The “WTF?!” Thread

[Xprimentyl]

I want a The Social Network style movie where the film actually pretends that this was a brilliant, courageous endeavor and everyone on board are misunderstood heroes.

I'd want the exact opposite, ala The Hangover, where a seemingly innocent, fun idea of a few well-offs turns into chaos and ruin.

That said, I DO hope those people are found safe and sound, and that this might be cautionary tale for any others with the means to explore exorbitant luxuries to find better uses for the wealth.

Also, stop fucking around in the ocean. They don't want us down there; I don't know how much clearer they can make it.

 

[Thaluikhain]

You know what'd be really cool though? To operate a drone with a camera by remote control, so you can explore deep water without having to go there yourself.

There's a submarine simulator in Italy that allows people to drive a webcam through an artificial pond to look at stuff, and you could get a good internet connection and explore a pond on the other side of the world.

On one hand, a slow death in a coffin buried water is one of the most horrible things I can imagine. One the other hand, really hard to feel bad for people throwing their lives and a substantial amount of money (for us, not them) away just for I assume an ego boost.

Yeah, serious respect for Allied submariners risking horrible deaths to sink Axis shipping. These people...not so much.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

You're two years too late.

A Millionaire Explorer Is Offering Trips to the Mariana Trench For $750,000 | The Inertia

Victor Vescovo, a millionaire explorer, is offering trips to the bottom of the Mariana Trench for $750,000.

www.theinertia.com

I can just picture it…

”I went to the Mariana Trench and all I got was this lousy implosion.”

 

[Chimpzy]

So, which stage of grief is this?

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

So, which stage of grief is this?

That would be the "desperate scumbag" stage.

 

[Baffle]

So, which stage of grief is this?

The one where you've seen the will and know no one is in a position to change it.

 

[Zykon TheLich]

So, which stage of grief is this?

I had always wondered who the fuck was giving money to only fans.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

So, which stage of grief is this?

The “nevergaveafuck” stage most likely (which, un(?)ironically probably applied to both parties). The first step (no pun) would be admittance.

Search area for lost Titanic-bound submersible deepens, doubles in size as oxygen dwindles

The U.S. Coast Guard did not elaborate on what rescuers believed the noises could be. However, it offered a glimmer of hope for those now lost aboard the Titan as estimates suggest as little as a day’s worth of oxygen could be left.

apnews.com

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

Well that’s that -

Titanic sub destroyed in 'catastrophic implosion,' all five aboard dead

A deep-sea submersible carrying five people on a voyage to the century-old wreck of the Titanic was found in pieces from a "catastrophic implosion" that killed everyone aboard, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday, ending a multinational five-day search for the vessel.

www.reuters.com

James Cameron says he wishes he'd sounded alarm over lost submersible

Movie director and submersible maker James Cameron said on Thursday he wishes he had sounded the alarm earlier about the submersible Titan that imploded on an expedition to the Titanic wreckage, saying he had found the hull design risky.

www.reuters.com

Missing Titanic sub: experts raised safety concerns about OceanGate Titan in 2018

Experts raised safety concerns in 2018 about the submersible vessel that has been missing since Sunday, when it descended with tourists on a deep ocean journey to view the wreckage of the Titanic.

www.reuters.com

The captain/CEO was a doofus. Enough red flags were raised but apparently he didn’t care. This would be one of those cases where it’s important to follow the rules vs break them.

Stockton Rush revealed he's 'broken some rules to make' lost Titan sub

In a newly emerged video seen by DailyMail.com, Rush tells Mexican actor Alan Estrada about Titan's plexiglass window, and says he has 'broken rules' to build the vessel currently lost at sea.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Xprimentyl]

Well that’s that -

Titanic sub destroyed in 'catastrophic implosion,' all five aboard dead

A deep-sea submersible carrying five people on a voyage to the century-old wreck of the Titanic was found in pieces from a "catastrophic implosion" that killed everyone aboard, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday, ending a multinational five-day search for the vessel.

www.reuters.com

James Cameron says he wishes he'd sounded alarm over lost submersible

Movie director and submersible maker James Cameron said on Thursday he wishes he had sounded the alarm earlier about the submersible Titan that imploded on an expedition to the Titanic wreckage, saying he had found the hull design risky.

www.reuters.com

Missing Titanic sub: experts raised safety concerns about OceanGate Titan in 2018

Experts raised safety concerns in 2018 about the submersible vessel that has been missing since Sunday, when it descended with tourists on a deep ocean journey to view the wreckage of the Titanic.

www.reuters.com

The captain/CEO was a doofus. Enough red flags were raised but apparently he didn’t care. This would be one of those cases where it’s important to follow the rules vs break them.

