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>Chris, > >Q1: Why is it that everyone seems to think he is a comedian? >A: sorry I don't have a good answer. Me either -- boredom, I guess. Also, humor is where you find it. It seems everyone who took offense at my Top Ten missed the emot-icon at the end. That's one of these: ;-). A wink and a smile? Get it? Y'all might decompress *before* diving and loosen up a bit. I thought we were All having fun! >Q2: Why is it that so much bandwidth is wasted on cavers by cyber-divers? >A: They don't do any real diving so they have plenty of time to cyberdive. Why others cyber-dive more than actually dive varies greatly -- location, finances, other responsibilities, physical limitations, etc. For myself, I have way more time to cyber-dive than cave dive, and reduced my production work drastically during the past 2 yrs so that I can joyfully indulge myself in the privilege of staying home and playing Mr.Mom for my child. Fortunately this doesn't require a sex change too. ;-) Cyber-diving is a good antidote to the cabin fever that continuous child care induces. Try it -- child care, I mean -- you'll see. I usually don't say much on the net unless there's a chance to achieve some balance to ideas or statements that demand examination -- staements which otherwise would simply be accepted unquestioningly. I'm fairly sure this is common to most net participants. This is the same as *one component* of why giii uses the net so often -- and in some of his posts, he quite effectively addresses safety issues. But -- this medium, being democratic, has the characteristics and weaknesses of a democracy: unless different people participate, and offer contrasting ideas, it will inevitably succumb to the loudest/only voice -- which is not necessarily the truest. Result: only one view is ever heard, freedom is lost, the truth is lost, ignorance reigns. Not good. I'm sure you wouldn't advocate the concept that only *one individual* knows it all/has the truth? That's very shakey ground. > >Q3: Why is it that very few WKPP members post to cavers? >A: This is a corollary to the previous answer. Any one would *rather* dive than cyber-dive. But it would be very difficult, and a mistake, to generalize about WKPP members' reasons for net-reticence. I wouldn't. (You'd have to ask them individually.) > >Q4: Why is it that zero-tolerance for BS gets so many cyber-divers upset? >A: Cyber-diving is inherently BS-based. I'd agree with your answer -- if cyber-diving had no use. I'd say the net's BS-saturated and we all use it for off-gassing, achieveinging a very high form of net sport-flatulence. *Many* people learn from cyber-diving, are entertained by it. If there was no value in cyber-diving, then the diving forums would have lasted as long as the Scab-Picking and Nose-Picking Forums I started. Yet diving forums persist -- must have some value beyond BS. QED Also, it takes an informed, discriminating mind to recognize what is and isn't BS. Again, WKPP *diving* isn't BS -- no one says it is. >Q5: How could an unknown diver join WKPP in February '96 and already have > done 5 gas dives in Wakulla? >A: By keeping his eyes and ears open and his mouth shut and by working hard. > WKPP doesn't need comedians or know-nothings that think they know > everything. We are a team. There is no magic involved here. > This organization provides all the opportunity that could be desired to > anyone that has the brains and balls to take advantage of it. > I started out doing setup, i.e. placing bottles for other divers. > I am still doing setup, only now I am placing bottles 2200-2400' > back in A tunnel in Wakulla. Excellent! Congratulations! You are the envy of many divers around the world, myself included. BTW, there are superb, but ball-less, divers who'd disagree though, about some kind of testicular requirement -- it just raises their ire -- and as they say "a woman scorned...." Courage though -- but not the false one borne of inexperience and myopia -- is certainly a requisite for deep diving. Amazing, to you and I perhaps, is that for some people it takes courage to even swim. I don't fault them for the difference between us though. >Q6: Why would anyone want a gavin scooter? >A: See question 5. Want to dive Wakulla? Anyone would want a gavin scooter -- they're excellent by all accounts. Who have you seen poo-poo them? Hell, Wak2 is interested and hasn't found/made anything better yet (don't count 'em out tho'). BTW, you *can* dive Wakulla without any scooter -- people have. You ought to talk to a friend of mine -- he dived Wakulla in 1958 -- on air, *without* redundancy of anything,and no SPG, depth gauge, water-proof watch, or wet suit.( What a weenie explorer, eh? [BIG wink]) >Q7: Why aren't there more people trying to join WKPP? >A: I can't imagine any satisfactory answer. I guess it is easier to > criticize that to do. Perhaps the thought of diving at 300' scares > the hell out of the cyber-divers. Perhaps the cyber-divers really do > know their limitations? Yes, it's easier to criticize than do -- still looking for a rebreather patent, or any working C2 design from giii. How do you like Bill Clinton? I thought so -- so, why aren't you running for president? See what I mean? Gavin's been there and done it with rebreathers, we all know that. But I'm not sure that the military wants, or ever asked him for, a rig that does what the cis-lunar does -- the cis-lunar's a bit outside the military's application requirements, I believe, but I don't know for sure. I'd like to ask Bill G. about that but I don't know him well enough and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't bother answering a stroke like me anyway. As for being frightened by cave dives at 300 ft. -- hell yes, that's very scary to me and anyone with any common sense. If it's not to you, then you're missing something. And that's *really* scary. Any divers who do really know their limitations, and stay within them, ought to be congratulated -- those that don't -- ought to have a good insurance policy. I don't make dives to 300ft. because of my limitations. And I don't criticize the diving of those who can do it -- I admire them -- for their diving at least -- and I question the "how" all the time, because they amaze me. >Q8: Why am I wasting my time posting this instead of mixing gas for a > dive this weekend? >A: My gas is already mixed. I'm ready to rock and roll. Excellent! Thanks for the exchange of ideas! Enjoy your scooter, your Tally power-cave dives, and your comrades in WKPP: the best in the world. Sincerely, Christopher A. Brown Sci-Graphica PR and DOCENT FILMS The Technical Diving Video Library (TDVL) (N.Am. & Canada): 1-800-373-7222 Outside US:904-942-7222 Fax:904-942-1240 Life is short -- this is not a rehearsal.
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