AI - second life - Tokelau - official NSA Chatters flag - candies - kim-chic - UPS - FedEx - pirates - LASIK - floss

[9/13/2007 1:11:45 PM] pD says: speaking of AI: Artificial intelligences could soon be living and

learning inside online worlds such as Second Life.

[9/13/2007 1:11:54 PM] pD says: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6992613.stm

[9/13/2007 2:43:45 PM] nsy says: yep - there was a lot of talk about Second Life at the singularity conference. there are a lot of funding companies throwing money at programmers to create better virtual reality.

[9/13/2007 3:19:10 PM] pD says: have you been on Second Life, I have heard so much about it but i also do not find enough motivation to go there

[9/13/2007 3:19:24 PM] pD says: seems to be just a fancy D&D site...

[9/13/2007 3:34:59 PM] nsy says: i have a gamer friend that said its not worth the effort, so i trust her.

[9/13/2007 4:11:17 PM] pD says: i hear you

[9/13/2007 4:11:42 PM] pD says: the only thing about Second Life that piqued my interests was the fact that they too have a monetary policy/central bank

[9/13/2007 4:11:58 PM] pD says: the reason being that the local currency (linden?) can be converted into US$

[9/13/2007 4:12:08 PM] pD says: so, it is important for them to maintain some level of stable exchange rate

[9/13/2007 4:12:17 PM] pD says: so, on that basis, I have been fascinated by Second Life

[9/13/2007 4:12:35 PM] pD says: avatars and other stuff - just seem so "trivial"...

[9/13/2007 4:12:44 PM] pD says: but, i am not a gamer, so i am probably the wrong person

[9/13/2007 4:24:12 PM] nsy says: it reminds me of the ender's game books where the computer program used to train military students becomes self-aware. the first AI of sorts

[9/13/2007 4:24:47 PM] pD says: central banking based on AI?

[9/13/2007 4:25:07 PM] pD says: that is an intriguing idea but some would probably argue that it will do a better job than human central bankers...

[9/13/2007 4:25:20 PM] nsy says: no, just the Second Life thing

[9/13/2007 4:25:48 PM] nsy says: yeah, humans make mistakes.

[9/13/2007 4:30:33 PM] pD says: but, that makes life interesting. human mistakes

[9/13/2007 4:31:00 PM] pD says: the other problem with AI as the central banker is that the audience is still human. so the impulse would be to hack the system to gain an advantage

[9/13/2007 4:31:10 PM] nsy says: yes, i agree on that one. i make a lot of mistakes, and things have been pretty interesting so far

[9/13/2007 4:31:29 PM] pD says: or, somehow reverse engineer the logics to build a parallel box which makes the AI goal unattainable over the long term

[9/13/2007 4:34:05 PM] nsy says: a parallel box you say?

[9/13/2007 4:34:15 PM] nsy says: hmm

[9/13/2007 4:36:16 PM] nsy says: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6927775.html

[9/14/2007 1:45:50 PM] pD says: An atoll in the South Pacific has come up with a novel way of making money via its domain name .TK.

Tokelau may only have 1,500 inhabitants and be a two-day boat trip from its nearest neighbor but selling its .TK domain is reaping benefits: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6991719.stm

[9/14/2007 1:45:54 PM] pD says: looks win-win to me

[9/14/2007 1:46:17 PM] pD says: i wonder what are the definitions for assigning country level domain names.

[9/14/2007 1:46:31 PM] pD says: for example, can i declare a new country in order to get a domain?

[9/14/2007 8:56:15 PM] pD says: finally caught up somewhat with NSA Chatters postings

[9/14/2007 8:56:26 PM] pD says: one more to go. hope to get to it in the next few days...

[9/14/2007 8:56:55 PM] pD says: gotta go watch the 5 episode of TNG season I

[9/17/2007 11:37:56 AM] pD says: man! i would kill for one of 'em green korean tea candy about right now...

[9/17/2007 2:32:37 PM] pD says: a question on Windows OS

[9/17/2007 2:32:55 PM] pD says: what is the function that allows me to adjust if the icons on the desktop will auto-align?

