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My Friends and I Bought an Island

tynan.com

251–260 of 405 posts

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#251

Just for people new to who Tynan is, he's a pretty far out guy. Some things I recall (sorry haven't kept up over the years) 1) Ran a successful professional online poker playing business, actually hired employees and trained them to predictably win. 2) Was one of the main characters in the book The Game (yes, that PUA one). 3) Did polyphasic sleep experiments in earnest (was it a couple months or so?). 4) Had a giant…

> There's probably some much cooler stuff I'm forgetting, but hey it makes perfect sense he'd be part of an island buying crew. He mentions these and more on this page: http://tynan.com/about

>Although I'm happy to be saving money, my _primary reasons_ for living in an RV are that it _forces me to be minimalist and focus on what matters_, and it's a lot of fun. I've modified nearly every aspect of the interior of my RV (...) Some of the changes include:

> Maple and marble floors

> Brazilian granite countertops

>Japanese-style tea room in the back complete with rush-reed tatami mats and mulberry shoji screened rear window.

>Golden tin ceiling

>Gold-leafed 10 foot curved section of the wall

>Home theater system with LED projector, 50" screen, and 12" subwoofer.

>Handmade zebrawood desk

>Controllable low-wattage LED lighting system with over 1000 bulbs

Minimalist and focused on what matters indeed.

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#253

In sweden you dont have to buy an island. All the island are free to camp at. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam

My family has a summer house out in the Stockholm Archipelago, it's on one of the tens of thousands of islands, it takes an hour to get there from home, and on our island there are about 60 houses, and there's ok infrastructure including public transportation to get there.

If you want more solitude, you just take the boat and go out to the more remote ones, there's nothing special or magical or mystical about "owning an island" to me, since that's how I spent my childhood summers.

Then I realized that archipelagos are pretty rare, which keeps the concept out of reach for most people.

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#254
post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've spent a fair bit of time kicking around Maine islands over the years, which are a lot more likely to have random visitors. One really weird phenomenon is that locked cabins tend to have more vandalism problems than unlocked cabins with a guestbook for visitors. I've never quite figured out what this says about human nature. Maine's liability laws are excellent. They basically say, "So you hurt yourself? And you…

An unlocked cabin means the owner is near, possibly with a deer rifle.

Stick a gone hunting sign on the door every time you leave, and get some gun paraphenalia (but not a gun) visible near the door. For extra points, time delay a loud pre-recorded bang and scream from a distant speaker when motion is detected near the door.

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#255

Just for people new to who Tynan is, he's a pretty far out guy. Some things I recall (sorry haven't kept up over the years) 1) Ran a successful professional online poker playing business, actually hired employees and trained them to predictably win. 2) Was one of the main characters in the book The Game (yes, that PUA one). 3) Did polyphasic sleep experiments in earnest (was it a couple months or so?). 4) Had a giant…

Off-topic, I know, but are we calling 2008 "2k8" now? Is last decade the 2k's?

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Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're welcome. Basic engine repair skills, something to patch up your boat in case you spring a leak, a basic comms kit+genny so you can call up the coast guard or a passing boat if you should need them (assuming your island is out of cell phone reach), cache of freshwater, fuel, waterproofed matches and a couple of days worth of tin cans in case you ever get cut off. Halifax coast in winter can be, how to phrase th…

As a SAR guy, I can say the big big thing is the first aid (plus CPR). It sounds like you're relatively close to civilization, but realize that if someone has to come to help you, they're likely not going to be there within the Golden Hour ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hour_%28medicine%29 ). That, and just being prepared in general (ten essentials: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials and knowing how…

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Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#257
post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have more precise details on the costs involved with that Philippine island idea? What kind of numbers?

This was in ~2003... There were islands in Palawan fro sale at the time that were uttery perfect for ~$35,000 USD - large enough for a house, had a really nice beach etc... The problem was that in the northern part of Palawan, you either need to ship from Manilla, or fly stuff in. The islands were too small/rocky to be able to have a well, so water was an issue - as was power - you'd need to basically have solar/wind…

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Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#258
post #139
post #3

Lots of widowmakers there judging by the pictures, better be careful. One thing you learn quickly when you live remote is that the nearest hospital is very far away both in space and in time and stuff that is routine in a city can get serious (or even kill you) when you're living remote. Still, congratulations, I can really relate to how you guys feel. In case there are more island enthousiasts here: http://www.priva…

I would put "clearing a space or even making a concrete pad for a helicopter to land" and "checking cell phone coverage, if any" high on the list of first things to do.

I believe he already said there was cell coverage. As someone who can only dream about owning a private island, how big would a helipad have to be? And how much concrete would it take to make that sort of thing?

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#259

It sounds like you guys really thought this through (with the LLC, etc), however I can't shake the feeling that you're going to find this a bit like owning a boat: it sounds like much more fun before you actually do it. Five acres is slightly more land than I have (in the exurbs of Toronto), and is almost certainly much more awkward, with less usable space. I mention that because I can't imagine trying to facilitate…

If it drives, flies, floats, fornicates or floods, someone will launch a startup to share them.

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#260
post #19

I am curious about how and whether building or environment impact codes come into play with this kind of remote private island in Canada. Things like septic systems, building a dock or anything near the shoreline, and even putting in a mooring buoy can be significant challenges to get approved in many US jurisdictions.

In lakes the rules are extremely strict, for an island in the ocean the rules are much more permissive. No matter what the rules you typically want to keep your impact as low as possible or your island feeling will soon be replaced by something more akin to living in a small polluted town. Legally all your island really is is a bit of land surrounded by shoreline and that shoreline is the interesting bit. It may auto…

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