Everyone call Dean Kamen Lord Dumpling

[Greg Needel]

if you ever get a chance to go to his house as a mentor the constitution of North Dumpling is on the wall and it defiantly is a funny read.

btw his monatary system is based on the number pi

here are photos of north dumpling island http://www.longislandlighthouses.com/ndpics.htm

[Jessica Boucher]

Originally Posted by Billfred

If I remember correctly, the constitution of North Dumpling Island is located in WestWind (home to the Founder's Reception each January before Kickoff). I'll have to remember to get the details of it sometime.

It is. Two pages, the second shorter than the first, on purposely aged paper about the size of a diner placemat, vertically-situated. I have a picture of it from visiting during the pre-no-camera age, but out of respect for the current regulations I'm going to refrain from posting it.

Mr. Hill, I hope you realize that by starting this thread you have earned yourself a permanent place at the "WOEWITWISTFT" ("What On Earth Was I Thinking When I Started THAT FIRST Trend?") table. Its members are few, but the conversation is the most honest and amusing in the entire place.

[KenWittlief]

I understand the replica of stonehedge is functional

any lawyers who visit the island may enter the monument, but they dont come back out?

[Michael Hill]

So if you get a chance to meet him, everyone call him Lord Dumpling. I wonder if he carries any mobius coins. Maybe you could exchange some money for one. I would do it.

[sure_smile]

i swear, if it were april fools day, i would not believe this whole lord dumpling/dean kamen thing...but then again, this is FIRST

as it were, i'm still suspicious

[anna~marie]

I am so much more insanely proud and in awe of Dean

[mechanicalbrain]

You know this has profoundly inspired me. I had planned that once i had the experience i would make a boat out of aluminum but now i have decided to change that (it might well change again) im going to make a artificail floating island! Well.... assuming i can make it sound. Ill put it up on the list with making a mech (if i get the time and money! ).

[KenWittlief]

Im not sure if its the rule everywhere, but up in the 'thousand islands' in the St. Lawerence Seaway, in order to be classified as an island there must be at least one living tree present.

and before you say it, I dont think an artificial christmas tree on your artificial island would qualify.

If your artifical island has a hollowed out volcano (where you hide your secret lair), that would be impressive!

[dlavery]

Originally Posted by mechanicalbrain

im going to make a artificail floating island!

I think that someone has read "Doctor Dolittle" one time too many!

[hoag]

I will say that after reading this, I think that Dean Kamen is just awesome. He must have secret FIRST information hidden on the island. Maybe he has secret new inventions too.

[mechanicalbrain]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

Im not sure if its the rule everywhere, but up in the 'thousand islands' in the St. Lawerence Seaway, in order to be classified as an island there must be at least one living tree present.

and before you say it, I dont think an artificial christmas tree on your artificial island would qualify.

If your artifical island has a hollowed out volcano (where you hide your secret lair), that would be impressive!

I was thinking 40ft x 40 ft. It would be easier than a boat because i can build it flat like a raft! Maybe a small building.

[EddieMcD]

We need to plan a Mayflower-esk voyage to North Dumpling.

"And they were so angered by the current state of sciences that they set out to a new land. A new land where they could build sterling engines, plan a trip to Mars, and finally find a way to inject Mountain Dew directly into the blood stream."

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

Im not sure if its the rule everywhere, but up in the 'thousand islands' in the St. Lawerence Seaway, in order to be classified as an island there must be at least one living tree present.

This is not the rule everywhere. If there were an island as tiny as Lord D's little Dumpling off the coast of southern California, it would not be able to support any trees. Not real trees, anyway. At least, not trees bigger than bushes.

Of course, if North Dumpling had begun off the coast of California, the Pacific would have washed it away eons ago. North Dumpling only survives as a geographic entity because it's sheltered in a sound off the Connecticut coast.

[KenWittlief]

Oh! so you are saying our east coast islands are not as good as your pacific coast islands?

Our islands cant take it? not up to snuff?

wouldnt last 10 minutes in the pacific.

I see where this is going - your a snob! :^)

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

Oh! so you are saying our east coast islands are not as good as your pacific coast islands?

Our islands cant take it? not up to snuff?

wouldnt last 10 minutes in the pacific.

I see where this is going - your a snob! :^)

Now, now, don't let your ears curl, Ken! I was only talking about ONE particular island. It's protected by much bigger islands, such as Long Island, which has withstood countless Atlantic hurricanes.

About our trees: The first time I went out on Long Island was right after Hurricane Gloria, in the mid-1980s. Power was still out in many places, and people were griping about the slowness of the local utility company's response--sound familiar? People were also moaning about how many trees were destroyed, but as we drove along Sunrise Highway, I kept looking around and saying, "What are they talking about? They have more trees left standing than we ever have in L.A.!" I didn't see any shortage of trees.

Here's a fun illustration for this little botany lesson (UC Irvine is in southern California; UC Santa Cruz is in the Central Coast area; both were founded in the ecologically-conscious mid-1960s):

UC Irvine Founding Chancellor Dan Aldrich, a soil scientist, liked to tell about a conversation he had with the Founding Chancellor of UC Santa Cruz. The man from UCSC boasted that, when his campus was built, they planned it so that they cut down as few of the magnificent redwood trees as possible. To which Chancellor Dan replied that at UCI, they didn't have to cut down any trees at all!

By the way, if any would-be Lord Dumplings wish to buy an island off the coast of southern California, good luck! You'd probably have to build it yourself--after spending millions to obtain the necessary permits, which would be fought in the courts by militant environmental activists, if it wasn't completely shot down by the California Coastal Commission to begin with.

You'd probably have to settle for buying a chunk of land in the desert near Palm Springs, digging a big hole, piling the dirt in the middle, then filling the hole with water (assuming you could get the water rights and the excavation permits, ha-ha!). Then you would have your own island, but you might as well turn it into a golf course and charge money, because you'll be broke by then.

Oh, and you'll plant your new island with palm trees, of course, which aren't really trees, no matter how tall they get. (Insert botanical debate here.) Then you'll have to cut down the palms to avoid getting sued for damage to limousines when they drop massive fronds from 80 feet in the air; besides, they were attracting rats. But wait! You can't cut the palm plants down, because they were harboring kangaroo rats, or some other endangered species. But that's OK, because you never got your excavation permit, because your land is in the habitat of the endangered sand fly (or was it pupfish?).

Stay tuned for the next installment of the hit environmental soap opera, "That's My Island!"