Comments on: The Outlaw Sea by William Langewiesche http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/08/27/the-outlaw-sea-by-william-langewiesche/ experiments in refactored perception Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:57:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Venkat http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/08/27/the-outlaw-sea-by-william-langewiesche/#comment-10135 Venkat Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:38:38 +0000 http://www.ribbonfarm.com/?p=1205#comment-10135 I also think this is doable, but the danger is slipping into micronation silliness and pointless socio-political experimentation. The practical way I think is to still possess a "powerful" passport (like US or EU) to give you land mobility without visa hassles, but enjoy the sea, and divide your time as you like between them, and keep relatively open/porous borders between the two. The real problems are going to be operational/logistical (need a paid crew of sailing experts and a governance model for deciding such fun things as "where to sail next.") Another issue will be handling the unique economic opportunities of being outside the normal global political system (some will want to use a ship as a base for participating in the regular economy with lower transaction costs, but others will want to basically start outlaw economics). There will also be the standard social problem of "island fever" that continental types suffer in very small and geographically-limited spaces. Finally, there are likely to be gender differences. When we went on a cruise, I liked the days on the open sea the best, while my wife liked the port-visit days the best. Making a totally unfair generalization from this one data point, I suspect men will like being on the sea a lot more than women. I also think this is doable, but the danger is slipping into micronation silliness and pointless socio-political experimentation. The practical way I think is to still possess a “powerful” passport (like US or EU) to give you land mobility without visa hassles, but enjoy the sea, and divide your time as you like between them, and keep relatively open/porous borders between the two.

The real problems are going to be operational/logistical (need a paid crew of sailing experts and a governance model for deciding such fun things as “where to sail next.”) Another issue will be handling the unique economic opportunities of being outside the normal global political system (some will want to use a ship as a base for participating in the regular economy with lower transaction costs, but others will want to basically start outlaw economics).

There will also be the standard social problem of “island fever” that continental types suffer in very small and geographically-limited spaces.

Finally, there are likely to be gender differences. When we went on a cruise, I liked the days on the open sea the best, while my wife liked the port-visit days the best. Making a totally unfair generalization from this one data point, I suspect men will like being on the sea a lot more than women.

]]> By: Isaac Lewis http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/08/27/the-outlaw-sea-by-william-langewiesche/#comment-10134 Isaac Lewis Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:54:10 +0000 http://www.ribbonfarm.com/?p=1205#comment-10134 I dug up this article after recently re-encountering the "seasteading" idea (the plan to create nice little floating ocean micronations, advocated by the usual libertarian suspects). Although it seems crazy at first, I can't actually see many practical obstacles - people already go on cruises, they just need to start making permanent cruises. And having recently enjoyed the kerfuffle of trying to organize work visas for foreign lands - I can see the appeal of starting anew on the biggest and closest frontier available. Still, the whole idea comes across as science-fiction. Thoughts? Anyway, looks like I'll have to look up this book for my summer reading... sounds like its full of the kind of non-fiction yarns I enjoy. I dug up this article after recently re-encountering the “seasteading” idea (the plan to create nice little floating ocean micronations, advocated by the usual libertarian suspects). Although it seems crazy at first, I can’t actually see many practical obstacles – people already go on cruises, they just need to start making permanent cruises. And having recently enjoyed the kerfuffle of trying to organize work visas for foreign lands – I can see the appeal of starting anew on the biggest and closest frontier available. Still, the whole idea comes across as science-fiction. Thoughts?

Anyway, looks like I’ll have to look up this book for my summer reading… sounds like its full of the kind of non-fiction yarns I enjoy.

