“This is an idiotic way to do navigation.”
  • TommySoda@lemmy.worldEnglish
    29·
    2 months ago

    Jesus Christ that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. The submarine in the game Iron Lung was safer to drive than this thing.

    But Wilby said that for the Titan, the coordinate data was transcribed into a notebook by hand and then entered into Excel before loading the spreadsheet into mapping software to track the sub’s position on a hand-drawn map of the wreckage.

    The OceanGate team tried to perform these updates at least every five minutes, but it was a slow, manual process done while communicating with the gamepad-controlled sub via short text messages.

    Updates every FIVE MINUTES?! I wouldn’t even trust this thing in a damn swimming pool.

    • Korkki@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      12·
      2 months ago

      I really do wonder why they ended up in this. It can’ be that hard to make even a hacky DIY system to do it automatically. The navigation system just had to have some digital or even analog output, then it would be just the problem of interpreting the signal with some script and writing it into a file.

      When Wilby recommended the company use standard software to process ping data and plot the sub’s telemetry automatically, the response was that the company wanted to develop an in-house system, but didn’t have enough time.

      • superkret@feddit.orgEnglish
        13·
        2 months ago

        To write a script, you need someone who can write scripts.
        If all you have is someone who can write VLOOKUPs in Excel, and the CEO is too cheap to hire someone, then that’s what you use.

        • rottingleaf@lemmy.worldEnglish
          6·
          2 months ago

          So basically it’s a project done by MBA geniuses, entrepreneurs and visionaries who optimized by cutting on those mundane and boring nautical engineers and software developers?

          God, do I like how evolution works.

      • 0x0@programming.devEnglish
        3·
        2 months ago

        I really do wonder why they ended up in this. It can’ be that hard to make even a hacky DIY system to do it automatically.

        All-manager team, no devs?

        • elvith@feddit.orgEnglish
          1·
          2 months ago

          That’s why they use, what they know: Excel. I wonder if the UI was done in PowerPoint?

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      Those giving out the awards want to wait and see if someone dies over laughter about this event. Then they’ll get the award.