Well, here we are in the thick of it. Wouldn't you know this spill debate starts heating up about the time lots of politicians need to make themselves known in a vain effort to convince the rest of us into believe they are actually competent. So, amidst disaster we have lots of arm waiving and head bobbing. Wonderful.
All over the news you hear experts say BP is handling this all wrong, "we should use a nuke to seal the well!" one "expert" suggested. (hmmm oily shrimp for 5 years or irradiated shrimp for 50...think on that one.) Another thought an underwater avalanche should do the trick! We have movie producers calling the most talented engineers in the world morons. A president so concerned about dissing the media whilst proving to the rest of us he is capable of action that no one has quite figured out what he has done. Environmentalists crying about the tragedy, mayors crying about injustice, common folk crying about lost revenue, and Hayward griping about his own lost reality.
The two most common themes that seem to be popping up amidst heated discussion about the difference between the word "plume" and "cloud" are why isn't BP fixing this and why isn't the government making them? Every cry I've heard from a hundred interviews and commentaries is that BP MUST PAY. Fine, yes, they are responsible. I won't get into the oil economy/lifestyle aspect of this debate here. Obama and everyone else who has anything to do with this will stop at nothing to see that they wring every cent out of BP. Again, I will not absolve BP of blame. They deserve plenty of it...but amidst this cry of vengeance upon BP we would be wise to remember the BP is a finite company. The reason that their response has been haphazard and scattered is that they do not have the capacity to maintain production and clean up an oil spill. They are a for profit company that has no doubt shaved their staff right down to the bare minimum. Cleanup on this scale is simply beyond their 62 billion dollar a year capacity. The second every person who believes BP should pay them sues, and the liability cap is unavoidably lifted to astronomical amounts, BP will declare bankruptcy. If you bankrupt BP no one gets anything. The US government gets to fund the massive cleanup themselves. Other oil companies would immediately purchase BP's assets and leave a neutered, battered company with no facilities and all the debt liability. Oil companies would pull out of the US drilling market leaving us completely dependent on oil we don't control.
BP must be allowed to survive. It seems to me that BP should be required to contribute X % of annual gross to immediately fund liability claims and cleanup until both are adequately satisfied. The company continues to operate and folks get payed. Yes, this would make the time-line of compensation and cleanup stretch into 5 plus years, but at the rate we are going it will take 5 years to legally pry the money out of BP anyhow.
And to you folks who seem to think big business capitalist proprietary information is an affront to humanity get your socialist fingers out of this. The government hasn't fixed a thing in the banking market and they won't do any better trying to buy into the oil market either. People accomplish incredible things in the name of making a profit. Let these folks alone and see what they come up with. You can always sue them for fun later.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Something
If you see something, Say something.
If you say something, Mean something.
If you mean something, You may have to prove something.
If you can't prove something, You may regret saying something.
-Rick Moranis-
Monday, May 24, 2010
Blow Out Preventer
From Yahoo News:
"Others have blamed the administration for not doing enough, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who said Sunday on Fox News that Obama was being lax in his response to the spill.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the criticism ill-informed and suggested Palin needed a blowout preventer, the technical term for the device intended to prevent an oil spill from becoming a full-scale catastrophe. The phrase has entered the political vernacular since the one on the Gulf well failed.
"You've got to have a license to drive a car in this country, but regrettably you can get on a TV show and say virtually anything," Gibbs said. "
I think most folks commenting on this disaster need a blowout preventer. Earlier in this article and in other places more and more people are becoming angry that the government isn't doing more in the place of BP. Right, displace one of the only groups of people in this world that have the experience, motivation, and resources to bring whatever solution necessary. No, I do not have the utmost faith in BP for them to ignore their profit margins and mediate this spill. I do, however, see them engaging and addressing the issue. It's a start. The true test will be if after the loose flow is contained and they've opened the well up to controlled profitable oil flow, will they still remain committed to environmental cleanup.
