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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."
thought i had a fp for a second.
love is sex sex is sin, sins are forgiven, so lets begin.
$post;
"The number of Unix installations has grown to ten, with more expected." (Unix Programmer's Manual, 2nd ed.; june 1972)
There should be an upper limit on how much money a person can have. That to me is the only feasible solution to solve the problem of poverty.
me
I remember the hoopla last America's Cup when the CEO of Progressive Insurance, Peter Lewis, got caught with pot and hash coming into NZ. A wonderful example of how the rich get treated differently than regular schmooes, he was able to buy his way out with a clean record and reporting his name was censored in NZ by the judge at the time.
m
Oh those rich with nothing better to do!
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0008/S00166.ht
Ewing retires, accepts coaching job with Wizards
...'''
Associated Press
NEW YORK -- As Patrick Ewing talked about his retirement, there was a softness in his eyes, a relaxed look replacing the glare he used while establishing himself as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing will go right from his official retirement as a player to the Wizards' bench as an assistant coach.
Then Ewing saw old pal Charles Oakley in the back of the room and his eyes danced. ''My hit man, Oak! We had some times, didn't we, Oak?'' Ewing shouted from the podium.
Indeed they did.
And for a fleeting moment Tuesday, Ewing was back under the basket with Oakley, the two battling for baskets and bounces, trying to put the New York Knicks over the top.
They never quite got there, but they had fun trying.
For 15 years, Ewing was the centerpiece of the Knicks, New York's go-to guy. There were two wrap-up seasons with Seattle and Orlando, footnotes to a career as one of the league's most dominant centers.
The 40-year-old Ewing finishes his NBA career with 24,815 points and 11,606 rebounds. He'll move on to become an assistant coach for Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards.
The 11-time All-Star holds a number of Knicks records, including leading scorer (22.8 points) and leading rebounder (10.4). Most of the time, Oakley was right there with him.
''He came to work every day,'' Oakley said. ''He put a lot of effort into what he wanted to do, what he wanted to accomplish.''
Also attending Ewing's farewell news conference were ex-teammates Charlie Ward, Allan Houston, Herb Williams and Mark Jackson; coaches Mike Jarvis, Don Chaney and Jeff Van Gundy; and Miami's Alonzo Mourning, out for the season with the Miami Heat because of his kidney condition.
Ewing was asked how he wanted to be remembered.
''As a hard hat,'' he said. ''A hard nose. The work ethic I brought, I gave it 110 percent. I thought I had a great career. I have no regrets. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I enjoyed every minute.''
The NBA championship was the missing piece of the puzzle for the man who led Georgetown to three NCAA finals, including the 1984 title, before becoming the No. 1 pick in the first NBA lottery draft.
''I'm disappointed I never won a championship -- in the pros,'' Ewing said. ''We did the best we could to help the franchise win one. It didn't happen. That's life. You've got to move on.''
In 1994, Ewing led New York to a 3-2 lead over the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals before losing in seven games. He said his greatest memory was converting a putback on a shot by John Starks that beat Indiana for the Eastern Conference title and put the Knicks in those finals.
Ewing was injured in 1999 when the team lost in the finals in five games to the San Antonio Spurs.
Now, he'll be an assistant coach with the Wizards, Jordan's team.
After general manager Wes Unseld signed him, Ewing was asked about the irony of working with Jordan, who often denied him his shot at an NBA title.
''Instead of needling me from afar, he'll be needling me in the same town. We'll be in the same organization,'' Ewing said.
Pat Riley, who coached Ewing and the Knicks to the finals in 1994, said: ''I'm sure that his next career in coaching will be just as successful as his playing career.''
For owner Abe Pollin, the signing of Ewing brings an important asset to the Wizards.
''It will be a unique opportunity for our players to be tutored by three of the 50 greatest players of all time -- Michael Jordan, Wes Unseld and now, Patrick Ewing,'' he said.
Ewing said he had thought hard about retiring, discussing it thoroughly with friends and family.
''It's still a hard decision,'' he said. ''It's still 50-50. Should I play? Should I retire? I felt I could still play.
''It's time to move on. It was a great ride.''
So what happens if sometime next season some NBA team decides it needs help in the middle? Is Ewing available?
He laughed at the question.
''A few teams called,'' he said. ''I made this decision anyway. Unless one of the Wizards goes down and they tell me, 'Put down the pad, we need you to go get some shots
Dave Checketts, longtime president of the Knicks, remembered Ewing's work ethic. In a game against Milwaukee, the center banged his knee and, with the Knicks comfortably in front, he went to the dressing room. Checketts came down to join him.
As the two men sat, talking basketball and families, the Bucks sliced the Knicks' lead to single digits. Ewing, watching on the dressing room television, took note of the situation, removed the ice from his knee and stood up.
'''Look,''' Checketts recalled him saying, '''I've enjoyed talking to you, but I've got to go.'''
''He pulled the sleeve over his knee, went back out to check into the game and we won it.''
Instead of pissing away millions on a boat race, maybe the boys should try:
1) Racing each other to a cure for HIV
2) Pitting each other's alternate energy generators against each other in a wide variety of environments
3) Seeing who can feed the largest number of starving people in the third world in a year
4) A competition to donate money to failing urban schools (and NOT for bloody computers)
etc...
Dude, you forgot Buffy.
Your point is well taken. Consider my question answered!
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
Sorry for being pedantic, but seeing this particular error online is really starting to drive me out of my tree. It is not an obvious typo, and I see it so *often*: "loose" = not tight. "lose" = fail to win.
I guess I can understand that many people haven't grasped the idea that "it's" is a contraction of "it is," and not the possessive form of "it," but the "loose/lose" error is just flat wrong and astonishingly common.
TANSTAAFL
the teams competing will drop collectively over $700 million
thats $100Million more than the United States gives to all of Africa in Aid each year... (but less than a quarter of the aid to Isreal... odd that.. most of wich is spent on good-old-yankee arms and such anyway...)
hmmmm, priorities...