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I have some sympathy with the sentiment expressed in Brendan�s
original post but I would not banish the mathematicians.� Or anyone
else for that matter.

I am a newbie at this.� Many of the posts to navlist go right over my
head or, though I see where they are going, make my eyes glaze over.
I do find it intimidating at times.� But the few times I have mustered
the temerity to post something, I received courteous and helpful
responses.� When I asked about how to acquire a sextant and what sort
I should look for, the number, length, and richness of the responses
was extraordinary.� (BTW, I bought a used Davis Mark 3 for next to
nothing and have been using it for several months now.� I think I am
hooked and I am now looking for the real thing.)

I do intend to use CN for actual navigation but I am a sailor who is
fascinated by all things nautical.� �I �see CN as a discipline to
foster more careful attention to the world around me, as a path to
more thoughtful seamanship, and as a way to connect with the great
sailors of the past who developed and relied on these techniques.� I
am also an historian of 18th Century philosophy. I am always trying to
enter more deeply into the thought-world of that period.� The 18th
Century is the heroic age of navigation, surveying, and charting and
of the design and manufacture of the accouterments of these
activities.� CN is a model of, and a pregnant metaphor for, its
philosophical ambitions.

I am glad for even the most picky, prickly and persnickety of the
postings on this slightly mad and obsessive list.� Often I am
laugh-out-loud delighted.

Thanks to all who post here!

Patrick

Charles Olson: "Love the World -- and stay inside it."

   

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