Empress of the North
What I find fascinating is that technology doesn't stop accidents, it only seems to reduce the statistical prevalence of them. Take for example the Empress of the North running aground this morning. While I don't yet know of the circumstances surrounding this boat hitting the rock, I'd assume that since the rock was named explicitly in the story that it is a charted rock, and should have appeared on navigation aids. Ditto for the LeConte running aground in 2004.
I don't have the resources right now to run an analysis of the number of boating accidents per hours logged on the water, but I bet it's far fewer now than 100 years ago in these waters. But it is still surprising to me that they happen at all!
Happily, along with improved navigation comes better communication technology, and in both cases, ships were present within minutes to help passengers off the ships. 100 years ago they might have been halibut bait.
what's interesting to me is it is exactly this dependency on tec
what's interesting to me is it is exactly this dependency on technology that leaves us unprepared for the unplanned or uncontrolled because we rely so heavily on it.
Technology becomes a curse when we become dependent on it. We expect it to magically solve our problems.
"If only I had that new personal organizer I’d get my life together. Or, maybe a new Blackberry. If I could send email from anywhere I’d be twice as productive."
Too bad it isn’t that simple.
Thoughts along these lines are really excuses. We use the lack of technology as an excuse for our own failures. Technology is neutral, it doesn’t work for or against us. Once we decide to take ownership of our own actions and use technology as a tool instead of a crutch we’ll be able to maximize our effectiveness.
meanwhile, it's excuses excuses excuses...usually that there's not enough of it. in this case, colin, it's not so much a lack of it as a case of someone not paying close enough attention to it.
what's the difference? in either case it's humans = lazy.
something happening for these reasons were prolly further and fewer between a hundred years ago because people couldn't RISK being lazy. Technology may have done something to reduce the prevalence of accidents on the water but what has it done to promote our own, seemingly innate, laziness?
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