Titan(ic) fail
As James Cameron pointed out, there are wonderful parallels between the original Titanic disaster and the Titan's epic failure.Basically, the captain ignored all the warnings; and there were many. In this case, the captain also happens to be the CEO of the company that mindfully put five innocent souls at risk*.
I'm all for innovation, but ignoring basic material science isn't innovation; it's stupid. And charging £250,000-a-pop to fund your stupid, is criminal.
So, just as well he died, if you think about it. The perfect scapegoat lies dead, along with four innocent fools, at 4000 Metres down. Or at least parts of him.
If he wasn't down there, the rest of his life would have been a living hell. Hell, even I, who have zero skin in the game, would have been emailing this fucker to ask why he so blatantly ignored every single expert in the field.
You know what people, in some fields we simply don't need big innovation. Some we do, sure, battery tech, carbon capture, so many others. But when it comes to diving 4000 metres down, we need only one single thing (aside from a decently-sized window), and that is SAFETY. FOR FUCK'S SAKE. Innovate all you like on your own, private time.
Which brings me to my main question:
How is it possible, or legal, to take an "experimental" craft down ANY metres? Let alone with PAYING passengers! "International Waters" is getting pretty thin as an excuse for this sort of obviously stupid malarky.
Don't we have an international waters body of some kind, to legislate here?
And for what? Money? pfff...
I have no more words.
;o)
references:
Would you pay $250,000 to travel on a craft guided by a 40-buck Logitech games controller? No, of course not. Logitech gear isn't bad, per se, but even Logitech definitely wouldn't certify their gear for life-and-death, mission-critical off-world adventures, which is essentially what this stuff is.
Loads of military units around the world have copied the physical structure of games controllers for their own uses, and that's all good - a shit-load of time and effort and research goes into games controllers and if you have the need, do it! - but they then build their own units, to exacting specifications and standards, with military-grade components (like my tech). They didn't just go to Wallmart and grab a joystick off the shelf. Ocean Gate did exactly that. And so much more of the same.
If that wasn't a red flag for you, then sorry, you are stupid too, and deserve everything coming your way.
And to everyone wailing and moaning to the families of "the bereaved", Wise up! No fucking way would I take my kids on that dive because I have no wish to kill my children, which is what even the most meager of investigations would have led you to conclude you were doing. Also I couldn't afford it.
Retrospect is wonderful, aye, but sir, you are still a fuckwit and 100% responsible for the death of your own son. Oh wait. Doh! You're dead too. Evidently, desire can be a powerful motivator. Cuts right through all reason and logic, often tragically. I too desire to give my children wonderful experiences, even ones I desire more for myself. But not blindly.
It's like this; last time I bought a tablet for my youngest, I spent over 20 hours researching options. Be sure, if I was instead planning to take him 4000 metres down into the ocean's depths, I would have spent at least that weighing up the options. And I would have quickly concluded that not only was it a waste of money, but a potentially fatal waste of money.
So I conclude you are a fuckwit sir and deserve no less than a "Catastrophic implosion" at 4000M down. As for your son, I cannot say. I guess you used parental pressure to get him down there. Nothing like the pressure you subsequently experienced, eh!
Too soon? pfff. Give it a minute and there will be book deals and Hollywood treatments. What a cracking story, eh!
It's actually a pretty legendary way to die, too, and I find myself terribly jealous. So, way to go folks!
Can I also point out that the time it takes for an entire "catastrophic implosion" at 4000M (around 1 millisecond) is way less that the time it takes for the brain to consciously process data (more than 100 times, in fact). No one "suffered", per se, though there may well have been a few preceding moments of overwhelming panic. Precursor events are a given.
Note to self: If you ever design a submersible; install a pressure-proof flight-recorder.
*** But wait a minute, Paul-Henri Nargeolet was on-board. He's definitely not stupid. That Stockton Rush must have been one persuasive sonofabitch.
Damn! I take back everything I said about individual stupidity.
We're clearly dealing with built-in human stupidity, that which is so easily manipulated by others. Also, what sort of name is "Stockton"? ffs!
Normally names are a no-no for me, when it comes to taking the piss, but clearly his parents had uncanny foresight, or something. Do the entomology on the entire name. Beautiful!
Loads of military units around the world have copied the physical structure of games controllers for their own uses, and that's all good - a shit-load of time and effort and research goes into games controllers and if you have the need, do it! - but they then build their own units, to exacting specifications and standards, with military-grade components (like my tech). They didn't just go to Wallmart and grab a joystick off the shelf. Ocean Gate did exactly that. And so much more of the same.
If that wasn't a red flag for you, then sorry, you are stupid too, and deserve everything coming your way.
And to everyone wailing and moaning to the families of "the bereaved", Wise up! No fucking way would I take my kids on that dive because I have no wish to kill my children, which is what even the most meager of investigations would have led you to conclude you were doing. Also I couldn't afford it.
Retrospect is wonderful, aye, but sir, you are still a fuckwit and 100% responsible for the death of your own son. Oh wait. Doh! You're dead too. Evidently, desire can be a powerful motivator. Cuts right through all reason and logic, often tragically. I too desire to give my children wonderful experiences, even ones I desire more for myself. But not blindly.
It's like this; last time I bought a tablet for my youngest, I spent over 20 hours researching options. Be sure, if I was instead planning to take him 4000 metres down into the ocean's depths, I would have spent at least that weighing up the options. And I would have quickly concluded that not only was it a waste of money, but a potentially fatal waste of money.
So I conclude you are a fuckwit sir and deserve no less than a "Catastrophic implosion" at 4000M down. As for your son, I cannot say. I guess you used parental pressure to get him down there. Nothing like the pressure you subsequently experienced, eh!
Too soon? pfff. Give it a minute and there will be book deals and Hollywood treatments. What a cracking story, eh!
It's actually a pretty legendary way to die, too, and I find myself terribly jealous. So, way to go folks!
Can I also point out that the time it takes for an entire "catastrophic implosion" at 4000M (around 1 millisecond) is way less that the time it takes for the brain to consciously process data (more than 100 times, in fact). No one "suffered", per se, though there may well have been a few preceding moments of overwhelming panic. Precursor events are a given.
Note to self: If you ever design a submersible; install a pressure-proof flight-recorder.
*** But wait a minute, Paul-Henri Nargeolet was on-board. He's definitely not stupid. That Stockton Rush must have been one persuasive sonofabitch.
Damn! I take back everything I said about individual stupidity.
We're clearly dealing with built-in human stupidity, that which is so easily manipulated by others. Also, what sort of name is "Stockton"? ffs!
Normally names are a no-no for me, when it comes to taking the piss, but clearly his parents had uncanny foresight, or something. Do the entomology on the entire name. Beautiful!