Comments on: From Super Secret to Super Yacht

By: David S

David S — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 03:24:19 +0000

I think the super yacht must be the IT executive billionaire’s version of a weekend Harley. There was just an article in Fortune about Sun co-founder Bill Joy’s new super-yacht.

By: Joel D

Joel D — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 06:08:51 +0000

I hate to beat a dead horse, but there happened to be an interesting article in the WSJ today in which this particular yacht plays a prominent part. I scanned it into a PDF here(2.6mb). The article demonstrates perfectly my misgivings about the kind of perspective that sees a man buying a $100mil yacht and feels only a vague condemnation of the man for his imagined priorities. Read it and maybe you’ll see how, just perhaps, buying that yacht might be right up there among the best things he could have done with that money by any standard including the altruistic. Don’t let your inner marxist cheat you out of the depth of the story happening around you.

By: andrew

andrew — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 01:10:16 +0000

Ya know, I’ve come to a view of the world that says if someone knows how to make $100 million, it is probably moral and just for him/her to do so. It is moral and just for each of us to do what we do best.

BUT being, as we are, civilised, I think it is also incumbent on that person to do a little for those people who cannot do it for themselves.

By: David Young

David Young — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 07:46:55 +0000

Well, if a man spends $100million on a boat, that’s a statement of what is important to that man. If you go back to my post, I quote a little latin aphorism which I think is a valuable guard-rail in life: Pereunt et imputantur. (That translates to: “We act and the acts or accounted to us.”) A man can choose to spend his money on a yatch, or on something else. Maybe the relief of the suffering of innocents. This isn’t the forum for a discussion of which is better. But, as I said: our acts are accounted to him.

By: Joel D

Joel D — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 07:35:22 +0000

wow! where did that come from?? Did I bring scripture into this without realizing it?? “we’re going to quote scripture” etc.? I guess I propbably don’t understand exactly what you mean by that verse either. Are you saying it is a sin to be wealthy? I’d be genuinely interested in your views on that. btw, my current site still has that verse. nice investigative work.

By: David Young

David Young — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 05:26:51 +0000

Joel, I think your old site and its scripture verse has the answer: “Suffer me that I may speak; and after that I have spoken, mock on.” (Job 21:3) But if we’re going to quote scripture, I prefer this: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25)

By: Joel D

Joel D — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 23:17:46 +0000

OK, sour grapes then.

By: David Young

David Young — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 12:15:43 +0000

Not jealous. I’m prone to get sea-sick. Really.

By: Linnane

Linnane — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 08:42:09 +0000

That is quite an impressive piece of kit, though.

By: Bob Aman

Bob Aman — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 06:48:21 +0000

Ha. So very jealous.