[9/17/2007 2:33:06 PM] pD says: i want to turn that darn thing off, but cannot find how to do it

[9/17/2007 2:33:08 PM] pD says: thanks

[9/18/2007 6:58:54 AM] nsy says: there's only about a handful of them left!

[9/18/2007 9:23:42 AM] pD says: end of the world as we know it...

[9/18/2007 9:25:13 AM] nsy says: if i could read any of that, i could probably find them online. only if pD were here...

[9/18/2007 9:29:36 AM] pD says: the wrapper? you mean

[9/18/2007 9:29:46 AM] pD says: well, they are korean, so cannot help you on that

[9/18/2007 9:30:11 AM] pD says: speaking of which, i always thought it odd that why would a SG outfit send over stuff that is made in korean

[9/18/2007 9:30:26 AM] pD says: nothing wrong with it, just a bit unexpected

[9/18/2007 9:30:41 AM] pD says: unless, of course, that candy was/is the rage in asia right now

[9/18/2007 9:30:54 AM] pD says: who knew, we were hip once!

[9/18/2007 11:13:48 AM] nsy says: i only know "Annyong haseyo?" - it gets a smile in Korea town

[9/18/2007 11:14:20 AM] nsy says: http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Language/korean.cfm?Subject=basic

[9/18/2007 11:15:04 AM] pD says: you are way ahead of me as it is

[9/18/2007 11:15:16 AM] pD says: korean has been pretty hip for the past 5-10 years in Asia

[9/18/2007 11:15:27 AM] nsy says: wow, i had no idea

[9/18/2007 11:15:47 AM] pD says: there is even a term for it "kim-hip" after the most common korean food "kim-chi"

[9/18/2007 11:16:01 AM] pD says: "kim-chic", i meant to say

[9/18/2007 11:16:04 AM] nsy says: mmm kim-chi

[9/18/2007 11:16:23 AM] nsy says: no way! that’s hilarious

[9/18/2007 11:16:50 AM] nsy says: why did it become hip, i wonder?

[9/18/2007 11:17:24 AM] nsy says: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/56897_pac04.shtml

[9/18/2007 11:19:15 AM] pD says: i have my theories - how Korean got to be so chic. suffices to say, a good deal of cosmetic surgeries are involved

[9/18/2007 11:23:42 AM] nsy says: my only experience with Korean culture is through a Korean-Italian ex of mine. the food was great, but his mother refused to be seen in public with me because I wore jeans and t-shirts. she said i looked like a slob.

[9/18/2007 11:24:11 AM] nsy says: and the plastic surgery - yikes.

[9/18/2007 11:26:07 AM] nsy says: then, i helped her daughter with her homework, and she dragged me to "fashion Island" on Orange County to buy me some clothes to wear so we could go to dinner. hahaha

[9/18/2007 11:27:38 AM] nsy says: i always just thought it was an orange county thing, not necessarily a Korean thing, though

[9/18/2007 12:28:08 PM] pD says: the slob part or the plastic surgery part?

[9/18/2007 1:21:50 PM] pD says: Small Collectors

Encouraged by wealthy, art-loving parents, children are collecting Warhols and even Rembrandts. Kelly Crow on their kid-centered tastes, 'art allowances' and why auction paddles aren't toys. - http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB118971801238026797-lMyQjAxMDE3ODE5NDcxMTQ4Wj.html

[9/18/2007 1:22:09 PM] pD says: pretty amazing! i would hate to be Dakota's first boyfriend...

[9/19/2007 12:39:58 PM] pD says: is UPS a good stock to buy? this morning i saw about 14-15 UPS truck within 20 minutes. and, only about 3-4 FedEx trucks...

[9/19/2007 3:47:27 PM] nsy says: maybe you were close to the UPS distribution center?

[9/19/2007 3:47:53 PM] pD says: on 237? it was a busy highway

[9/19/2007 3:48:14 PM] pD says: howdy! good to hear from you. was feeling a bit neglected

[9/19/2007 3:48:22 PM] pD says: gotta keep the chatters going

[9/19/2007 3:48:28 PM] pD says: busy with end of quarter?

