Herd of Cats

So, the AI "chatGPT" is all the rage. You give it an instruction, and it does spectacularly:

Me: Write a long Reddit post about the lack of duck soup at a restaurant

ChatGPT responds:

I recently went to a restaurant that I have been to many times before and was disappointed to find that they no longer had duck soup on their menu. This was a dish that I always looked forward to whenever I visited this particular restaurant and I was really disappointed to find out that it was no longer available. Read more

The one where we play a game. Read more

The one where we poop.

Sit down for this one, we are going to have a crap-load of fun! In many of my previous stories I referred to marine toilets as both an operational mystery and the first step in sinking a boat. Read more

The one where we take stock.

So, over a year ago, I gave myself just 2 years to learn how to sail, and be ready to spend the 2022-2023 winter season sailing a boat in the Caribbean. That was a tall order.

What have we done since the start of the series.

- We took a Sailing Basics class
- We went sailing on lake near home about 12 times
- We passed our VHF certification
- We took a Basic Navigation class
- I took a Intermediate Navigation class
- We took a Intermediate Crew class
- We took a Intermediate Sailing and Bareboat Chartering class Read more

Microsoft Gaming welcomes the Incredible Teams and Legendary Franchises of Activision Blizzard

So Call of Duty just became an Xbox exclusive...

Not to mention Overwatch, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and, oh yeah, Guitar Hero.

More details on the Xbox Wire.

The one where we take a vacation.

For the past year, I have been planning on getting my International Yacht Training certificate. We knew that we needed that knowledge before we even started piloting our own boat this summer. That meant a fall or winter period. To the South, baby! Read more

I haven't been in the weekly gaming sessions, nor have I posted my regular column, because ...

...

I bought a boat.

... and it needs work.

Yeah, I bought it 2 years in advance of my "plan". The shipyard is 1.5 hours away from home, and the commute is killing me. It doesn't leave much time for anything else, and I am also teaching a navigation class on Wednesday nights. I should be coming up for air next week, so I hope to join up to get my ass fragged as usual.

The one where we count the cash.

So, how expensive is it to own a yacht ? How much does it cost per month to live on board your boat and enjoy the cruising life ? Do I need to crack open my piggy bank ?

Well, it's almost like buying a house, and we all know how relaxing on the bank account that can be... Like a house, there are two parts to ownership: upfront costs (or "buying") and recurrent costs (or "maintaining"). Let's look at each one.

Upfront costs, or "What am I getting myself into??"

The upfront costs can be divided into a few categories: Read more

The one where I get more Zoom time in my life.

I already detailed that my wife and I received our Basic Cruising certification. That simply permits us to rent boats at marinas for the day. It's just enough knowledge to piss off the regulars when we head out and completely forget who has right-of-way out of the marina. Read more

I totally get where the Russian cat is coming from

Via somewhere on Reddit

The one where we drift towards the rocks. Read more

The one where I finally send out email.

Communication on the oceans and large bodies of water require some planning. If you are within sight of the shore, chances are that you will be able to reach a cell phone tower. You may need an extra cell antenna near the top of your mast, to extend your range. If you are not within reach of a cell tower, you may be within reach of another Ham operator; that's when VHF, HF, and satellites comes in.

Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) Read more

I have had this conversation with Pwn Call

And, quite obviously, he was the beacon of joy.

The one where I spam the airwaves. Read more

It was all I could think of once I saw the Suez Canal footage break.