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  • Is this NG dead?

    From floffy@21:1/5 to All on Tue Feb 27 17:39:11 2018
    On Sat, 24 Feb 2018 13:48:53 -0500, Alan Browne <bitbucket@blackhole.com> wrote:

    yes its

    all the Garbige prime here

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  • From -hh@21:1/5 to Alan Browne on Wed Feb 28 02:31:38 2018
    On Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 1:49:25 PM UTC-5, Alan Browne wrote:
    [newsgroup dead?]

    Yes, unfortunately so.

    Mostly, a product of changing times, where the subsequent generation wasn't being introduced to USENET (typically in college), but went to more web-based media & social media.

    With the loss of "new blood", topics became stale and the group shrank, and age is catching up with a lot of us too - passing interests and/or health. A few of the
    old time participants you knew have since passed away (Mike Grey, Lee Bell).

    If you can tolerate some of the nonsense, <scubaboard.com> is a place to go
    for info, although I've been finding <reddit.com>, while smaller, to be a bit better.
    On reddit, one doesn't see big chunks of threads get "accidentally deleted" just
    because those posts were embarrassing to the board's owner.

    -hh

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  • From Grumman-581@21:1/5 to All on Fri Oct 25 16:38:00 2019
    On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 4:31:39 AM UTC-6, -hh wrote:

    <snip>

    I've always preferred USENET over the various web forums for the simple reason that there was not some site owner who could sensor you if you did not conform to his particular beliefs on some matter.

    But, you're right -- without the new blood being introduced to USENET in college and us old farts dying off, that seems to dwindle the participation (other than the spammers).

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  • From -hh@21:1/5 to All on Sat Oct 26 13:08:58 2019
    Grumman-581 wrote:
    On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 4:31:39 AM UTC-6, -hh wrote:

    <snip>

    I've always preferred USENET over the various web forums for the simple reason
    that there was not some site owner who could sensor you if you did not conform
    to his particular beliefs on some matter.

    Indeed. I recall a conversation on Scubaboard where I basically told the owner-operator
    that his premise was demonstrably wrong. A day later, a ~dozen pages of that exact
    thread “accidentally” got deleted. The only copy that survived was some pages I still
    had opened for cross-referencing, which I then PDF’ed.

    But, you're right -- without the new blood being introduced to USENET in college and
    us old farts dying off, that seems to dwindle the participation (other than the spammers).

    Unfortunately for scuba diving, it has also become a less affordable sport, so there’s fewer
    in the next generation participating to even seek out online discussion groups.


    -hh

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  • From Edward@21:1/5 to -hh on Sun Oct 27 04:58:24 2019
    On 10/26/2019 3:08 PM, -hh wrote:
    Grumman-581 wrote:
    On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 4:31:39 AM UTC-6, -hh wrote:

    <snip>

    I've always preferred USENET over the various web forums for the simple reason
    that there was not some site owner who could sensor you if you did not conform
    to his particular beliefs on some matter.

    Indeed. I recall a conversation on Scubaboard where I basically told the owner-operator
    that his premise was demonstrably wrong. A day later, a ~dozen pages of that exact
    thread “accidentally” got deleted. The only copy that survived was some pages I still
    had opened for cross-referencing, which I then PDF’ed.

    But, you're right -- without the new blood being introduced to USENET in college and
    us old farts dying off, that seems to dwindle the participation (other than the spammers).

    Unfortunately for scuba diving, it has also become a less affordable sport, so there’s fewer
    in the next generation participating to even seek out online discussion groups.


    -hh

    I still check every morning. And I still appreciate all I've learned
    and the folks who took the time to give advice over the twenty five or
    thirty years this newsgroup has been around. Thanks to both of you and
    Airhog.

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  • From -hh@21:1/5 to Edward on Thu Oct 31 07:28:32 2019
    On Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 5:58:10 AM UTC-4, Edward wrote:
    On 10/26/2019 3:08 PM, -hh wrote:
    Grumman-581 wrote:
    On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 4:31:39 AM UTC-6, -hh wrote:

    <snip>

    I've always preferred USENET over the various web forums
    for the simple reason that there was not some site owner
    who could sensor you if you did not conform to his
    particular beliefs on some matter.