[9/19/2007 3:49:51 PM] nsy says: yeah - its been crazy lately, but we're hangin' in there! how’s your new digs?

[9/19/2007 3:50:46 PM] pD says: busy

[9/19/2007 3:50:57 PM] pD says: building up a marketing operation is hard work...

[9/19/2007 3:51:48 PM] nsy says: i can only imagine

[9/19/2007 3:53:14 PM] nsy says: why not buy both fedex and UPS?

[9/19/2007 3:54:49 PM] pD says: well, there is only so much money, so i am all for chasing the one with good prospect

[9/19/2007 3:55:14 PM] pD says: actually, in reality, fedex is pretty late in their ground service vis-a-vis UPS, so that may partly explain what i was seeing

[9/19/2007 3:55:26 PM] pD says: it was just a bit freaky seeing one UPS after another in that short space

[9/19/2007 3:57:00 PM] nsy says: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F31P0_kgEic



[9/19/2007 3:58:27 PM] nsy says: Yes. that’s right...."International Talk Like A Pirate Day" is every Sept 19th

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

JB...I took liberty to provide you with TLAP Day pickup lines. Use them wisely.

10 . Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?
9. Have ya ever met a man with a real yardarm?
8. Come on up and see me urchins.
7. Yes, that is a hornpipe in my pocket and I am happy to see you.
6. I'd love to drop anchor in your lagoon.
5. Pardon me, but would ya mind if fired me cannon through your porthole?
4. How'd you like to scrape the barnacles off of me rudder?
3. Ya know, darlin', I'm 97 percent chum free.
2. Well blow me down?

And the number one pickup line for use on International Talk Like a Pirate Day is ...
1. Prepare to be boarded.

[9/19/2007 4:03:44 PM] pD says: hahahah!

[9/19/2007 4:04:02 PM] pD says: (waving my pirate pom-poms while rolling on the floor)

[9/19/2007 4:07:13 PM] nsy says: on that note - we'll talk to you tomorrow! Aaargh!

[9/19/2007 4:07:49 PM] pD says: prepare to be de-boarded.

[9/19/2007 4:07:57 PM] pD says: aye, aye!

[1:21:07 PM] pD says: how is the LASIK thing coming along? do you have x-ray vision now?

[1:21:16 PM] pD says: thought you should be totally healed by now

[1:30:14 PM] nsy says: yep - i'm 20/20 as of my last appointment! woo hoo!

[1:30:50 PM] pD says: so, you cannot even avoid booga-man even you wanted to - with clear vision

[1:31:07 PM] pD says: BTW, AE just changed his icon.

[1:31:09 PM] pD says: what gives?

[1:44:35 PM] AE says: Hi pD!

[1:45:00 PM] AE says: we need a mailing address for you. (we're sending you a care package)

[1:45:13 PM] AE says: and the icon is to celebrate the new shades.

[2:04:11 PM] pD says: new shades?

[2:04:21 PM] pD says: what's in the care package

[3:27:36 PM] AE says: part of my new SteamPunk look, I purchased some old welding goggles on Ebay.

[3:27:58 PM] AE says: The care package contains most of the remaining GreenTea candies. You were mentioning that you missed them.

[3:28:32 PM] pD says: can you also send me the small dental floss packs on my top drawer, i think i forgot to take them...

[3:30:24 PM] AE says: sure I'll look to see if they're still there.

[3:30:35 PM] AE says: you'll need them with the candies, i'm sure...

chairman mao - Lenin - short timer - resignation - benevolent illustrious boss - lunch - signal booster - linksys - LASIK - porn as a technology drive

[8/22/2007 10:01:20 AM] pD says: howdy, everyone

[8/22/2007 10:01:42 AM] pD says: nsy, did you have a chance to offload those chairman mao and leninade pix?

[8/22/2007 11:20:56 AM] nsy says: not yet, sorry. Does anyone know how to move files from the PDA to the PC? I can't email out from my PDA since we switched to google mail because my PDA won't allow me to specify an outbound port. i have a USB cable, so I probably just need to specify a new connection - just haven't had time since yesterday.

