Pushing the Limits Author Assignment Suggested

GREAT IDEA. Why don't you contact him?

Milo

"Better To Try Than Simply Ask Why" is the title of an article published by the Toronto Globle & Mail last Saturday. Mr. Petroski wrote it. (6/5/10)

I shall be looking for Mr. Petroski's latest book, The Essential Engineer: Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global Problems.

Apparently Mr. Petroski is on deadline and has therefore limited time.

In Mr. Petroski's article he warns us of fixing things till they are broken, and confirms Murphy's law. He does not specifically say what proposed solution to the BP oil well disaster is best. He does say that an engineer will do more to change the world, than a scientist.

While you're at it call Bill gates, Dean Kamen and Stephen Hawking.

Well I'll have to look up Dean Kamen. Far as why Mr. Petroski's take on the BP drilling disaster is more appropriate for featuring on CR4 is prompted by his insights into how things happen from rock hard understanding of the engineering, and a just as advanced understanding of the human element.

In disasters rules are broken both to create the disaster, and sometimes to overcome the disaster. Military commanders are taught not to divide their forces, but they are also taught that some battles were won, because the commander divided his force.

First you do try the surgical operations if you have that capability, but if that fails, or obviously is not the end all no matter what, you must send in the numerically superior force.

My own pet plan for ending the flow of poisonous oil into the waters of the Gulf is partly derived from arguments here on CR4. I'd sure enough recommend we bow to Mr. Petroski's judgement before I'd bow to yours or most any other.

Frankly due to my readings of Mr. Petroski's books, I'd nominate him for a visit to Mr. Obama, or any other powerful person as if it was really important to get the right brains involved. We cannot see any of our President's education providing certain engineering principles. AH recommended experts, but they sure have failed us so far.

P.S. My pet plan, or offering to the solution is very low tech, and long has been. I just recommend crushing the pipes shut and covering the area with steel balls, concrete balls, or even old ships with the tops cut off and turned over.

High tech and surgical seems beyond the Remote Operated Vehicles. -or robots.

Fluting the pipe and catch hold top spiking or covering of the spew pipe with introduced "Mud" or junk, was apparently beyond the capabilities of the tools at hand. Since none of the surgical approaches have worked very well, plus the oil is useless, why not just drop weights onto all of it till the poisoning is stopped?

My idea of surgical when the Blow out Protector jammed and failed was to melt it with electricity, but maybe that wasn't possible due to Voltage drop and robotic problems with attaching arc wires. (Sparkstation is remembered here by me for he would have been able to tell me whether or not this was a sensible approach.)

As said I have little faith at all in BP due to attempts to speak with more than gatekeepers there in the past.