It is striking how the ‘magical’ 2010 date for STS shutdown is once again driving Safety Analysis at NASA, after the CAIB report made such a big deal about the role that the artificial ‘Node 2’ Assembly Complete date played in Columbia’s demise. Its amazing that date has been so carved in stone, when the circumstances that it was conceived under by CAIB could not be expected to anticipate how things would play out in the years following Columbia.
http://www.space.com/adastra/adastra_discovery_call_060727.html
I think that real leadership would be NASA completing the communication loop with the Administration and advise them that a 2010 shutdown for the STS is not looking doable. Its incredible that so much cash could be invested in making the vehicle safer, and then this artificial date (a) is creating the circumstances to start cutting safety corners again by increasing schedule pressure and (b) is going to undercut that investment in safety by taking the STS out of service when its arguably as safe and effective as its ever been.
---
"We all sorely complain of the shortness of time, and yet have much more than we know what to do with. Our lives are either spent in doing nothing at all, or in doing nothing to the purpose, or in doing nothing that we ought to do. We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end of them." - Seneca
Friday, July 28, 2006
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Oh What a Tangled Web we Weave
I've created a del.icio.us account, and there you can keep track of recent web articles and sites I've found interesting. Feel free to add me to your contacts if you also have a del.icio.us account.
http://del.icio.us/gamedaygeorge
---
“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive” - Sir Walter Scott
http://del.icio.us/gamedaygeorge
---
“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive” - Sir Walter Scott
Monday, July 17, 2006
Narrative
No country speaks with one voice. No organization speaks with one voice. No company, division or group speaks with one voice. Not even individual families or people speak with one voice. There simply is no single perspective, language or paradigm through which it is 'right' to view the world.
Strength comes from diversity, and strength and robustness of narrative is no exception. There is a premium placed on strong leadership, and coherent, singular thought lines, but this is an artificial constraint placed on us by the need for common understanding. Too often individual thought is exchanged for the memorization and regurgitation of the narratives that delineate a given field.
Narrative is really about making sense of things. It's about creating internal consistency in our minds. It's about trying to understand the world around us, even when we may not have the time or insight to truly understand. Its about coming to an agreement of what is 'close enough' to the truth, without really getting to the true depth of the issue.
Perhaps this is why so many people are captivated by sport. Because, while the game may have been close, or back and forth, or hotly contested, there is a clear story. A clear ending and in most cases a clear result. There are heroes, and almost always they are heralded from the winning side. Might is right, and that's the story.
And perhaps this is what draws us to war - the historical sense that while we're told it's terrible, at least the wars of the past have left us with a clear story about what happened. The winners and losers stories are told extensively, to the point where their thorny details are polished away to leave a shiny, clear and clean story of how justice was done.
But there is no mono-story, no singular interpretation of the world. Singular truth is not a naturally stable configuration. It is not where nature tends to, and it is not where strength is derived from.
---
“The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." - Tom Clancy
Strength comes from diversity, and strength and robustness of narrative is no exception. There is a premium placed on strong leadership, and coherent, singular thought lines, but this is an artificial constraint placed on us by the need for common understanding. Too often individual thought is exchanged for the memorization and regurgitation of the narratives that delineate a given field.
Narrative is really about making sense of things. It's about creating internal consistency in our minds. It's about trying to understand the world around us, even when we may not have the time or insight to truly understand. Its about coming to an agreement of what is 'close enough' to the truth, without really getting to the true depth of the issue.
Perhaps this is why so many people are captivated by sport. Because, while the game may have been close, or back and forth, or hotly contested, there is a clear story. A clear ending and in most cases a clear result. There are heroes, and almost always they are heralded from the winning side. Might is right, and that's the story.
And perhaps this is what draws us to war - the historical sense that while we're told it's terrible, at least the wars of the past have left us with a clear story about what happened. The winners and losers stories are told extensively, to the point where their thorny details are polished away to leave a shiny, clear and clean story of how justice was done.
But there is no mono-story, no singular interpretation of the world. Singular truth is not a naturally stable configuration. It is not where nature tends to, and it is not where strength is derived from.
---
“The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." - Tom Clancy
Time Travel
Why do we travel? Some people would tell you that its either to chase love, or money. Either way, they put it down to motivation. I agree with that. But I'm not so sure I agree with those as the only motivations.