[8/22/2007 11:22:15 AM] pD says: whenever you have a chance. it is not urgent - but it sure was cool!

[8/22/2007 11:22:38 AM] pD says: and can make AE jealous for missing out on the comrade action

[8/22/2007 11:24:59 AM] *** pD has changed the chat topic to "official short timer"

***

[8/22/2007 11:25:18 AM] pD says: btw, i have officially tendered my resignation

[8/22/2007 11:25:23 AM] AE says: WHAT?

[8/22/2007 11:25:27 AM] pD says: have not figured out my last day yet

[8/22/2007 11:25:29 AM] nsy says: waaaah!

[8/22/2007 11:25:32 AM] pD says: probably Friday

[8/22/2007 11:25:37 AM] AE says: WHAT?

[8/22/2007 11:25:42 AM] nsy says: agh! thats so soon!

[8/22/2007 11:25:47 AM] AE says: where?

[8/22/2007 11:26:43 AM] pD says: well, the benevolent illustrious boss wants to take a short vacation over labor day, so we decided to shifted it up to miss the crowd

[8/22/2007 11:26:57 AM] pD says: i may come in next week - on an as needed basis

[8/22/2007 11:27:07 AM] pD says: and, i would need a few days to catch up on a lot of personal stuff

[8/22/2007 11:27:20 AM] pD says: my investment is in a bit of a mess right now with the current market volatility

[8/22/2007 11:27:38 AM] pD says: well, i am contemplating several offers, so i have not fully decided.

[8/22/2007 11:27:49 AM] AE says: you will be missed. :(

[8/22/2007 11:28:03 AM] pD says: but, it probably will be another startup who is in desperate need of marketing

[8/22/2007 11:28:15 AM] pD is looking for more pain...

[8/22/2007 11:28:23 AM] pD says: oh, i will miss working with you guys too

[8/22/2007 11:28:37 AM] pD says: but, i hope this does not mean that we cannot continue NSA Chatters

[8/22/2007 11:29:14 AM] nsy says: we definitely have to continue NSA Chatters!

[8/22/2007 11:29:40 AM] pD says: because the world needs all the subversions that it can get

[8/22/2007 11:32:06 AM] AE says: gotta go. Back in a bit.

[8/22/2007 11:34:35 AM] nsy says: yes, we can't deprive the world of this caliber insight

[8/22/2007 11:34:56 AM] nsy says: do you know if you will still be in the area so we can go to lunch?

[8/22/2007 11:55:03 AM] pD says: i will be in this area - if you guys are willing to drive a bit, would love to meet up for lunch and stuff

[8/22/2007 5:57:07 PM] nsy says: we definitely need to continue the lunch tradition.

[8/23/2007 9:41:30 AM] pD says: we will work something out

[8/23/2007 10:11:41 AM] pD says: btw, nsy, are you coming into the PA office today? i think we are heading out for fish tacos

[8/23/2007 10:37:03 AM] nsy says: ooh, fish tacos!

[8/23/2007 11:25:39 AM] pD says: chairman mao pix?

[8/23/2007 11:25:57 AM] pD was known as a bulldog who never gave up in a prior incarnation...

[8/23/2007 11:34:27 AM] nsy says: i guess i have to install activesync on my PC to get the pictures without emailing them... give me a few minutes here.

[8/23/2007 11:48:38 AM] pD says: darn Microsoft!

[8/23/2007 12:08:12 PM] pD says: got a question on my linksys range expander

[8/23/2007 12:08:28 PM] pD says: specifically it was pulled off the plug and chewed on by an one year old

[8/23/2007 12:08:38 PM] pD says: well, actually i do not see any visible damage

[8/23/2007 12:08:48 PM] pD says: but, when it plug it back in, the light does not turn on

[8/23/2007 12:08:57 PM] pD says: i tried to re-set and use the auto configure button

[8/23/2007 12:08:58 PM] pD says: nothing

[8/23/2007 12:09:10 PM] pD says: any suggestion on what i can do to check either it is still working

[8/23/2007 12:09:15 PM] pD says: or i should just buy a new one?