Stockton Rush revealed he's 'broken some rules to make' lost Titan sub

In a newly emerged video seen by DailyMail.com, Rush tells Mexican actor Alan Estrada about Titan's plexiglass window, and says he has 'broken rules' to build the vessel currently lost at sea.

www.dailymail.co.uk

What get's me is the 19-year-old kid who was "terrified" to go on this little excursion, but only did so to bond with his dad. Poor kid. Whatever happened to having a catch in the backyard, watching a football game, working on a car, or having an underage beer? I know if MY dad asked me to go 2 miles under water to hang out, well, no relationship with anyone would be worth that kinda risk. And the mother is just glad they "didn't suffer." I don't know what her definition of suffering is; maybe she's assuming the implosion was immediate and no sign of malfunction panicked their thoughts before their deaths, but I'd personally have suffered the entire time.

James Cameron, someone who has himself risked death with his own deep sea excursions, called out Rush for his recklessness and likened his hubris to the very same that ironically sank the Titanic he was trying to visit.

RICH PEOPLE!! Do the world a favor: instead of doing really dumb shit with your money, try some philanthropic work instead. I feel for those lost in this Titan disaster, but damned if I'm not a bit angry at how senseless and pointless it was.

 

[Chimpzy]

As mentioned in another thread, Rush has joined the list of naval architects who were killed by their own vessel. The second most recent person on that list is Thomas Andrews, who designed the Titanic and died on it.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I like looking at disasters to se what can be learnt from them, but often the lesson is "Christ, don't be really stupid, c'mon."

RICH PEOPLE!! Do the world a favor: instead of doing really dumb shit with your money, try some philanthropic work instead. I feel for those lost in this Titan disaster, but damned if I'm not a bit angry at how senseless and pointless it was.

I've seen it argued, and it seems plausible, that the mindset you need to be rich isn't compatible with the mindset you need to be a philanthropist.

(But yeah, how cool would it be to have a drone submarine you could pilot down to the sea bed and look at weird sea creatures, from the safety of a surface vessel, or maybe even on land?)

 

[Xprimentyl]

I've seen it argued, and it seems plausible, that the mindset you need to be rich isn't compatible with the mindset you need to be a philanthropist.

And I argue that any decent, sane person would know that a balance can be struck. "Philanthropy" doesn't mandate that one gives every dime away to those in need; a sensible, wealthy person should be able to maintain their wealth AND provide charity, or at the very least, not waste their wealth on insanely dumb shit for insanely dumb shit's sake. It's been done forever. I'd argue that wealth makes certain people believe themselves beyond consequence, and that's why 5 people were killed in an implosion 2 miles beneath the surface of an ocean. Imagine what those hundreds of thousands of dollars spent to kill 5 people could have done for thousands of others while killing no one.

(But yeah, how cool would it be to have a drone submarine you could pilot down to the sea bed and look at weird sea creatures, from the safety of a surface vessel, or maybe even on land?)

...it's been done. With both manned and unmanned submersibles. Submersibles that didn't cut engineering corners out of pure pride and ego, and most importantly, despite the warnings of experts in their fields of submersible engineering.

But these are sentiments coming from a terrestrial creature with tons of interests in the seas and outer space, and simultaneously absolutely ZERO interest in personally exploring either. Private subs? No thanks. Private spacecraft? Go fuck yourself. Hell, I'll have to be dragged kicking and screaming onto a cruise ship, and I'm not particularly fond of flying in airplanes.

 

[Thaluikhain]

And I argue that any decent, sane person would know that a balance can be struck. "Philanthropy" doesn't mandate that one gives every dime away to those in need; a sensible, wealthy person should be able to maintain their wealth AND provide charity, or at the very least, not waste their wealth on insanely dumb shit for insanely dumb shit's sake.

Maintain wealth, sure, but how does someone get to be rich (this kind of absurd rich) in the first place? Exploit the workers until you've swimming in loot is the usual answer. If they were good people they'd be good people before they got rich, and that'd stop them getting rich.

