5 ms·

Reminiscent on NASA and the two shuttle losses. Many near misses which were monitored over the years (of the problem that ultimately doomed them), but no action

by marze 10y ago

Reminiscent on NASA and the two shuttle losses. Many near misses which were monitored over the years (of the problem that ultimately doomed them), but no action to eliminate the near misses.

PaulKeeble 10y ago
Very much a similar issue and their were multiple silenced whistleblowers to that as well. I am glad my whistleblowing moment passed because recent history (last 30 years) tells me you do not want to become one.
- i336_ 10y ago
  > my whistleblowing moment Can you go into further detail? Not asking to reveal what you don't want to, but I am of course curious what you mean.
  - PaulKeeble 10y ago
    I was asked the impossible, to write a complex piece of software with no ability to test it and it had to work first time without defects, and I had no specification, no one to talk to about it and no idea what hardware it would even run on. There is the impossible and then there is just the "are you even serious" type of impossible, they were serious although I still think its funny because its obvious insane to spin up a team of hundreds of engineers on that basis but that is what they did! The moment passed because I chose to leave. I took the easy route to solving the problem for me, but its still costing people billions.
    - sten 10y ago
      That's incredible.
    - i336_ 10y ago
      Wow. That is insane, yeah. I'm wondering what this software did, or what sector this was in. Obviously I'm just curious for curiosity's sake, but I guess the actionable bit of what I'm asking is whether what you experienced was endemic to the industry it was in, or if (more broadly) there's anything I can file away (other than the major red flags you described) to help me know whether I'm on a path that will lead to this type of insanity.
    - yummypaint 10y ago
      f22 raptor
      - i336_ 10y ago
        Hmm. Interesting theory.
    - pizza 10y ago
      Wow! Is there any chance you would share more about this?

by marze 10y ago

Reminiscent on NASA and the two shuttle losses. Many near misses which were monitored over the years (of the problem that ultimately doomed them), but no action to eliminate the near misses.

PaulKeeble 10y ago

Very much a similar issue and their were multiple silenced whistleblowers to that as well. I am glad my whistleblowing moment passed because recent history (last 30 years) tells me you do not want to become one.

i336_ 10y ago
> my whistleblowing moment Can you go into further detail? Not asking to reveal what you don't want to, but I am of course curious what you mean.
- PaulKeeble 10y ago
  I was asked the impossible, to write a complex piece of software with no ability to test it and it had to work first time without defects, and I had no specification, no one to talk to about it and no idea what hardware it would even run on. There is the impossible and then there is just the "are you even serious" type of impossible, they were serious although I still think its funny because its obvious insane to spin up a team of hundreds of engineers on that basis but that is what they did! The moment passed because I chose to leave. I took the easy route to solving the problem for me, but its still costing people billions.
  - sten 10y ago
    That's incredible.
  - i336_ 10y ago
    Wow. That is insane, yeah. I'm wondering what this software did, or what sector this was in. Obviously I'm just curious for curiosity's sake, but I guess the actionable bit of what I'm asking is whether what you experienced was endemic to the industry it was in, or if (more broadly) there's anything I can file away (other than the major red flags you described) to help me know whether I'm on a path that will lead to this type of insanity.
  - yummypaint 10y ago
    f22 raptor
    - i336_ 10y ago
      Hmm. Interesting theory.
  - pizza 10y ago
    Wow! Is there any chance you would share more about this?