The most important question that needs to be asked, in the face of lay-person after lay-person venting their upset frustrations and anger at BP about this, what truly is the your individual contribution to this disaster? Most of us are certainly comfortable with the standard of living petro-chemicals have provided us. We created the driving demand that pushed BP to expand production so recklessly. Are we really going to blame oil companies for satisfying the demand we so thoughtlessly created? Absolutely, BP could have operated to a much higher industry standard in spite of the fact what they do is inherently risky and experimental to begin with. Risks are part of the game. Equipment failure is always looming, and there is always someone ready to point a finger. But is this global capitalistic economy it is the Consumer that drives the machine, not CEOs or government bureaucrats, us. We were all given brains and tasked with asking questions and making informed, responsible, long term decisions. Look at your own life. How much oil was consumed in providing the beef for your table, or the sweetener in your soft drink? We helped drive the destruction of the Louisiana wetlands. Ponder this before you accuse BP of destroying the world.
The live feed of the leaking riser opening.
http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/homepage/STAGING/local_assets/bp_homepage/html/rov_stream.html
"Others have blamed the administration for not doing enough, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who said Sunday on Fox News that Obama was being lax in his response to the spill.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the criticism ill-informed and suggested Palin needed a blowout preventer, the technical term for the device intended to prevent an oil spill from becoming a full-scale catastrophe. The phrase has entered the political vernacular since the one on the Gulf well failed.
"You've got to have a license to drive a car in this country, but regrettably you can get on a TV show and say virtually anything," Gibbs said. "
I think most folks commenting on this disaster need a blowout preventer. Earlier in this article and in other places more and more people are becoming angry that the government isn't doing more in the place of BP. Right, displace one of the only groups of people in this world that have the experience, motivation, and resources to bring whatever solution necessary. No, I do not have the utmost faith in BP for them to ignore their profit margins and mediate this spill. I do, however, see them engaging and addressing the issue. It's a start. The true test will be if after the loose flow is contained and they've opened the well up to controlled profitable oil flow, will they still remain committed to environmental cleanup.
The most important question that needs to be asked, in the face of lay-person after lay-person venting their upset frustrations and anger at BP about this, what truly is the your individual contribution to this disaster? Most of us are certainly comfortable with the standard of living petro-chemicals have provided us. We created the driving demand that pushed BP to expand production so recklessly. Are we really going to blame oil companies for satisfying the demand we so thoughtlessly created? Absolutely, BP could have operated to a much higher industry standard in spite of the fact what they do is inherently risky and experimental to begin with. Risks are part of the game. Equipment failure is always looming, and there is always someone ready to point a finger. But is this global capitalistic economy it is the Consumer that drives the machine, not CEOs or government bureaucrats, us. We were all given brains and tasked with asking questions and making informed, responsible, long term decisions. Look at your own life. How much oil was consumed in providing the beef for your table, or the sweetener in your soft drink? We helped drive the destruction of the Louisiana wetlands. Ponder this before you accuse BP of destroying the world.
The live feed of the leaking riser opening.
http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/homepage/STAGING/local_assets/bp_homepage/html/rov_stream.html
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
My Favorite Contract Line:
FORCE MAJEURE - The Company shall not be responsible or liable for any delay to service the Buyer’s equipment, or provide replacement parts therefor, if such delay or failure is caused by any act of God, fire, flood, explosion, war, insurrection, riot, embargo, action, statute, ordinance, regulation or order of any government agency, shortage of labor, material, fuel, supplies or transportation, strike or other labor dispute, or any cause, contingency, or occurrence of any nature, whether or not similar to those herein before specified, beyond the Company’s control,which prevents, hinders, or interferes with the performance of said services or the supplying of said parts.
Yes, it was an act of God that the walmart on the way to the service site had an irresistible in-store Dunkin Donuts.
Yes, it was an act of God that the walmart on the way to the service site had an irresistible in-store Dunkin Donuts.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Spectre of the Past
I know I've used this title for my sidebar...but it truly carries some meaning for me.
