Billionaire Boys Cup (America's Cup 2003)

morpheus 2001 writes "Wired has a story on the fight to win the America's Cup 2003, a sailing race held every 3 years. The story carries the title 'Billionaire Boys Cup', referring to both the competitors and the millions of dollars that it now takes to field a team. This time around the two US teams pit Craig McCaw and Larry Ellison against each other using their respective technological prowess to beat each other and the rest of the world. The story mentions that all of the teams competing will drop collectively over $700 million, with $30 - 40 million to be spent on R&D (per team) alone. The story gives an excellent description of how the use of technology and massive databases work in concert to give a team an edge of mere seconds, which can be the difference between winning and losing a race."

Comments

Unbreakable

[egileye]

If Ellison's boat has any incidents, will he still be able to claim that it's "Unbreakable"?

Re:Not to troll, but...

[Yokaze]

* Because geeks (in my case at least) have interests outside computers

There has once been a time, where one was despised as geek for ones intelectual dedication to a special field, instead of been admired as an ego-shooter playing computer "specialist".

But I have to admit, we are certainly on a critical ground here. Sports is involved. But as long as we don't discuss the results, we should be save.

* Because Larry Ellison is involved

Please enlighten me, what is geeky about Larry Ellison.
He is a MBA and CEO and surely has many other TLA.
Hopefully, it has nothing to do with Oracle.
Personally, I find DBs the ungeekiest computer related theme besides Office-Suites, and Barbie Comuter Games.
(Although, I'm not entirely sure about the last one... shudder)
Is there anything more opposing to a geek than a buisness man, expect perhaps a marketing guy ...or the fair sex.

Re:How about...

[BitGeek]

Instead of whining about other's hobbies, why arent' YOU doing these things?

Anyway, there are more people with more money racing to cure HIV than there are entering americas cup. Sheesh.

Likewise alternative energy.

As to feeding starving people or giving money to schools, people give copious food to the point that nobody starves in the US (unless they are unable to find a food bank.. where I live there are 6 foodbanks that would all give me enough food to survive on for free).... and after having so much of our income taken by gunpoint to pay for pointless schools, who wants to give more?

I oppose the US school system. Its a waste of money, doesn't work, and is paid for with theft. ITs time to get rid of it and let people who know how to educate compete with each other for the parent's money to educate their kids. Those who can't afford it can get scholarships and other charity... just like anyone who applies themselves can go to college these days. If there was any social benefit to schooling, its long gone. Up in smoke of the bureaucracy and corruption that all such communist endeavors create.