    Indeed. I recall a conversation on Scubaboard where I
    basically told the owner-operator that his premise was
    demonstrably wrong. A day later, a ~dozen pages of that
    exact thread “accidentally” got deleted. The only copy
    that survived was some pages I still had opened for
    cross-referencing, which I then PDF’ed.

    But, you're right -- without the new blood being introduced
    to USENET in college and us old farts dying off, that seems
    to dwindle the participation (other than the spammers).

    Unfortunately for scuba diving, it has also become a less
    affordable sport, so there’s fewer in the next generation
    participating to even seek out online discussion groups.


    I still check every morning.

    I'm using Google Groups, so its not as automatic. Probably
    ~2x/month, unless there's been any traffic.

    And I still appreciate all I've learned and the folks who
    took the time to give advice over the twenty five or
    thirty years this newsgroup has been around. Thanks to
    both of you and Airhog.

    My thanks goes out to those who preceded me as well; learned
    a lot while passing it on.

    Coincidentally, I had a conversation this week with a new
    coworker and found that he got certified locally just two
    years ago ... and that the instructor actually did some
    stuff which was good for his personal skills development,
    but I'm not sure was technically allowed as per current
    OW-I training standards.

    Those which caught my ear were:

    A) A "Doff-n-Don" confidence drill.

    B) Buddy breathing ... where I'm not sure if it was
    the modern version (donate Octopus) or old school
    (where a single reg gets shared between two divers).

    C) Air supply interruption. Apparently a valve-off
    exercise, presumably to recognize change in breathing.

    I'll need to find a currently-active instructor to tell
    me if these are allowed, and in what context, and under
    which Agency (eg. PADI vs others) rulebook that they're
    referring to.

    My now-dated recollection was that PADI had not been allowing
    anything to be added to the course minimum standards, even if
    it was expressed as "not part of the official class", etc.


    -hh

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  • From Edward@21:1/5 to All on Fri Nov 1 04:31:53 2019
    Those which caught my ear were:

    A) A "Doff-n-Don" confidence drill.

    B) Buddy breathing ... where I'm not sure if it was
    the modern version (donate Octopus) or old school
    (where a single reg gets shared between two divers).

    C) Air supply interruption. Apparently a valve-off
    exercise, presumably to recognize change in breathing.

    I'll need to find a currently-active instructor to tell
    me if these are allowed, and in what context, and under
    which Agency (eg. PADI vs others) rulebook that they're
    referring to.

    My now-dated recollection was that PADI had not been allowing
    anything to be added to the course minimum standards, even if
    it was expressed as "not part of the official class", etc.


    -hh

    I was PADI certified around 1981 by a great instructor. I know we did
    the doff n don drill, and both methods of buddy breathing. He also
    taught us to turn our air all the way on, then back off just a tad. It
    seems like he also turned our air way down one time in the pool.

    We went to Panama City for our open water. There were more jelly fish
    in the water than I have seen since. None of us had wet suits so we
    wore our blue jeans and maybe we bought long sleeve shirts. I still
    caught one across my top lip. Ohhh, the memories. I went drove strait
    to New Orleans and hopped on a flight to Cancun/Cozumel after, and
    thought, so this is what diving is all about. I don't think anyone used
    wet suits there either.

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  • From deploymentengineering@gmail.com@21:1/5 to Alan Browne on Sat Jan 11 08:16:30 2020
    On Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 12:49:25 PM UTC-6, Alan Browne wrote:


    I remember the old days and miss you all.

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  • From deploymentengineering@gmail.com@21:1/5 to Alan Browne on Sat Jan 11 08:15:43 2020
    On Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 12:49:25 PM UTC-6, Alan Browne wrote:


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  • From -hh@21:1/5 to chr...@nospam.com on Mon Jan 13 06:05:32 2020
    On Saturday, January 11, 2020 at 11:16:31 AM UTC-5, chr...@nospam.com wrote:
    On Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 12:49:25 PM UTC-6, Alan Browne wrote:


    I remember the old days and miss you all.