The past is funny. You want so vividly to remember some good thing, some redeeming factor (good or bad) that might validate the state you find yourself currently. The problem with this particular strategy is that you begin to twist the past into funny distorted versions of what actually happened. It is no doubt my past is subject to my bias. I simply refuse to admit there is no limit to my ability to twist it. I've been sifting through hundreds of pages I've saved from the last four years and I've discovered a vicious truth: the past will always change you. Every time you look back at it a little piece of you changes. With every AIM conversation I've saved, with every frantically scribbled page your perception changes from one of calm composed reflectance to truly regretful determination. The table turns now. I search desperately for a clue that I'm not the person that wrote those scribbled letters. That man who tried so hard to make the people he cared for understand that things weren't as simple as they appeared. Every solemn accusation and every word of hurt rings true as it ever did. If your not careful those words will drag you right back to the very time they were written. Those blurring moments when you walked out of an exam you know bent you over the table or even those sweaty palms that were left tightly gripping the pillow that was just thrown at you in contemptuous disgust.
Quite simply, if you get lost in the moments you can't do anything about then you've doomed any hope of a future where those moments aren't created. The past will change you. Every time you look back at it. Flowery moments of fleeting grace. Every blistering regret must be dealt with and sent away. Don't fear your past. It's the easiest way to drive over the same cliff you just spent the last 4 years climbing out of.
Personally, I'd rather only find out what my body does when I reach the bottom once.
So, I toss the papers that only feed the fuel of my despondence and learn from every puff of smoke as they waft away. The lessons are what you must carry.
The past is funny. You want so vividly to remember some good thing, some redeeming factor (good or bad) that might validate the state you find yourself currently. The problem with this particular strategy is that you begin to twist the past into funny distorted versions of what actually happened. It is no doubt my past is subject to my bias. I simply refuse to admit there is no limit to my ability to twist it. I've been sifting through hundreds of pages I've saved from the last four years and I've discovered a vicious truth: the past will always change you. Every time you look back at it a little piece of you changes. With every AIM conversation I've saved, with every frantically scribbled page your perception changes from one of calm composed reflectance to truly regretful determination. The table turns now. I search desperately for a clue that I'm not the person that wrote those scribbled letters. That man who tried so hard to make the people he cared for understand that things weren't as simple as they appeared. Every solemn accusation and every word of hurt rings true as it ever did. If your not careful those words will drag you right back to the very time they were written. Those blurring moments when you walked out of an exam you know bent you over the table or even those sweaty palms that were left tightly gripping the pillow that was just thrown at you in contemptuous disgust.
Quite simply, if you get lost in the moments you can't do anything about then you've doomed any hope of a future where those moments aren't created. The past will change you. Every time you look back at it. Flowery moments of fleeting grace. Every blistering regret must be dealt with and sent away. Don't fear your past. It's the easiest way to drive over the same cliff you just spent the last 4 years climbing out of.
Personally, I'd rather only find out what my body does when I reach the bottom once.
So, I toss the papers that only feed the fuel of my despondence and learn from every puff of smoke as they waft away. The lessons are what you must carry.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Business Trips
Two weeks ago I encountered my first business trip. Haas sent me to Milford CT to become certified as a quality rep by Sikorsky helicopter. Rather, my official title just added "Designated Quality Representative for Sikorsky Helicopter Systems of United Technologies Corporation". What all of that foolishness actually means is I spent three days in a brand new hotel that charges 11 dollars for a bagel, sat through 24 hours of some of the most cumbersome, dry, and monstrously frustrating slides of detail after detail and thanked God for my ample imagination. I always knew the precision manufacture industry could be dry. These last few days enlightened me to a much more discouraging level. An example: Of the 150 reps in attendance, I was at least 10 years the junior of the rooms average age. I had the least complicated phone with, apparently, the least amount of desire to continually use it. Most amusingly, I was one of about ten people in the entire room I ever saw smile. In fact, my table of 8 were considered outcasts of the entire room...we laughed. During one project in which we had to decipher complicated spec drawings in groups, my table was stared at by every person in the room at least twice. A great feeling...really.
