"Gill Passman" wrote in message
.. .
NetMax wrote:
"Elaine T" wrote in message
t...
snip

My joy in this hobby as you quite rightly mention, does happen with
some people, is the pleasure in watching my fish and their interactions
with me and with themselves....a pretty tank, ornamental feature as a
goal is also very, very common...I see them as my pets, my tanks are
very transient as I try to achieve the perfect environment...never
achievable hence the constant fiddling and changes...but I would hazard
a guess that most people who bother enough to subscribe to
newsgroups/forums do the same...for all of us doing this there are
thousands of people out there who either know what to do or just think
of tanks of fish as something that looks great in their living room
(and don't get me wrong if the fish are healthy and well cared for
there is nothing wrong with this)...but if they die the attitude is
"buy more" - not a difficult concept in our consumer society....soapbox
warning

Until fish are seen as more than decorations we will never get the
quality of service and livestock that we deserve. Futhermore, our pets,
the fish, will suffer from neglect and harm not only from their
ultimate owners but the retailers and wholesalers

Elevating the respect level for our aquatic pets is definitely an
important goal for most parts of the world. Europe seems to have a
better grip on this.

Your idea is great and fantastic if it provides a virtual reality tank
for those that just want the concept and decorative value of
fish...maybe this is the market (and I do know you chastised me for
considering you were selling - a slight net problem - I didn't mean
commercially I meant the concept/idea). And if it moves us away from
people who see fish as mere designer objects with no care for their
well being, then I'm sorry, so much the better.

Sorry on the 'net' problem. I'm glad to see it rolled off. This 'future
scenario' was really just something that occured to me. Not really
thought out, just pondering on how our living room entertainment might
all converge in the future. It was floated here for 'brain-storming',
and I wouldn't take insult if everyone found flaws in it. As a designer,
I'm accustomed to the majority of my ideas being bad, impractical or
otherwise unworkable. From an engineering perspective, this 'scenario'
offered some unconventional solutions for some conventional problems.

Now, maybe the "would be fish owners who can't be arsed to do the work"
would really be better off with their virtual tanks....can see a market
for this just as you describe...but someone still has to be in there
doing the work....if I'm doing the work I want to see the real thing
not something fed to me on a screen...

The already exists non-commercial web cam broadcasts of the inside of
aquariums. While this angle was also in my head peripherally, I didn't
include it, as we are primarily 'real' hobbyists here, not part-time
users who would have an aquarium projected on their wall when they have
company over. We are the people who actually have the tanks, so if I'm
not considering this from a commercial perspective (which I'm not), then
the concept's merits should be judged by real hobbyists. However, you do
bring up an interesting angle. If it was a commercial broadcast, then
places which cannot have a real aquarium (ie: airplane flights), or
places where aquarium care is a challenge (retirement homes, restaurents,
hospitals etc) might get some benefit. Another market is the people you
mentioned who have no interest in learning the proper care, and for them,
the broadcasts might save a few fish!
--
www.NetMax.tk

Climbing off the box and I know that you know it isn't personal and
just a "Gill rant" g

Gill