A History of Pirates or Why Every BIM Professional Needs a Pirate’s Spirit
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Ahoy there, ye landlubbers and fellow scallywags! Let me spin ye a yarn 'bout why the pirate be such a fittin' figure for us rogues sailin' the digital seas. Pirates, the kind who plundered ships, have been with us as long as folk dared venture across the open waters. But what comes to mind when ye think of pirates, well, that image mostly hails from the 1700s in the Caribbean, a time and place etched into our minds by tales spun by one Captain Charles Johnson in A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates.
Now, Nassau—that scurvy den of rogues—was more than just a pirate stronghold. After the War of the Spanish Succession, which raged from 1702 to 1714, many English seamen found themselves cast aside, with naught but their skill in sailin' and takin' ships. Disillusioned and lookin' fer a new way of life, they banded together in Nassau, creatin' what be known as the Nassau Pirate Republic. And here’s the intrigue: these buccaneers were ahead o' their time, organizin' themselves under principles that would make even modern folk raise an eyebrow.
They voted on who captained the ship, divvying up loot, and dealin’ out punishment. Aye, even the captain could be ousted by his crew.
Slaves and women had their say, and what truly rattled the powers-that-be was how pirates freed slaves to fight alongside them—stickin’ it to their former oppressors.
Nationality didn’t matter much. Whether ye were English, Spanish, or African, if ye swore to the code, ye were one of the crew.
They lived by a pirate code—an early form o’ a team agreement—that set the rules for loot distribution, leadership, and discipline. And a true example how project's should be managed!
This short-lived experiment in freedom and equality only lasted a few years, until 1718, when Woodes Rogers, a pirate-turned-privateer workin' for the English crown, came crashin’ down on them.
Yet those few rebellious years live on, powerful in our culture, shapin' how we see pirates today. And as we sail the treacherous waters of Building Information Modeling (BIM), I reckon we draw many a parallel to these maritime marauders.
Just like the pirates of old, us BIM Pirates be challengin' the status quo. While others cling to models and bureaucracy, we chart our own course—usin' less modelin' and more decision-makin’. We question the idea of who controls the treasure (or the data, in our case) and push for a new way o’ workin’, where everyone on board has a say, from the ship's captain to the deckhand.
So hoist the Jolly Roger, matey! Let’s sail together, reclaimin' BIM from the bureaucrats, just like the pirates of Nassau took the seas from the crown. There's no tellin' what treasure awaits us in the digital oceans ahead, but one thing's for sure—we'll be takin' it on our own terms.
Now, Nassau—that scurvy den of rogues—was more than just a pirate stronghold. After the War of the Spanish Succession, which raged from 1702 to 1714, many English seamen found themselves cast aside, with naught but their skill in sailin' and takin' ships. Disillusioned and lookin' fer a new way of life, they banded together in Nassau, creatin' what be known as the Nassau Pirate Republic. And here’s the intrigue: these buccaneers were ahead o' their time, organizin' themselves under principles that would make even modern folk raise an eyebrow.
They voted on who captained the ship, divvying up loot, and dealin’ out punishment. Aye, even the captain could be ousted by his crew.
Slaves and women had their say, and what truly rattled the powers-that-be was how pirates freed slaves to fight alongside them—stickin’ it to their former oppressors.
Nationality didn’t matter much. Whether ye were English, Spanish, or African, if ye swore to the code, ye were one of the crew.
They lived by a pirate code—an early form o’ a team agreement—that set the rules for loot distribution, leadership, and discipline. And a true example how project's should be managed!
This short-lived experiment in freedom and equality only lasted a few years, until 1718, when Woodes Rogers, a pirate-turned-privateer workin' for the English crown, came crashin’ down on them.
Yet those few rebellious years live on, powerful in our culture, shapin' how we see pirates today. And as we sail the treacherous waters of Building Information Modeling (BIM), I reckon we draw many a parallel to these maritime marauders.
Just like the pirates of old, us BIM Pirates be challengin' the status quo. While others cling to models and bureaucracy, we chart our own course—usin' less modelin' and more decision-makin’. We question the idea of who controls the treasure (or the data, in our case) and push for a new way o’ workin’, where everyone on board has a say, from the ship's captain to the deckhand.
So hoist the Jolly Roger, matey! Let’s sail together, reclaimin' BIM from the bureaucrats, just like the pirates of Nassau took the seas from the crown. There's no tellin' what treasure awaits us in the digital oceans ahead, but one thing's for sure—we'll be takin' it on our own terms.
