The Off Topic Topic

[Maladict]

Super wealthy people go thrill seeking at a mass grave... Too bad about the crew of the submersible and I really hope that it's an electrical failure rather than a mechanical and that they are either on their way up or already bobbing on the surface somewhere.

They'll still die if not found soon. It can only be opened from the outside apparently.

I feel that would be the worst way to go, bobbing on the surface with oxygen slowly running out.

It sounds like a nightmare even when working properly.

The sub is extremely narrow, measuring just 670 cm x 280 cm x 250 cm (22ft x 9.2ft x 8.3ft).

Passengers are required to sit on the floor.

At the front of the vessel is a large domed porthole offering a viewing point.

The walls of the sub are heated as conditions can become extremely cold at such depths.

The sub includes a private toilet for customers at the front of the sub. A small curtain is pulled over in use and the pilot turns up the onboard music.

The vehicle is guided by texts exchanged via a USBL (ultra-short baseline) acoustic system from a team on the surface vessel above.

On the sub, the pilot steers based on these instructions with a reinforced video game controller.

[Admiral Yi]

I feel that would be the worst way to go, bobbing on the surface with oxygen slowly running out.

You just pass out at some point, yeah?  Doesn't sound all that bad.

[Threviel]

I feel that would be the worst way to go, bobbing on the surface with oxygen slowly running out.

You just pass out at some point, yeah?  Doesn't sound all that bad.

I would imagine that the carbon dioxide sensors in the lungs would go bananas before lack of oxygen gets to you. But I don't know and I don't feel like checking it out.

[viper37]

many middle class people can cough up $250,000 for a unique once-in-a-lifetime experience connected to something they have a passionate interest in.

We must not have the same definition of middle class.

250 000$ is not even half the average price of a house in Canada.  Middle class people would rather save than pay such insane amount for some sight seeing.

[viper37]

I never got the popularity of the Titanic in general.

It happened close to Newfoundland.  Nothing ever happens in Newfoundland.

Ok, well, it's a big tragedy, an unsinkable ship that sinks on its maiden voyage and the majority of the crew&passengers dies with it.  I understand the fascination.

[Barrister]

I never got the popularity of the Titanic in general.

It happened close to Newfoundland.  Nothing ever happens in Newfoundland.

Ok, well, it's a big tragedy, an unsinkable ship that sinks on its maiden voyage and the majority of the crew&passengers dies with it.  I understand the fascination.

Just because it came up a couple of times - I don't believe Titanic was ever advertised as being "unsinkable" at the time.

But everything else stands.

[Jacob]

I feel that would be the worst way to go, bobbing on the surface with oxygen slowly running out.

You just pass out at some point, yeah?  Doesn't sound all that bad.

Suffocating in a living coffin, able to see the air that you just can't get? There was a malfunction and you somehow escaped being stuck beneath the sea - you made it to the surface - but you just can't get out?

I dunno, sounds kind of grim to me.

[mongers]

Got home in time to turn on the recorder for the evening news programme, noticed that the EPG/channel synopsis had changed from "Channel 4 News" to "Titanic Sub Rescue". 

[The Brain]

many middle class people can cough up $250,000 for a unique once-in-a-lifetime experience connected to something they have a passionate interest in.

We must not have the same definition of middle class.

250 000$ is not even half the average price of a house in Canada.  Middle class people would rather save than pay such insane amount for some sight seeing.

I don't follow.

[Zanza]

After seeing a picture of the sub's inside, I would not enter it even if you paid me 250k. Nightmarish.

[grumbler]

I actually have no idea as to what a bunch of super-rich folks were doing down there, do please enlighten me.

If you'd been actually following the story, you would know that the two amateur crew members had received considerable training and had duties to perform during the dive.  The only ones who hadn't dived on the Titanic before were the Pakistani businessman and his son.

[Barrister]

I've seen a lot of takes about this sub using a video game controller to control its movements.

But really - video game controllers are quite reliable and easily replaceable, so for all the sub's sins that doesn't seem like one of them.

[mongers]

I've seen a lot of takes about this sub using a video game controller to control its movements.

But really - video game controllers are quite reliable and easily replaceable, so for all the sub's sins that doesn't seem like one of them.

Yeah but what if the usb port buggers up?

 

[Josephus]

I'm unclear why outlets like the BBC are running this as a top story, live. We all get to participate in a death watch?

It's a big story with a lot of interest. I mean it's on Languish

[Grey Fox]

It doesn't fail more often than any of the other connection solutions available. USB is cheap, easy to replace and the standard's length is very long.