What a day...

... yesterday! Started out I got to dive again. Water was still warm and it felt great, but one weird thing happened. I was panic breathing for some reason. I just couldn't stay down. I did get what needed done (check and clean the prop on the boat, and check another boat's prop/underbelly, and check a few things down there), but it was in short burst of being down and long periods of laying on top getting over my panic breathing. Wierd for me. I've not had that happen except the VERY first day I dove in the ocean. Can't figure it out...

Did have a good day on the sail boat though, two great groups, on the two cruises, and I enjoyed the whole time.

Had another cruise on the sail boat today, and it was almost as good! ;) Not enough wind for me today, but it was still fun.

Venture Capitalist...

For about 10 years I was an active Venture Capitalist, and funded several companies with money (from $500K to $50M). I reviewed hundreds of business plans, talked to hundreds of people about their company and funded some of them, and walked, or ran, from others.

But in all of the cases, I TRIED to be cordial and friendly.

I am currently working for a company (AV Books, Inc.) that is looking for VC Funding. The response I’ve gotten from the folks I’ve talked to has been from extremely rude, to down right nasty! Why is that? It just doesn’t make sense to me!

Are they put off because I know the processes from the inside? (Although anyone with a sound mind knows how a VC works…) Although my boss was receiving the same responses before I came on board.

I know our product is good; too many potential end users like and WANT the product. Almost every Educator we have shown it to wishes they had every book they use in our product!

I’m confused…

Busy Life...

Life continues to throw things at me and keep me busy and looking for revenue... I haven't taken (or made) much time for my studies, so my dissertation is going no where, although I do have a bit of time till my next "required" check in for that.

I have been having some good times though. My Boss, the owner of the company I work for as President/COO, has a sail boat, and I get to go out on it at least once a week of late, and often more. I'm finding I like being out on the sea. If I didn't have Kodi, my puppy (ok, 6 years old next month, but still a puppy to me), I'd probably quit what I'm doing now and take a job on a cruise line doing computer work or some such.

I did get to scuba dive a few weeks ago. For the first time in my life I dove in water where all I wore was a "skin" (light cloth body suit less than .5m thick) and it was WARM! (Everyone around me said I was crazy and the water was too cold that I should be wearing a 3m wet suit a the minimum. It was warm though! I loved it. I was checking out the bottom of the boat, so I wasn't down longer than 10 minutes, but I have to say it was great! Can't wait to go diving again soon!

Well, back to work.

Back here for now.

Well, I let my company web site die off, sorta by mistake, but I'm kinda happy with the decision in the end. That said, I will be going back to posting here for a little while till I work out what I want to do blog wise. I miss blogging, so I’m back at posting blogs.

There is a lot going on in my life, and I’ll post more on that once I work out what I want to post about and what I don’t think is appropriate. 

Moving Hosts.

Well, after working with Blogger for a while, and with Wordpress for less time, I have come to like WordPress. It gives me a bit more control of what I can do. So, I have decided to create Don's Thoughts II, which this site will be moving to. Over the next few days I will move the content from here to there, and I will no longer be updating this site as of now.

Please change your RSS readers, etc, to the new site!!

Don

Riddle Me This?

Late at night when the rest of the "night time" world is asleep, I'm typically up and awake. I use this time to code, read, study, or surf the blogs that are out there begging to be read.

There is one "type" of blog that has me totally confused as to why they are even there.

That being those blogs that have a link to another site, and one or two sentences saying something about the link. I just don't understand why they do that? Why don't they just comment on that blog, and use their blog for something else (or not have a blog). I never click on the links, and I never go back to that blog.

Seems like a waste of space and bandwidth.

In Defense of the Feds vs Katrina

I, too, am saddened by the disaster in New Orleans and other areas effected and affected by the storm that stomped its way through there.

*BUT* jumping on the US Agencies for in-adequate response isn't right either. FEMA, the main agency to respond to these events can not respond, by law, until requested by the Governor of the State(s) involved, and that was slow in coming. These folks "wanted to evaluate the need". Several police agencies, fire, rescue, Army Reserve, National Guard units from around the US attempted to respond and were told by the State Police or Governors that they could not come until other issues were resolved, or that there was no place for them to stay, nor food or water for them. (In ALL cases they were brining their own food, water and sleeping accommodations, disaster response teams KNOW they need to bring this stuff! That's what we get trained in!)

I do have a problem with the LOCAL agencies not being properly prepared and ready for this event. Yes, it is the worse natural event of this type to hit the US (although we have helped other countries with as bad, or almost as bad), but the expectations where there, and they should have had things in hand ready to help out. Nope, no such thing is there.

I also have a problem with the people that did not leave when they knew full well what the impact could have been, which was VERY accurately depicted, two weeks or so in advance. I know that when some of the Reserve Units and National Guard Units were heading out, they offered folks rides out of the area (without possessions, making it harder I know) which were turned down more often than not! Add to that the stealing of everything not locked down, and in many cases even those things locked down, including by the local law enforcement (and on international camera), without qualms of being seen. I have a problem with the rapes that are happening, and the killing. Most of this done by those that stayed behind.

I am in 100% support of rebuilding the area, above sea level, and getting back to life, commerce, etc., I just do not think hammering on the US Agencies is the right thing to do. I do think that, through valid agencies, such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, FEMA, etc, we should support by monetary donation, the recovery of the area. This groups often request money instead of what is called "in kind" donations, so that it can be used in what is needed at the moment. They have agreements with various producers of equipment, supplies, etc., to get it to the affected/effected areas at cost, which uses the same amount of money to buy more product than if you buy and send it yourself.

Sorry for the rant, but let's put blame where it needs to be, if there must be blame. Also, let's put the money where it can do the most good. (Red Cross or Salvation Army for example.)