[8/23/2007 1:12:38 PM] nsy says: are you saying there is no power, or are we talking about a different light?

[8/23/2007 1:13:20 PM] pD says: it does not turn on

[8/23/2007 1:13:53 PM] pD says: i do not have a mobile/wifi device to check if it is still functioning just the indicator light not blinking or it is completely kaput

[8/23/2007 1:14:55 PM] nsy says: the power cord could need to be replaced, or the LED might have gone bad. test if its just the light by trying to connect. if nothing, try another power cord.

[8/23/2007 1:15:21 PM] nsy says: why do you need it if you do not have any wifi devices?

[8/23/2007 1:15:31 PM] pD says: since it is a wifi signal booster, what do i connect it to?

[8/23/2007 1:15:51 PM] nsy says: the wireless router

[8/23/2007 1:19:18 PM] nsy says: it would just be used to boost the wireless signal from the source to places the signal might not reach, or might be weaker.

[8/23/2007 1:27:09 PM] nsy says: http://consumerist.com/consumer/wifi/how-to-build-your-own-wifi-signal-booster-252419.php

[8/23/2007 2:56:31 PM] nsy says: ooh, you can stay a night in the bat cave in the buenos aires hilton: http://www.travellady.com/Issues/August05/1803BatCave.htm

[8/23/2007 3:40:42 PM] pD says: are you coming in tomorrow?

[8/23/2007 3:41:08 PM] nsy says: i wasn't planning on it. are you here next week?

[8/23/2007 3:41:21 PM] pD says: tomorrow is my last day in the office

[8/23/2007 3:41:31 PM] pD says: i will be around tomorrow Mon-Wed

[8/23/2007 3:41:36 PM] nsy says: agh! thats too soon!

[8/23/2007 3:41:49 PM] pD says: we will do a little trip with the labor day weekend

[8/23/2007 3:42:37 PM] pD says: btw, i am still confused about the wifi range booster thing, can i come over to talk, or do you want to swing by?

[8/23/2007 3:42:50 PM] nsy says: well, since AE is missing out too, we will all have to go out to lunch - maybe monday the 11th?

[8/23/2007 3:42:55 PM] nsy says: sure come on down!

[8/23/2007 3:43:11 PM] nsy says: or i can come over - really all the same to me

[8/23/2007 3:45:31 PM] nsy says: i would come in, but i'm having lasik at 3:40

[8/23/2007 4:02:12 PM] pD says: nsy, that was a very helpful, at least i do not feel like an idiot

[8/23/2007 4:02:13 PM] pD says: for now

[8/23/2007 4:02:15 PM] pD says: Linksys Wireless - G Range Expander Mod: WRE54G

[8/23/2007 4:03:29 PM] pD says: so, you are getting your eyes fixed tomorrow

[8/23/2007 4:03:32 PM] pD says: that is exciting

[8/23/2007 4:03:39 PM] pD says: one eye or both?

[8/23/2007 4:04:46 PM] nsy says: both at the same time, they have a viewing room so your friends can watch, and you can get video

[8/23/2007 4:05:29 PM] nsy says: http://www.furlongvision.com/

[8/23/2007 4:06:10 PM] nsy says: custom lasik http://www.furlongvision.com/customLASIK.html

[8/23/2007 4:09:59 PM] nsy says: check out appendix G of the user guide here: it says you have a 3 year warranty: http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1130267578138&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper

[8/23/2007 4:11:44 PM] nsy says: chapter 3 says that the LED will light red when not connected, so it looks like it should be on even when its not working. i'm guessing defect

[8/23/2007 4:38:19 PM] pD says: video of eyes being cut open - that is so cool! You should get it and post it on YouTube - so we can refer to it on this blog

[8/23/2007 4:38:28 PM] pD will never make a good doctor

[8/23/2007 4:42:14 PM] pD sent files "leninade.JPG", "mao.JPG" to members of this chat

[8/23/2007 4:42:35 PM] pD says: AE, btw

[8/23/2007 4:42:43 PM] pD says: this is what you missed by running

[8/23/2007 4:43:00 PM] pD says: chairman mao as a pop symbol and Leninade - another pop symbol

[8/23/2007 4:43:13 PM] pD says: i think (and hope) that they are rolling in their graves furiously

[8/23/2007 4:43:22 PM] pD says: say, maybe we can generate some electricity that way...

