Re: The Charter of rec.kites

Subject Re: The Charter of rec.kites
From abw@cre.canon.co.uk (Andy Wardley)
Date Fri, 13 Feb 1998 09:39:18 GMT
Newsgroups rec.kites 
Chris Brent  <cbrent@orix.com.au> wrote:
> So how did you move from afu and inline skates to rec.kites?  Yes I
> have a long memory, I even remeber emailinh you once about skating
> spots in London.

No way! (Yes Way!) No WAY! (YES WAAAAAY!)

Funny how the world works isn't it? Of course, back in those days, the Internet was about as cool as a fresh dog turd and it was a lot easier to keep track of who was who. Nowadays, you're about as likely to bump into somone you know as...oh hello Chris, long time no type....

In answer to your question, I read and contributed to AFU for about 4 years and then gave it up a couple of years ago when the traffic got too heavy (you try reading 500+ message a day). I got a new job (where I wasn't sitting around waiting for a support phone to ring, with nothing do but read news) and something had to give.

I had to give up skating about the same time after I trashed my knee dropping into a 12' half-pipe on the wonk. I was fully padded up but sometimes these things just happen.

So here I am now on rec.kites. Apart from that you might find me on the Perl groups, but that's about it. I let my net.celebrity status lapse after the Winky Wars (another AFU in-joke) and I'm living in relative seclusion.

One thing to note is that rec.kites is starting to go the way AFU did. More noise, more arguing, more "Us vs. Them", more bitching about what's wrong with the group, than any real discussion. I think Sam & Co. have made a very positive step to solving a problem to reconcile the group rather than just spouting hot air about what the problem is. I shall try to use this an example of how to build bridges rather than burn them. I would also urge other people to follow this example and let's make rec.kites a better place for oldies and newbies alike.

So to ensure there's something kite related in this post, here's an ObKite (an Obligatory Kite reference).

ObKite: Stacking stunt kites can be fun, but it's a real drag tying all those stacking lines (generally 5) and unless you've got separate kites that you can leave stacked up, you'll be continually tying and untying lines so that you can use the kite as normal. Why not try a 3 point stack bridle? Make an exact copy of the bridle of your kite and tie it onto the back of the kite. Then connect the tow-points on the back bridle to the tow-points on the front bridle of the next kite and you have yourself a stack.

They don't fly quite as well "together" as a 5-point stack bridle, but well enough to have some fun. The great advantage is that the back kite has a normal bridle on it and can be flown by itself and you only need 2 knots (on the tow-points) to connect 2 kites toegther. 

> Chris "the ""'s are an afu thing but I like them and I hope they catch on" Brent

An "epithet".

Andy "not a lexicographer but plays one on the net" Wardley 

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