In this day in age, our freedom to travel seems both limitless - even to the stars - and at the same so contrasted with the varied destinies of our fellow inhabitants of this world. At a time when some have so much, and so much freedom, we also have more then ever, access to the knowledge of how little some have.
Images beamed from around the globe of people with little to nothing but the clothes on their backs. And those that have being able to read about it, and see pictures of it in real-time, as if that were a selling point.
The millions who live in Europe have access to riches, freedoms and fortunes that millions, in equal or stonger numbers, in South America know no access to. The milions who live in North America are the same, if not better off, when counter balanced with those in Africa. And across Asia there are profound divisions in wealth distributions.
So, why travel? Travel is a discontinuation with our current experience. It is a way to see the world in new ways, even if it does seem that the way we are seeing it is a continuation of what we have known.
A great deal is spoken about the 'Culture Shock' that is felt when one heads out on the road to visit a foreign place for the first time. I submit that the real clulture shock - and the real reason to travel - is to know that the way you see your land is only one of many ways. And that you can't truly know what those many and varied views are until you've left, and returned. Then, you may also find out that not just your views, but in fact you have been forever changed.
---
"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything." - Charles Kuralt
---
The Pebbles
One night a group of nomads were preparing to retire for the evening when suddenly they were surrounded by a great light. They knew they were in the presence of a celestial being. With great anticipation, they awaited a heavenly message of great importance that they knew must be especially for them.
Finally, the voice spoke.
"Gather as many pebbles as you can. Put them in your saddle bags. Travel a day's journey and tomorrow night will find you glad and it will find you sad."
After the light departed, the nomads shared their disappointment and anger with each other. They had expected the revelation of a great universal truth that would enable them to create wealth, health and purpose for the world. But instead they were given a menial task that made no sense to them at all. However, the memory of the brilliance of their visitor caused each one to pick up a few pebbles and deposit them in their saddle bags while voicing their displeasure.
They traveled a day's journey and that night while making camp, the reached into their saddle bags and discovered every pebble they had gathered had become a diamond. They were glad they had diamonds. They were sad they had not gathered more pebbles.
Source: Various Legends, Chicken Soup for the Soul
In this day in age, our freedom to travel seems both limitless - even to the stars - and at the same so contrasted with the varied destinies of our fellow inhabitants of this world. At a time when some have so much, and so much freedom, we also have more then ever, access to the knowledge of how little some have.
Images beamed from around the globe of people with little to nothing but the clothes on their backs. And those that have being able to read about it, and see pictures of it in real-time, as if that were a selling point.
The millions who live in Europe have access to riches, freedoms and fortunes that millions, in equal or stonger numbers, in South America know no access to. The milions who live in North America are the same, if not better off, when counter balanced with those in Africa. And across Asia there are profound divisions in wealth distributions.
So, why travel? Travel is a discontinuation with our current experience. It is a way to see the world in new ways, even if it does seem that the way we are seeing it is a continuation of what we have known.
A great deal is spoken about the 'Culture Shock' that is felt when one heads out on the road to visit a foreign place for the first time. I submit that the real clulture shock - and the real reason to travel - is to know that the way you see your land is only one of many ways. And that you can't truly know what those many and varied views are until you've left, and returned. Then, you may also find out that not just your views, but in fact you have been forever changed.
---
"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything." - Charles Kuralt
---
The Pebbles
One night a group of nomads were preparing to retire for the evening when suddenly they were surrounded by a great light. They knew they were in the presence of a celestial being. With great anticipation, they awaited a heavenly message of great importance that they knew must be especially for them.
Finally, the voice spoke.
"Gather as many pebbles as you can. Put them in your saddle bags. Travel a day's journey and tomorrow night will find you glad and it will find you sad."
After the light departed, the nomads shared their disappointment and anger with each other. They had expected the revelation of a great universal truth that would enable them to create wealth, health and purpose for the world. But instead they were given a menial task that made no sense to them at all. However, the memory of the brilliance of their visitor caused each one to pick up a few pebbles and deposit them in their saddle bags while voicing their displeasure.
They traveled a day's journey and that night while making camp, the reached into their saddle bags and discovered every pebble they had gathered had become a diamond. They were glad they had diamonds. They were sad they had not gathered more pebbles.
Source: Various Legends, Chicken Soup for the Soul
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)