[8/23/2007 4:47:52 PM] nsy says: those turned out great! thanks :)

[8/23/2007 5:11:44 PM] pD says: love our NSA Chatters ranking

[8/23/2007 5:12:04 PM] pD says: i think it says more about human nature on the net than the actual content of the net

[8/23/2007 5:13:34 PM] nsy says: LOL! of course it grabs the one topic with the word "porn" in it.

[8/23/2007 5:14:09 PM] pD says: porn and VC, the two deadly combination that has been propelling technology since before the beginning

[8/23/2007 5:14:23 PM] pD says: i think i am heading out

[8/23/2007 5:14:38 PM] pD says: since you will have your Lasik tomorrow, I assume i am on my own

[8/23/2007 5:15:01 PM] pD says: cannot wait to hear about your lasik stories

[8/23/2007 5:15:29 PM] pD says: i will also ping you guys from my personal skype

[8/23/2007 5:15:43 PM] pD says: and we shall continue the conversation yet

[8/23/2007 5:16:17 PM] nsy says: indeed. you will be sorely missed around here. i still can't believe i won’t see you sitting over there. it's already hard enough to make the trip, but now... . (boo hoo!)

[8/23/2007 5:16:35 PM] nsy says: at least we still have lunches and NSA Chatters!`

[8/23/2007 5:16:43 PM] pD says: note to self, draw another booga-man for nsy

[8/23/2007 5:16:52 PM] nsy says: exactly!

===

NSA Chatters crew

CSA - economist magazine - hinckley yachts - LASIK - Peterson 33 - ships - yachts

[9:36:44 AM] AE says: here's the link I was showing nsy: http://www.hydroptere.com/

[9:36:51 AM] AE says: Our new pirate ship!

[9:50:06 AM] nsy says: terry my carpool buddy works with the guy that started this: www.3VotesADay.Org

[9:50:59 AM] AE says: cool! I've been looking into the whole local/organic debate. Which is better for the planet in the long run and all that.

[9:51:37 AM] AE says: we're lucky enough in Santa Cruz that we can get local organic produce (Dirty Girl farms in Pajaro Valley for instance).

[9:51:55 AM] AE says: but for other people, you can only get organic if it's trucked in from far away.

[9:52:49 AM] AE says: I think reverting back to local CSA is good... but we're going to run into the problem of economy of scale that originally let to the growth of agricultural industry that lead to the current farming situation.

[9:53:20 AM] AE says: which, btw, is washing tons of chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) down the Mississippi and into the gulf.

[9:53:41 AM] AE says: have you heard of the oxygen depletion problem that's occurring there?

[9:54:28 AM] AE says: http://www.csc.noaa.gov/products/gulfmex/html/rabalais.htm

[10:16:38 AM] pD says: hi guys, busy. 'tis Monday

[10:16:54 AM] AE says: zzzzz .... *snort* wha?

[10:17:06 AM] AE says: nope. actually pretty calm.

[10:17:38 AM] pD says: On AE's question, the Economist had an in-depth analysis a few months back. and, the long and short of it is that it was more of a style/choice than any discernable environment impact - mostly due to transporting produce

[10:17:57 AM] pD says: i will try to find the article 'cause it was quite controversial when it came out. later tho

[10:17:59 AM] AE slowly killing pD with another print out

[10:18:12 AM] AE says: Time also carried an article about it.

