Would you permit me to delve into an industrial archaeological question, on a topic that is about 1900 years more recent than your Jesus Family Tomb archeology?
I am inspired to ask this question out of my unquenchable curiosity about our human tendency to blissfully place our security in the hands of technology, as if the designers of those technologies were infallible.
As an analytical chemist and microbiologist, the reliability of my work rests upon the precision of modern technology, as does yours with the Jesus Family Tomb, in large measure. So I am not anti-modern technology.
Yet, I am reminded of a modern tragedy, of Biblical proportions, with many of the same classic lessons, still not learned by man to this day, with its genesis in mens' belief in the omnipotence of their technology.
Since you are in Toronto, you may have heard of Titanic, the Artifact Exhibition, at the Ontario Science Centre,
Ther-e- appears to be no evidence on the ships blueprints for a guiding beacon or searchlight of any type, whether it be on the bow, or above the bridge, or near the crows nest – nowhere.
Forget the hubris that led to the shortage of life boats for the sake of a sleek appearance.
Where was the ingenuity of the design engineers who apparently never contemplated a simple beacon light on the ship?
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The watchmen in the crows nest lamented for their misplaced binoculars. They wouldn't have needed them. With the naked eye, on that crystal clear North Atlantic night, a simple 500 watt head light with a reflector would have illuminated an iceberg on the horizon, as if it were Mt Everest.
If there was a beacon of any kind, on the building plans or installed on the Titanic, I cannot find any evidence of it.
I have never heard any discussion, or read anything, on this topic of whether there was a head lamp on the ship.
And if there were none, why not?
“For the want of a NAIL, the SHOE was lost.
For the want of a SHOE, the HORSE was lost.
For the want of a HORSE, the GENERAL was lost.
For the want of the GENERAL, the BATTLE was lost.
For the want of a NAIL,, the KINGDOM was lost. “
For the want of a SIMPLE BEACON, 1,500 PASSENGERS were lost.
Human ingenuity and technology did not light the way that night, although with simple forethought and action, it could have easily done so.
For all the hubris of claims of “unsinkable”, the failure to install a guiding beacon, or searchlights to guide the way, would be the most pitiful error to top all others in the design and construction of that ship.
If someone out there knows of the presence of any head lamp or guiding beacon of any kind on Titanic, please tell me. Perhaps your executive producer knows the answer to this question.
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Name:Panluna •
Date: 07/18/07 15:10
A: To err is human.and if one places faith outside of oneself then all could be lost.Look within for spiritual guidance then see the world clearly.Ever since we became more dependent on technology people have used the most important computor---the human mind-- less and less.Smart people combine both and know the limitations of each factor.Considering the speed the Titanic was going at the time it hit the iceberg it would have been impossible to veer away from it.And since a small portion -the tip of the iceberg--was showing it would have been diffucult to determine how large the iceberg was with out sonar.I don't think the Titanic had sonar.