In short, I was sent to gain a title so I could be taught to do something completely unrelated. Bizarre I know. Just move on. What I gained from this experience was interestingly valuable. Firstly, I learned how you write down the instructions to assemble ultra precise flying machines. Levels upon levels of redundant instructions encumbered with often 6 separated quality checks or more come together in the thousands to build one section of a helicopter. Secondly, business trips are fun. Your shoved in a room full of people who'd rather be texting or managing and be given the privilege of watching them squirm as they try to make everyone think they already know this stuff. Positively entertaining.
Lastly, I learned that I enjoy learning. I enjoy creating knowledge. Making connections between multiple pieces of information that build together to make something completely different. This business trip freed me up to do just that. I was in attendance for the simple purpose to be given a title...not to retain any significant process or requirement. From this perspective, I was able to approach the subject and presentations my own way with my own questions. I didn't feel pressured to remember everything. Don't get me wrong. I now have rather good assembly of knowledge regarding industry and Sikorsky standards. I simply achieved that end result differently. I went in looking for ways to utilize the classes in my career, at Haas and beyond. A lesson I really wish I had picked up before college.
Here's to looking forward to more business trips full of golden bagels and unhappy manufacturers.
In short, I was sent to gain a title so I could be taught to do something completely unrelated. Bizarre I know. Just move on. What I gained from this experience was interestingly valuable. Firstly, I learned how you write down the instructions to assemble ultra precise flying machines. Levels upon levels of redundant instructions encumbered with often 6 separated quality checks or more come together in the thousands to build one section of a helicopter. Secondly, business trips are fun. Your shoved in a room full of people who'd rather be texting or managing and be given the privilege of watching them squirm as they try to make everyone think they already know this stuff. Positively entertaining.
Lastly, I learned that I enjoy learning. I enjoy creating knowledge. Making connections between multiple pieces of information that build together to make something completely different. This business trip freed me up to do just that. I was in attendance for the simple purpose to be given a title...not to retain any significant process or requirement. From this perspective, I was able to approach the subject and presentations my own way with my own questions. I didn't feel pressured to remember everything. Don't get me wrong. I now have rather good assembly of knowledge regarding industry and Sikorsky standards. I simply achieved that end result differently. I went in looking for ways to utilize the classes in my career, at Haas and beyond. A lesson I really wish I had picked up before college.
Here's to looking forward to more business trips full of golden bagels and unhappy manufacturers.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Travian Skills: Diplomacy
So, here might be an example of a skill that Travian facilitates. This is a message I sent a player dictating terms to him. I sincerely doubt I would have been able to put this together quite as effectively before I started Travian. I might be fooling myself...but who knows. Experience, training, and useful knowledge comes from the oddest of places.
----------------------<><><><><><><><><>----------------------------
XXXXXXXX,
I would be happy to offer you a personal non-aggression pact under the following terms:
---><
(1) One hour's total resource production (as allowable by travian policies) be delivered to 0.0 Nexus ( 158|92 ) Reinforcement Send resources once per day indefinitely. Significant cessation of this delivering will suspend the NAP and result in armed retaliation.
(2) I shall be notified of any further village settlements or village conquering within the 21x21 of 0.0 Nexus before said action occurs. Said actions will be subject to my approval.
(3) No overt or covert action of any kind shall be allowed against myself or my declared allies.
(4) Maintain the ability to reinforce any of my villages with defensive troops if so needed. Commitment need not be your total force anvil, but some resonable commitment made. If desired, this term may be morphed into a "gradual stationing" of defensive troops in my villages.
---<>
Any violation of the above terms without reasonable, competent and timely explanation shall be treated as an act of war.
While the above terms are adhered to you are officially my protectorate and subject to the benefits therein. Please post a note in your profile " Under Protection of Reclaimer" if you agree to these terms.
It would not be an unreasonable hope to forsee this tentative aggreement forming into a full alliance in the weeks to come. Keep this eventuality in mind. If the terms of this agreement are fulfilled and adhered to it may be decided to remove such requirements in light of an alliance action.
I welcome any further communication.