[12:00:07 PM] nsy says: I may be getting custom lasik soon: http://www.furlongvision.com/customLASIK.html aberrometers are cool! http://www.furlongvision.com/advanced_technology.html

[12:07:10 PM] pD says: very cool! nsy is going to be a true bionic soon

[1:07:30 PM] pD says: fake steve jobs! i did not know until he has been ID'd, so slow i am: http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/08/05/fsj-blog-apple-biz-media-cx_pm_0805fsj.html?partner=rss

[1:12:43 PM] pD says: some spoof pix of Bill and Steve: http://captions-fakesteve.blogspot.com/

[1:20:47 PM] pD says: hydroptere: that is pretty cool. bi-tri-cat design is pretty fast. in yacht racing, they have their own class. the issue with the x-cat design has to do with stability. the traditional monohull design is self-centering, if properly done. But, when a cat flips, it stays flipped

[1:21:47 PM] pD says: so, x-cat design tends to be for near shore usage instead of transoceanic - too high of a risk.

[1:22:03 PM] pD worked in the yacht building industry in a prior incarnation

[1:23:31 PM] pD says: this is the economist article I was talking about: http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8380592

[1:24:01 PM] pD says: i consider economist as authoritative, so, not going to argue over the numbers

[1:24:25 PM] pD says: what is missing, for me, is that I buy organic and local because it tastes damned good

[1:25:07 PM] pD says: secondarily, just like nuclear power, i can appreciate all the safety measures and trade-off intellectually, but at the gut level, organic makes so much more sense

[1:43:44 PM] nsy says: wow, what did you do for the yacht building industry. i almost ended up there myself.

[1:46:01 PM] pD says: i was in sales/business development - they needed somebody who is not afraid to talk with super-rich clients

[1:46:02 PM] nsy says: when the startup i worked at (lutris technologies) went under, i decided to go back to school like so many other tech orphans. it was a close race between computer science and Naval architecture and marine engineering at UNO

[1:46:48 PM] pD says: so, what made you decide on CS?

[1:46:58 PM] pD says: what kind of boat did you want to design?

[1:47:04 PM] nsy says: cool! i interviewed the owner of santa cruz yachts to figure out what direction to take, but eventually chose cosci (obviously)

[1:47:20 PM] pD says: Y's dad was a ship designer

[1:47:32 PM] pD says: what kind of boats do SC Yachts make?

[1:48:18 PM] pD says: i had a good relationship with Hinckley back then, they make beautiful boats

[1:48:35 PM] nsy says: hm... i couldn't afford to go to university right away, and there are no community colleges that offer a 2-yr degree that transfers to UNO. i decided that i better do something more universally useful for my first degree, then if i was still interested, i'd get a graduate degree in marine architecture

[1:48:51 PM] pD says: i especially like their picnic boat - cannot afford them, but that is the boat i would buy, if i ever have too much money to blow: http://www.hinckleyyachts.com/

[1:50:18 PM] nsy says: i wanted to make one-handed boats fit for circumnavigation, or just a business idea like the now defunct shoe site customatix.com for boats - total custom design online, then mfr and ship. including interiors

[1:51:47 PM] nsy says: i inherited my father's 32ft Peterson racing sloop, and i was trying to fix it up, but i ran out of funds, and sold it on ebay. one day i'll hopefully have another, but its nice when it's someone else's financial headache, and you can just pitch in.

[1:54:39 PM] pD says: yeah, boats ain't cheap to keep - like wine making, the best way to be a millionaire is to start with 10 millions

[1:55:06 PM] nsy says: exactly.

[1:55:16 PM] nsy says: money begets money

[1:56:33 PM] nsy says: http://sailingworld.com/article.jsp?typeID=398&catID=608&ID=200801

[2:01:55 PM] nsy says: this is pretty much the same sloop I had, but it was white

[2:01:59 PM] nsy says: http://asianyachting.com/boats/Peterson33.htm

[2:02:53 PM] pD says: well, in this case, you start with 10mm and get down to 1mm...

[2:20:51 PM] pD says: i do not believe they make thes yachts any more. shame too, they are beautiful - http://www.yachtworld.com/annapolissailyard/annapolissailyard_5.html

[2:55:56 PM] nsy says: wow, that's a nice boat. it has a lot of the features i would like to incorporate into my design, but i'm not sure how i feel about the foremast. maybe i just don’t know much about it yet.

[2:58:22 PM] nsy says: rigs 101 for boat newbies: http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~elfox/types.html

[3:15:33 PM] pD says: boats are interesting, a whole different set of language onto itself

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NSA Chatters crew