Now, not sure if that's 100% true, but sounds reasonable.

...it's been done. With both manned and unmanned submersibles. Submersibles that didn't cut engineering corners out of pure pride and ego, and most importantly, despite the warnings of experts in their fields of submersible engineering.

Sure, but there's still room for more in the remote deep sea exploration club.

EDIT:

Nightmare Submarine Game Gets Popular As Search For Titanic Sub Continues

The missing Titan submersible has led to a spike in sales that Iron Lung’s creator felt was ‘wrong’

kotaku.com

 

[Xprimentyl]

Maintain wealth, sure, but how does someone get to be rich (this kind of absurd rich) in the first place? Exploit the workers until you've swimming in loot is the usual answer. If they were good people they'd be good people before they got rich, and that'd stop them getting rich.

Now, not sure if that's 100% true, but sounds reasonable.

There are lots of ways to get rich. Not all are easy or quick (obviously,) but proper management of money on the way to wealth can allow for an allotment for charity. Let's face facts, amassing wealth means some on the lowest end of the totem pole are doing the regular, menial labor, and won't pull down the same salary as a CEO. That need not be overt exploitation; a living wage and benefits for workers doesn't mean a business can't be profitable and make the owner wealthy. I know the idea and practice of capitalism pretty much assumes the opposite, and in purely capitalistic ventures, that's most likely true; all I'm saying is in a better world, wealth could be disseminated in better ways if the wealthy would so choose to do so. Instead, they dump millions into a 5-person sub that implodes killing everyone on board because it was a thing they could afford to do.

And how much was spent internationally trying to find their doomed asses?

Has anyone found Julian Sands yet?

Sure, but there's still room for more in the remote deep sea exploration club.

EDIT:

Nightmare Submarine Game Gets Popular As Search For Titanic Sub Continues

The missing Titan submersible has led to a spike in sales that Iron Lung’s creator felt was ‘wrong’

kotaku.com

Of course there's more to see and explore; it'd just be great if it were left safely to experts for the advancement of general human knowledge, and not subjected to the whimsy of a select few with too much money.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Of course there's more to see and explore; it'd just be great if it were left safely to experts for the advancement of general human knowledge, and not subjected to the whimsy of a select few with too much money.

Oh sure, it's just that (to me), deep sea drone missions should fit in the overlap between weird rich people stuff and worthwhile things to do.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Oh sure, it's just that (to me), deep sea drone missions should fit in the overlap between weird rich people stuff and worthwhile things to do.

In a perfect world, yes; I'd agree. In this shitty, imperfect one we actually exist in, I'm shedding few tears for the rich opting to fly too close to the sun with their carbon fiber wings.

 

[Absent]

I like looking at disasters to se what can be learnt from them, but often the lesson is "Christ, don't be really stupid, c'mon."

It's actually an additional distressing aspect of it. I really hoped they could be saved so that the lesson could have been learnt by the concerned people. Dying is no way to learn a lesson.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

What get's me is the 19-year-old kid who was "terrified" to go on this little excursion, but only did so to bond with his dad. Poor kid. Whatever happened to having a catch in the backyard, watching a football game, working on a car, or having an underage beer? I know if MY dad asked me to go 2 miles under water to hang out, well, no relationship with anyone would be worth that kinda risk. And the mother is just glad they "didn't suffer." I don't know what her definition of suffering is; maybe she's assuming the implosion was immediate and no sign of malfunction panicked their thoughts before their deaths, but I'd personally have suffered the entire time.

James Cameron, someone who has himself risked death with his own deep sea excursions, called out Rush for his recklessness and likened his hubris to the very same that ironically sank the Titanic he was trying to visit.

RICH PEOPLE!! Do the world a favor: instead of doing really dumb shit with your money, try some philanthropic work instead. I feel for those lost in this Titan disaster, but damned if I'm not a bit angry at how senseless and pointless it was.

It likely would’ve been measured in milliseconds. All it takes is one component failing from the stress and the 6,000psi water took care of the rest. Probably so fast that recording it at a thousand frames per second played back at normal speed is what it’d take to even see any details.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

Not sure they ever explain why everything's spelt like that. But it did almost conjour a chuckle. From a dumb, dark place deep down.