EFTA00749187.pdf

From: "Charles L. Harper Jr." < To: Jeffrey Epstein <[email protected]> Subject: Re-send of key update Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:49:14 +0000 Hi Jeffrey, Let me know if/ when you would like to discuss the note below. (& Would you like me to send you an overview report on the "names" suggested by Seth Lloyd and Scott Aaronson?) Allbest, Charles Harper Forwarded message From: Charles L. Harper Jr.. Date: Sat, May 29, 2010 at 8:12 AM Subject: Re: To: Jeffrey Epstein <[email protected]> Hi Jeffrey, Great to hear from you. I was just up at MIT this week and met with Seth Lloyd (on Wednesday) and Scott Aaronson (on Thursday) on the "Cryptography in Nature" small research conference project. These interactions were fantastic. Both think the topic is wonderful and innovative and has promise. In fact I was somewhat astonished by their enthusiasm and the depth of adventure they see in the topic. The situation is very good. I now have a list of great names (about 25) including a number of names of young scholars selected for extraordinary future promise. The problem will be to narrow down the list to the 8 pr 10 we want. I did contact Max Tegmark about a month ago to propse the essay contest approach we discussed. He and his colleagues offered support but did not think that FQX should do it. Reasons they gave were that they saw the topic as too narrow and too technical compared to the essay contests they have been doing. It is possible that the real reason was prudence to avoid FQX, already quite "controversial" via Templeton support to become even more so via Epstein-related sponsorship of prizes. If so, I think they their perspective is not unreasonable in view of their agenda to build relationships with other donors, though ironically what you and I are working on would develop a nice topically-rich and deep program linkage with another major donor. My general advice in this matter is that we should build a relationship slowly and build trust. Seth has suggested Max as a key person to invite to the meeting. So basically just this week I have been able to get the key information needed to set the invitations. I am now at Princeton for 4 days but not in an academic capacity. My daughter Becky will EFTA00749187 graduate in Astrophysics and I am attending my 30th reuinion and my wife's father, James Billington (the Librarian of Congress) is attending his 60th. Within two weeks I can put together an annotated "final" long list of potential invitees for you to select from. Since we would not do an essay contest via FQX, the organizing cycle can be faster to do the meeting. I hope you are doing well and look forward to planning a worthwhile event with you. Again, I am delighted to have gotten such very string affirmation, input and scientific enthusiasm from both Seth and Scott. You have very brilliantly suggested a profound topical focus area. Super!! Allbest, Charles Harper EFTA00749188