Slashdot Mirror

We're working on it: opti-grab.ca/images/ocean_drain.jpg

http://opti-grab.ca/

These, or the optigrab?

Undersea cables, then and now:

http://opti-grab.ca/cables/

I think the term was used to emphasize the fact that, to some people, there is never enough "safety". And many people (usually NGO, political and government types) earn a living from being "safety people" and realize that once "enough" safety has been achieved their jobs are at risk.

Think of those who state, "if measure X saves just one innocent child it will all have been worth the effort". There's a certain type of personality that gravitates to that type of thinking and they are usually those who have an interest in monitoring and controlling.

One example is smoking laws. Hate smokers or not, the laws are getting more and more restrictive and to the point of being ridiculous. That's creeping intolerance from a certain segment of the population.

First, smokers were banned from puffing away inside buildings because of the dangers of second-hand smoke (link to scanned Skeptic Magazine article - PDF). Then they were banned from smoking within 50' of a doorway. Now, proposals are to make that distance quadrupled or more while it is possible to create proper building ventilation systems to accommodate tobacco smoke.

This example is about intolerance and the right to not be offended, not a safety issue.

I hope I've made a rational point here and won't be modded into oblivion.

South-central Alberta (between Calgary and Red Deer in Western Canada) is known to be one of the worlds more severe "hail belts".

Here's a photo taken shortly after a violent hailstorm in Calgary a couple of years ago:

http://opti-grab.ca/images/hail_calgary_august_2006.jpg

I also have video of it, think I should post the link?

Sulphur being shipped east via train from Alberta's oil-extraction facilities. Photo taken from the Calgary Tower; the total length of the train was about 50% longer that what's in the picture.