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BlueSeed is such a hilariously bad idea, it should be in some kind of hall of fame. (Of course, you're just pointing it out, not advocating it!) 1. A landlord

by cjensen 10y ago

BlueSeed is such a hilariously bad idea, it should be in some kind of hall of fame. (Of course, you're just pointing it out, not advocating it!) 1. A landlord who doesn't have to obey any laws regarding rent and terms? 2. The Farallon Islands are offshore from SF, so the 11 mile limit is actually much further than BlueSeed acknowledges. 3. The "Potato Patch" shoal offshore from the Golden Gate makes for nasty waves for many miles in every direction. Guaranteed sea-sickness on every Ferry. 4. If you think SF is cold in Summer, try offshore. The heating costs alone will be astronomical. Fog and fog-colored water is all you will see for most of the year. 5. It's going to stay offshore when we get Tropical Storm-level winds in Winter? 6. One Ferry doesn't cut it -- you need a Plan B for when the Ferry needs maintenance. Ferries are incredibly expensive to operate, which is why there are so few on the Bay. 7. Surely that's a commercial use, and subject to the 200-mile economic exclusion zone? 8. High speed internet? Not when the Fog is drizzling. 9. Presumably it will have to have generators. If you had to rent generators for your businesses and run them 24/7, how much would that cost you in fuel alone? 10. Your generator will also be powering a desalination plant. 11. Nuclear waste? Yep, you'll be parked where the nuclear waste was dumped.

burfog 10y ago
Being within 200 miles probably affects the ship, not the people. It would likely mean being US flagged and/or owned. You can forget about the ship being Panama flagged and Cayman Island owned. This of course gets you US law and the US navy, for better and worse. (taxes, environmental regulations, etc.) It doesn't actually put you in the US though, since you're 11 miles out, so the people shouldn't be affected by immigration law. I think a bigger problem is just the poor value. The ship presumes that people can't work from the other side of the world, but somehow they can work if they are only an annoying ferry ride or an expensive helicopter ride away. Who are the users who need to be close, but not really close?
- lmm 10y ago
  > The ship presumes that people can't work from the other side of the world, but somehow they can work if they are only an annoying ferry ride or an expensive helicopter ride away. Who are the users who need to be close, but not really close? You need everyone in a room, and that room needs to be somewhere your venture capitalists are willing to visit every few months?
  - ghaff 10y ago
    If only there were a way to get to a location more than 15 miles from the Bay area every few months. Darn. Someone needs to disrupt the stagecoach industry. :-)
Animats 10y ago
"Blueseed is now on hold pending additional funding." - blueseed.com Other issues: The location proposed was offshore of Half Moon Bay. This presents a few problems: 1. Half Moon Bay has Pillar Point Harbor, but no facilities for cargo vessels, lighters, or ferries. It's a small boat harbor, run by the County of San Mateo, which probably isn't going to let you build a big dock for large workboats and ferries. 2. West of Pillar Point Harbor is Mavericks, where surfers fight 100 foot waves. Not a good area for boating when there's a small craft advisory. 3. The whole point of Blueseed is that it's not in the US. Half Moon Bay isn't a port of entry to the US. You'd have to go up to SF and pass through customs and border protection to go ashore. Every time. 4. If your startup is losing money, you're not paying taxes anyway. If your startup is successful, you probably need more space than Blueseed could provide.
mikeash 10y ago
"Of course, you're just pointing it out, not advocating it!" I really appreciate that you recognized that. Great list, too.
Dylan16807 10y ago
Yeah, international waters are not the best idea, or the whole thing. But for the first couple it's worth nothing that if you park somewhere between 3 and 12 nautical miles out you are in US territory but you avoid being in California territory. I think.

by cjensen 10y ago

burfog 10y ago

Being within 200 miles probably affects the ship, not the people. It would likely mean being US flagged and/or owned. You can forget about the ship being Panama flagged and Cayman Island owned. This of course gets you US law and the US navy, for better and worse. (taxes, environmental regulations, etc.) It doesn't actually put you in the US though, since you're 11 miles out, so the people shouldn't be affected by immigration law. I think a bigger problem is just the poor value. The ship presumes that people can't work from the other side of the world, but somehow they can work if they are only an annoying ferry ride or an expensive helicopter ride away. Who are the users who need to be close, but not really close?

lmm 10y ago
> The ship presumes that people can't work from the other side of the world, but somehow they can work if they are only an annoying ferry ride or an expensive helicopter ride away. Who are the users who need to be close, but not really close? You need everyone in a room, and that room needs to be somewhere your venture capitalists are willing to visit every few months?
- ghaff 10y ago
  If only there were a way to get to a location more than 15 miles from the Bay area every few months. Darn. Someone needs to disrupt the stagecoach industry. :-)

Animats 10y ago

"Blueseed is now on hold pending additional funding." - blueseed.com Other issues: The location proposed was offshore of Half Moon Bay. This presents a few problems: 1. Half Moon Bay has Pillar Point Harbor, but no facilities for cargo vessels, lighters, or ferries. It's a small boat harbor, run by the County of San Mateo, which probably isn't going to let you build a big dock for large workboats and ferries. 2. West of Pillar Point Harbor is Mavericks, where surfers fight 100 foot waves. Not a good area for boating when there's a small craft advisory. 3. The whole point of Blueseed is that it's not in the US. Half Moon Bay isn't a port of entry to the US. You'd have to go up to SF and pass through customs and border protection to go ashore. Every time. 4. If your startup is losing money, you're not paying taxes anyway. If your startup is successful, you probably need more space than Blueseed could provide.

mikeash 10y ago

"Of course, you're just pointing it out, not advocating it!" I really appreciate that you recognized that. Great list, too.

Dylan16807 10y ago

Yeah, international waters are not the best idea, or the whole thing. But for the first couple it's worth nothing that if you park somewhere between 3 and 12 nautical miles out you are in US territory but you avoid being in California territory. I think.