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Stupid Engineering Mistakes
lee1 writes "Wired has bestowed on us a list of the ten worst engineering mistakes of all time. We have the St. Francis Dam designed by 'self-taught' engineer William Mulholland, which burst and wiped out several towns near LA; the Kansas City Hyatt walkway collapse; the DC-10, and more, but my favorite is the one I'd never heard of: a giant tank of molasses that ruptured in 1919 and sent 'waves of molasses up to 15 feet high' through Boston, killing 21."
And to think I felt sorry for all of the poor people in india who just got hit with 10-foot waves of regular water.
I regret spilling a glass of ginger ale on an achritect!
A common theme in half of these is that a small change was made at the last minute.
Lesson of Life: Trust the engineers, they do stuff for a reason
Of course the other half were just poor engineering
Lesson of Life: Never trust the engineers
If this signature is witty enough, maybe somebody will like me.
You don't think a 15 foot wave of syrup engulfing a town is funny? Check his pulse, I think he's dead!
I regret spilling a glass of ginger ale on an achritect!
21 people couldn't avoid the flow of molasses? This seems very strange seeing that molasses is the canonical viscous fluid - slow as molasses in January. 15 foot amplitude, gotta wonder at the wavelength crest to crest...
Unfortunately they miscalculated and blew their load prematurely.
Yeesh... Someone all ready posted a better and more detailed description of the lake. Anyway here is another engineering disaster. The Disney Opera House in California. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Concert_Hall It was a really nice building. Very ornate and very shiny and cool looking. The problem is that they designed and built Archimedes Death Ray. Certain parts of the building were curved that they were cooking the inside of people's apartments, melting trafic cones, blinding drivers, and setting stuff on fire. The solution was just to sandblast the offending objects but yeesh.
Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
News: Holy Shit! The town molasses has escaped! You have three hours to save yourselves!
Dude: Whoa, sounds pretty bad! I'd better...
News: Next on Six, that Paris Hilton sex tape in full! One hour later... Dude: Whoa, that ruled. I need a beer!
Dude wastes another hour or so drinking and watching pr0n.
Dude forgets about the molasses and goes to bed.
Molasses: I am nearing Dude's house.
Dude: I am now in bed sleeping, unaware of the impending danger.
The molasses eats Dude alive
Dude: What the fuck? Oh shit, the molasses! I totally forgot!
Molasses: And now there is no escape for you!
LOL TRUE!!
The Toronto Skydome beat them by 8 years.
Some of what I say is fact, some is conjecture, the rest I'm just blowing out my ass...you guess.
If you can't laugh at hundreds of needless deaths, what can you laugh at?
Since when has any engineering gone into Windows?
Is it weird in here, or is it just me?
More electrons run through the current. Since the wire is the same size, they get clogged and collect together. The extra mass causes the wire to sag a bit.
"I believe in the genocide of front-load washing machine believers."
Dude, this is slashdot, why are you doing laundry?
There: Something at a specific location.
Their: Owned by someone.
Please make sure your english compiles.
How may gave their asses to fill that giant tank?
Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
I could keep going, but I'm getting really tired of it.
Procrastination -- because good things come to those who wait.
Any list of engineering failures is incomplete without Windows ME.
Navicula hydraulica plena anguilarum est. Omnes castelli tuus nostri sunt. Ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta.
... the Windows Registry isn't on that list.
I guess that would be on the SOFTWARE engineering list.
P.S. I understand it's harder to have an orgasm using a horizontal-load washer than a top-loader. Not that this is relevant to the environment or anything. But I like noting it.
It's not funny to the 21 people who died.
Don't worry, they won't read the article
D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
of course, Microsoft Windows.
No, these are Engineering disasters. I'm not sure what Windows is, but it ain't engineering.
"We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
Sweet!
Old Man: "Lad, look out there to the field. Do ya see that fence? Look how well it's built. I built that fence stone by stone with me own two hands. Piled it for months. But do they call me McGregor-the-Fence-Builder? Nooo.."
Then the old man gestured at the bar.
"Look here at the bar. Do ya see how smooth and just it is? I planed that surface down by me own achin' back. I carved that wood with me own hard labour, for eight days. But do they call me McGregor-the-Bar-builder? Nooo..."
Then the old man points out the window.
"Eh, Laddy, look out to sea. Do ya see that pier that sretches out as far as the eye can see? I built that pier with the sweat off me back. I nailed it board by board. But do they call me McGregor-the-Pier-Builder? Nooo..."
Then the old man looks around nervously, trying to make sure no one is paying attention.
"But ya fuck one goat . . . "
No, by far the worst engineering mistake was the f-er who designed my date Mary Swansons impossible-to-remove-in-a-car bra clasps in 1989. I was totally going to score that night but the stupid thing wouldn't come off and killed the moment.
We're having a civilised discussion here. There's no need to go around mooning people! :)
That second one looks disturbingly like the goatse.cx guy.
"Are you being weird, or sarcastic?" said Emma. I said I didn't know because I get the two feelings mixed up.
the Boston Molassacre?
Serving your airship needs since 1995.