Often have I wondered what happens to the oil when an oil rig has a problem. I don't think I ever thought of one exploding in a fire-ball, and being destroyed down to the surface of the sea, but that will work. I had just thought of things like the line snaps!
So anyway, one assumes in these days of great technological advance and great wealth creation and destruction, the oil companies, flush in money, have something up their sleeves to handle such an event, and the government - ever watchful - has something in mind to remediate the situation.
Turns out, they don't.
Oh, theoretically they have a blow-out spill preventer, but - as luck would have it - it does not work.
Once again, the complexity of our lives has caused us to come a cropper. The next big societal disaster is going to be at least partially based on this fact: we do not have control of the complexity of our society; the uncontrolled rush for profits has led us to go fast and ignore whether we have things under control.
If you doubt it, let me tell you I am just waiting for the reports on genetically modified crops and their problems to come rolling in around 2014... and GM genes have already escaped from test plots, just as we knew they would, but 3M knew they wouldn't.
Oh, and the rig was a BP rig. Boy, was that a surprise!
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4 comments:
Well over half the people in this country don't recognize that there's any such thing as complexity. You know, all the ones with the simple answers to everything. If you can't grasp complexity, you're going to be simple-minded by definition, no?
I am simple minded. I handle it by being silent a lot, and meditating on the mysteries before me.
It works for me and the world.
If it ever comes to pass that the world clamors for me to speak, you will know that the salami has hit the fan.
You are not simple-minded, sir. The simple-minded aren't fascinated by mysteries, nor do they meditate. :-)
Well, thanks.
It truly is a gift to be simple, tho not simple-mided. I know, having done both.
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