]]> By: sharon leaf http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/08/27/the-outlaw-sea-by-william-langewiesche/#comment-10118 sharon leaf Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:51:24 +0000 http://www.ribbonfarm.com/?p=1205#comment-10118 I read "The Outlaw Sea" AFTER i had volunteered for 14 months in an old WWII ship (94-95). If I had read it BEFORE, perhaps I would have stayed on land in California! I traveled 24,000 nautical miles, from Seattle, WA to Stockholm, Sweden (we were there when The Estonia went down); to Athens, Greece, to Sochi, Russia, and finally to Haifa, Israel. His writing about the oceans wrath, piracy, and ship-breaking (where our ship ended its lovely life), was very real to me. I loved William's book and have it in my library to re-read as a reminder that we have no control over what happens at sea. Faith compelled me to leave my safe harbor to discover new oceans. p.s. Do you know how I can contact William Langewiesche to obtain his approval of the maps in his book? They are perfect for my upcoming book, "Lady and the Sea." Thank you, and oceans of blessings, Sharon Leaf I read “The Outlaw Sea” AFTER i had volunteered for 14 months in an old WWII ship (94-95). If I had read it BEFORE, perhaps I would have stayed on land in California! I traveled 24,000 nautical miles, from Seattle, WA to Stockholm, Sweden (we were there when The Estonia went down); to Athens, Greece, to Sochi, Russia, and finally to Haifa, Israel. His writing about the oceans wrath, piracy, and ship-breaking (where our ship ended its lovely life), was very real to me. I loved William’s book and have it in my library to re-read as a reminder that we have no control over what happens at sea. Faith compelled me to leave my safe harbor to discover new oceans.
p.s. Do you know how I can contact William Langewiesche to obtain his approval of the maps in his book? They are perfect for my upcoming book, “Lady and the Sea.” Thank you, and oceans of blessings, Sharon Leaf

]]> By: JB http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/08/27/the-outlaw-sea-by-william-langewiesche/#comment-2878 JB Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:38:12 +0000 http://www.ribbonfarm.com/?p=1205#comment-2878 I am a huge fan of William Langewiesche, having read most of his Atlantic articles (I can't recommend The Atlantic highly enough). He also did an amazing job covering the cleanup of the 911 site, which I believe he also turned into a book. I am a huge fan of William Langewiesche, having read most of his Atlantic articles (I can’t recommend The Atlantic highly enough). He also did an amazing job covering the cleanup of the 911 site, which I believe he also turned into a book.

]]> By: tubelite http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/08/27/the-outlaw-sea-by-william-langewiesche/#comment-2862 tubelite Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:22:23 +0000 http://www.ribbonfarm.com/?p=1205#comment-2862 Compelling review. Have you read Neal Stephenson's account of the undersea cable laying business? Pretty good. I revere the moon landings as the greatest engineering accomplishment of man, but the colonization of the Pacific islands (and Madagascar) with stone age technology is perhaps the greatest bang for buck ever. Not just random drifting but organized expeditions and sustained trade. I idly spin my globe from time to time... just look at the sheer expanse of water between Hawaii and everything else, or Indonesia and Madagascar and consider the effrontery of setting in double outrigger canoes with empty, heaving horizons week after week... Compelling review. Have you read Neal Stephenson’s account of the undersea cable laying business? Pretty good.

I revere the moon landings as the greatest engineering accomplishment of man, but the colonization of the Pacific islands (and Madagascar) with stone age technology is perhaps the greatest bang for buck ever. Not just random drifting but organized expeditions and sustained trade. I idly spin my globe from time to time… just look at the sheer expanse of water between Hawaii and everything else, or Indonesia and Madagascar and consider the effrontery of setting in double outrigger canoes with empty, heaving horizons week after week…

]]> By: Manju http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/08/27/the-outlaw-sea-by-william-langewiesche/#comment-2851 Manju Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:09:15 +0000 http://www.ribbonfarm.com/?p=1205#comment-2851 Venkat, I am sure the book itself is great but your review makes it such a scintillating tale that I feel like getting around to a bookstore right away. Thanks for the wonderful read... Venkat,

I am sure the book itself is great but your review makes it such a scintillating tale that I feel like getting around to a bookstore right away.

Thanks for the wonderful read…

]]> By: anupama http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/08/27/the-outlaw-sea-by-william-langewiesche/#comment-2766 anupama Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:23:55 +0000 http://www.ribbonfarm.com/?p=1205#comment-2766 as before, enjoy and admire your writing style and content...enough here to chew on for weeks ! as before, enjoy and admire your writing style and content…enough here to chew on for weeks !

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