XXXXXXXXX
----------------------<><><><><><><><><>----------------------------
XXXXXXXX,
I would be happy to offer you a personal non-aggression pact under the following terms:
---><
(1) One hour's total resource production (as allowable by travian policies) be delivered to 0.0 Nexus ( 158|92 ) Reinforcement Send resources once per day indefinitely. Significant cessation of this delivering will suspend the NAP and result in armed retaliation.
(2) I shall be notified of any further village settlements or village conquering within the 21x21 of 0.0 Nexus before said action occurs. Said actions will be subject to my approval.
(3) No overt or covert action of any kind shall be allowed against myself or my declared allies.
(4) Maintain the ability to reinforce any of my villages with defensive troops if so needed. Commitment need not be your total force anvil, but some resonable commitment made. If desired, this term may be morphed into a "gradual stationing" of defensive troops in my villages.
---<>
Any violation of the above terms without reasonable, competent and timely explanation shall be treated as an act of war.
While the above terms are adhered to you are officially my protectorate and subject to the benefits therein. Please post a note in your profile " Under Protection of Reclaimer" if you agree to these terms.
It would not be an unreasonable hope to forsee this tentative aggreement forming into a full alliance in the weeks to come. Keep this eventuality in mind. If the terms of this agreement are fulfilled and adhered to it may be decided to remove such requirements in light of an alliance action.
I welcome any further communication.
XXXXXXXXX
Current Obsession: Travian
I'm prone to Obsessions. Hobbies, subjects, work...it never ends. It's one of the ways I learn. I'll pick up an interest, live and breath that interest for a while and, most often, it will eventually fall away. If it turns out to be something really worth my time and I feel I'm developing some skill or gaining some experience from this obsession I'll let it continue.
My current obsession: Travian
Travian is best described as a real-time, large scale, text based, MMORPG (Massively Multilayer Role Playing Game). Developed originally by some Germans, this game is played on every continent. In Travian, you are a regional lord of a medieval civilization. You are in charge of managing resources, growing your cities, building and utilizing your armies. At first glance...it's quite simple to play. Most of the game is a balance of numbers. The true intricacy of Travian comes in it's necessary involvement and integration of player to player teamwork. You must have diplomatic skills to stay alive in this game. Game servers run for a little over a year. Which means, if you play a full server, you are responsible for your cities, armies, and developing diplomatic ties that last a year. The depth that interpersonal interactions, negotiations, and extreme leadership responsibilities is almost frightening. If you take a leadership role in travian it is a full time job. You are in charge of entire alliances, alliance level diplomatic negotiations, individual players...everything. There are entire command structures in every alliance. The reality is...if your not in an alliance who is organized, well led, and your an active part of the alliance...you will get nowhere in this game.
I know it sounds silly but if you take an active part in Travian, you will develop and incredible amount of skills. Everything from resource management, military strategy, diplomatic maneuvering, negotiations, teamwork, leadership, prioritization, and humility. Believe me: if you do not engage in developing these skills you will see months of work destroyed in a week by a player with a bigger army than you.
What truly intrigues me about Travian is the sheer scale of this game. Unlike World of Warcraft (another obsession that literally and regrettably took over my life for a summer) where you have a lot of places to go and a sea of people just running around completing quests and instances, Travian involves 15,000 people a server. You need to manage details from how much wheat your troops have to eat in one of your 20 cities, all the way up to whether this message your about to send to this diplomat will plunge your alliance of 400 players into a brutal war with another alliance. The servers are always running and always live. So, you could be driving back from work without a worry in the world and a 10,000 man army could be marching towrad one of your cities. This level a stress is not for everyone. In WOW, when you log out...your player is no longer in the world. So nothing happens to your character when you not around. In Travian, your always at risk, always growing, always on your toes. My girlfriend, for example, loves the game, but could not handle having to always have the well being and status of her cities in the back of her head 24/7. Always being tied to whether she could get to a computer several times a day to keep things rolling. This is the only downside to Travian. There is no pause button. When you commit to Travian you commit to leading your cities for a year plus. In term's of games, that's huge.
