[CharLac]

I'm still working through "Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond which describes that theory, its a very interesting book and I must get back to reading it. It touches on the difference between hunter gatherers and farmers, and how some staple crops started in some areas and spread.

Fantastic read!

[bertwert]

Some claim that the Polynesians arrived in the Pacific from America, rather than from the East,

I presume you've read about the Kon Tiki Expedition then? Great book, and I Hehyerhal's method of testing that a theory is possible by going out and doing it himself...

[StiffLegged]

I presume you've read about the Kon Tiki Expedition then? Great book, and I Hehyerhal's method of testing that a theory is possible by going out and doing it himself...

+1. A really good book, and he tried the same in the Ra expeditions by sailing a papyrus boat West across the Atlantic. I say expeditions because he had to be rescued and had a second go, which succeeded.

[bertwert]

+1. A really good book, and he tried the same in the Ra expeditions by sailing a papyrus boat West across the Atlantic. I say expeditions because he had to be rescued and had a second go, which succeeded.

Yeah - however, if I recall correctly, they were fairly close on their first go - it's been several years since I've read the book. Aku-Aku is another good read, about Easter Island and the statues... I don't believe much of his work and theories are accepted by the scientific community, but to the average guy it's pretty interesting to think about the possibilities...

[Racer X 69]

The first round, notices go out later this week.

Looks like I made it through the first round.

[bertwert]

6,770.

Remember that number.

The first round, notices go out later this week.

Looks like I made it through the first round.

Ah... that's what you mean by 6770...

It would seem as though you would make it through - otherwise why switch the work you're doing and have to retrain for a new task...?

[Racer X 69]

Ah... that's what you mean by 6770...

It would seem as though you would make it through - otherwise why switch the work you're doing and have to retrain for a new task...?

I still maintain my job classification and seniority.

My current reassignment wasn’t a choice I made. The higher powers had decided there was a need for creating a standardized way of building airplanes, and pulled people from many parts of the enterprise, apparently based on knowledge, skills and experience.

When one gets a move memo, there are two choices.

1. Accept the reassignment, and move

2. Go home.

Most people take door number 1.

[tim60]

Thanks, but unintentionally. My primary goal was picking my favourite fruit!

I think I have only gotten close to eating prickly pear once, prickly pear ice cream in Taiwan. Someone in Taipei was selling it online so my hosts ordered a carton for delivery 200 miles south. It was sent in the frozen food version of brown vans, not the brown van company, they are not that enterprising. Funny how Taiwan seems so far ahead of US in industries that the US originated.

The only cactus fruit I have eaten is dragon fruit. I seem to be allergic. Makes me really ill, last time I had it it took me a month to get better, and even then I was not good. Really erratic heart beat- missing 2 beats in 5. Makes you feel kind of miserable.

[tim60]

Missed Savoche's original post about broad-based project teams, but I found over time that a broad-based engineering career often paid "dividends" in terms of personal "flexibility to get on with the next thing" - probably because I shouldn't have gone into engineering in the first place (was better at "arts-type" subjects than maths/science ones at school!) and yet I did! Thereafter I was dealing with many engineering specialists, and so often had bring a "left of central" approach in order to solve problems, when the specialists could not!

And I discovered I liked bring an academic. So now I am an academic in exactly such a branch of engineering. Things like the application of Heidegger’s ideas to engineering - leads to really interesting consequences.

[tim60]

I still maintain my job classification and seniority.

My current reassignment wasn’t a choice I made. The higher powers had decided there was a need for creating a standardized way of building airplanes, and pulled people from many parts of the enterprise, apparently based on knowledge, skills and experience.

When one gets a move memo, there are two choices.

1. Accept the reassignment, and move

2. Go home.

Most people take door number 1.

I work with some people who are so stick in the mud that they refuse to change, not wanting to see that door 2 is the way to continued personal prosperity and door 1 is the way to receive redundancy notification when they are too young to gave the redundancy carry them over until they could draw their expected and hoped for rate of pension.

[MarkJerling]

The higher powers had decided there was a need for creating a standardized way of building airplanes, ....

And there I thought they've figured that out some thirty years ago.

[MarkJerling]

I think I have only gotten close to eating prickly pear once, prickly pear ice cream in Taiwan. Someone in Taipei was selling it online so my hosts ordered a carton for delivery 200 miles south. It was sent in the frozen food version of brown vans, not the brown van company, they are not that enterprising. Funny how Taiwan seems so far ahead of US in industries that the US originated.

Here one can send all kinds of perishable stuff by courier. I've only tried it with cherries but they send meat, fish, crayfish and probably many other things I'm not aware of. Icecream is next level though. I would imagine prickly pear would make rather nice icecream.

The only cactus fruit I have eaten is dragon fruit. I seem to be allergic. Makes me really ill, last time I had it it took me a month to get better, and even then I was not good. Really erratic heart beat- missing 2 beats in 5. Makes you feel kind of miserable.

The only cactus product that does that to me is tequilla. Must be an allergy of some sort.

[MarkJerling]

I presume you've read about the Kon Tiki Expedition then? Great book, and I Hehyerhal's method of testing that a theory is possible by going out and doing it himself...

I've not read the book but I did see a doco about it many years ago.

[mkgd1]

October 1769 that another European, James Cook, set foot on New Zealand soil.

In the late fifties, my great aunt lived in a cottage in Staithes, North Yorkshire, which had been the home of Capt. Cook. I remember visiting her there. There was a historical marker plaque on the front of the house.
People would peer through the windows, if she saw them, she would yell "He's not in! Last I heard from him, he was getting eaten in the Sandwich Islands." The same house is now a vacation rental.

[MarkJerling]

.... she would yell "He's not in! Last I heard from him, he was getting eaten in the Sandwich Islands."

Brilliant!