    The center shifted long ago … new divers went to places like ScubaBoard and reddit; the retiring greybeards hooked up on Facebook, and so on.

    In related news, heard last week that Rick Simms has died. Here's the obit:

    <https://www.newcomerkentuckiana.com/Obituary/179857/Rick-Simms/Louisville-KY>

    [quote]

    Rick Simms, 69, of Louisville, Kentucky, passed away on Thursday,
    January 2, 2020.

    He was born on August 18, 1950 in Louisville, Kentucky to the late
    Charles and Ethel Simms.
    Rick was a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a proud
    veteran of the United States Navy. He was also a member in good
    standing of the Kentucky Colonels and the Masonic Plumb Lodge 862
    and the former owner of Simms Wholesale Tire. Rick was an avid
    scuba diver, having dove all over the world from Bimini to the
    Barrier Reef. After his retirement he found time to enjoy his
    hobbies of photography, motorcycles, and classic cars.

    Rick is survived by his loving wife of 37 years, Veronica "Ronnie"
    Simms; son, Christopher Simms; daughter, Cara Simms; and numerous
    extended family and friends from Florida to Panama.

    Per Rick's wishes he will be cremated with no formal services.

    The family requests that contributions in Rick’s memory be made to
    the American Lung Association at www.lung.org/get-involved/ways-to-give/

    [/quote]


    -hh

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  • From Grumman-581@21:1/5 to -hh on Mon Jul 27 11:38:20 2020
    On Monday, January 13, 2020 at 8:05:34 AM UTC-6, -hh wrote:

    Rick Simms, 69, of Louisville, Kentucky, passed away on Thursday,
    January 2, 2020.

    So many of us are dying lately... Lee... Then Rick... Now Doug... Hell, Doug didn't even make it to *60*... :(

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  • From -hh@21:1/5 to All on Tue Jul 28 05:57:39 2020
    On Monday, July 27, 2020 at 2:38:22 PM UTC-4, Grumman-581 wrote:
    On Monday, January 13, 2020 at 8:05:34 AM UTC-6, -hh wrote:

    Rick Simms, 69, of Louisville, Kentucky, passed away on Thursday,
    January 2, 2020.

    So many of us are dying lately... Lee... Then Rick...
    Now Doug... Hell, Doug didn't even make it to *60*... :(


    Yes, plus others who we're neglecting to mention or remember.


    It seems to me that <rec.scuba> has had more deaths than the
    equally-old <scuba-l> bitserv email group; there's roughly
    a half dozen or so of us still alive & friends on Facebook.


    In other news, my local dive shop has told me that my ScubaPro
    regulator has also died … have to now figure out how to go
    invoke its lifetime warranty without getting ripped off.


    -hh

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  • From Grumman-581@21:1/5 to -hh on Wed Jun 7 18:58:00 2023
    On Saturday, October 26, 2019 at 3:08:59 PM UTC-5, -hh wrote:

    Unfortunately for scuba diving, it has also become a less affordable sport, so there’s fewer
    in the next generation participating to even seek out online discussion groups.

    Yeah... Get off my lawn, dammit!

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  • From -hh@21:1/5 to All on Mon Jul 10 00:16:18 2023
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 2:58:01 AM UTC+1, Grumman-581 wrote:
    On Saturday, October 26, 2019 at 3:08:59 PM UTC-5, -hh wrote:

    Unfortunately for scuba diving, it has also become a less affordable sport, so there’s fewer
    in the next generation participating to even seek out online discussion groups.

    Yeah... Get off my lawn, dammit!

    Looks like it took me a month to notice I was standing on your lawn, dear sir!

    In diving news, happened to notice a small dive shop near the main port of Kilroan,
    in the Aran Islands. Seems they were taking out a snorkelers group in a RIB, in fairly
    loose fitting full 5mm suits (water temp ~51F). Water viz looked nice 50ft++

    -hh

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