hopkins University Hospital and were found to have the ability to live and multiply outside the body. Labeled HeLa (from the first two letters of the decedents first and last names), they have been used ever since for medical research around the world. Yet Lacks descendants never received any compensation, even as companies and doctors profited from breakthroughs enabled by the HeLa cells.

The HBO film tells the story of how research by Skloot (Rose Byrne) for a book on Lacks led her to her family, including her daughter Deborah, who went by Dale. Dale is played to stunning perfection by Oprah Winfrey, who snapped up the rights to film Skloots book even before it was published.

Dale is a complicated and often cantankerous woman, and like other members of her family, naturally distrustful of a young white reporter asking questions about her mother. Only 2 when her mother died, Dale is desperate to know more about who her mother was, but she is given to mood swings, often certain that Skloot is looking to make a buck off Lacks story.

The campaign to find out what happened to Lacks takes Skloot and Dale to the tiny tobacco town of Clover, Va., where Henrietta Lacks lived, to the cemetery where she is buried in an unmarked grave, to the home of other family members, including Dales best friend and cousin, Sadie (Leslie Uggams). Piece by piece, the women put Lacks story together.

Throughout the film, written by director George C. Wolfe with Alexander Woo and Peter Landesman, moments of the past and the brief life of Lacks (Rene Elise Goldsberry) flash into view. As the film progresses, we learn more about Lacks and who she was, the revelations paralleling Dale and Skloots exhaustive, challenging search.

The performances are extraordinary on every level. In addition to Uggams, Goldsberry and Winfrey, the film boasts great work from Courtney B. Vance as an oily con man named Sir Lord Keenan Coefield; Rocky Carroll as Dales older brother, Sonny; and Reg E. Cathey as Zakariyya, Dales younger brother.

Byrnes Skloot feels more like a plot convenience than a three-dimensional character in the first half of the film, but she finds her footing after she and Dale learn to fully trust each other.

Henrietta Lacks achieved a kind of immortality after her death. But Skloots book and, now, this gripping film adaptation will ensure that the world knows who she was.

David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle and co-host of The Do List every Friday morning at 6:22 and 8:22 on KQED-FM, 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento. Follow him on Facebook. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @WaitWhat_TV

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Dramatic film. 8 p.m. Saturday, April 22, on HBO.

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Henrietta Lacks' story gains greater immortality in HBO film - SFGate