I've now played Travian for about a year and a half now. I've been on 4 different servers and currently manage two servers right now. At minimum, I can get away with only committing about 45 min a day to my two accounts. Tonight, I plan on sitting down with two other players and beating out a battle strategy for an offensive this week. That will take 3 or 4 hours. If I were involved in alliance leadership wholesale...I would be required to commit upwards of 4 hours a day just to keep current.
Like any other game, Travian is only what you want it to be. If you let it, it will expand and fill every part of your life. (Dangerous for people wanting to mentally run away from real-life). Whoops, do I sound like I know how that works? My bad. Travian is a game and a means. A means for having fun, and developing some serious skills. For me, right now, it's a means to exact my sadistic megalomaniacal pleasure tendancies and maybe, just maybe, learn how to better organize my thoughts and interpersonal skills. I know it sounds like a stretch, but it just might work.
My current obsession: Travian
Travian is best described as a real-time, large scale, text based, MMORPG (Massively Multilayer Role Playing Game). Developed originally by some Germans, this game is played on every continent. In Travian, you are a regional lord of a medieval civilization. You are in charge of managing resources, growing your cities, building and utilizing your armies. At first glance...it's quite simple to play. Most of the game is a balance of numbers. The true intricacy of Travian comes in it's necessary involvement and integration of player to player teamwork. You must have diplomatic skills to stay alive in this game. Game servers run for a little over a year. Which means, if you play a full server, you are responsible for your cities, armies, and developing diplomatic ties that last a year. The depth that interpersonal interactions, negotiations, and extreme leadership responsibilities is almost frightening. If you take a leadership role in travian it is a full time job. You are in charge of entire alliances, alliance level diplomatic negotiations, individual players...everything. There are entire command structures in every alliance. The reality is...if your not in an alliance who is organized, well led, and your an active part of the alliance...you will get nowhere in this game.
I know it sounds silly but if you take an active part in Travian, you will develop and incredible amount of skills. Everything from resource management, military strategy, diplomatic maneuvering, negotiations, teamwork, leadership, prioritization, and humility. Believe me: if you do not engage in developing these skills you will see months of work destroyed in a week by a player with a bigger army than you.
What truly intrigues me about Travian is the sheer scale of this game. Unlike World of Warcraft (another obsession that literally and regrettably took over my life for a summer) where you have a lot of places to go and a sea of people just running around completing quests and instances, Travian involves 15,000 people a server. You need to manage details from how much wheat your troops have to eat in one of your 20 cities, all the way up to whether this message your about to send to this diplomat will plunge your alliance of 400 players into a brutal war with another alliance. The servers are always running and always live. So, you could be driving back from work without a worry in the world and a 10,000 man army could be marching towrad one of your cities. This level a stress is not for everyone. In WOW, when you log out...your player is no longer in the world. So nothing happens to your character when you not around. In Travian, your always at risk, always growing, always on your toes. My girlfriend, for example, loves the game, but could not handle having to always have the well being and status of her cities in the back of her head 24/7. Always being tied to whether she could get to a computer several times a day to keep things rolling. This is the only downside to Travian. There is no pause button. When you commit to Travian you commit to leading your cities for a year plus. In term's of games, that's huge.
I've now played Travian for about a year and a half now. I've been on 4 different servers and currently manage two servers right now. At minimum, I can get away with only committing about 45 min a day to my two accounts. Tonight, I plan on sitting down with two other players and beating out a battle strategy for an offensive this week. That will take 3 or 4 hours. If I were involved in alliance leadership wholesale...I would be required to commit upwards of 4 hours a day just to keep current.
Like any other game, Travian is only what you want it to be. If you let it, it will expand and fill every part of your life. (Dangerous for people wanting to mentally run away from real-life). Whoops, do I sound like I know how that works? My bad. Travian is a game and a means. A means for having fun, and developing some serious skills. For me, right now, it's a means to exact my sadistic megalomaniacal pleasure tendancies and maybe, just maybe, learn how to better organize my thoughts and interpersonal skills. I know it sounds like a stretch, but it just might work.
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