Half-blind and a little sad...

Whatever happened to the days when I could spend hours upon hours reading and it not bother my eyes in the least? Sigh. Those days seem to be gone. Spend a full day reading and I begin to have trouble focusing on things at a distance for a while. Not at all pleasant.

Anyway, I read 102 Minutes, a non-fiction novel covering the 102 minutes between when Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center and when the last tower collapsed. . .as experienced by those inside the building. They've incorporated survivor accounts, radio transmissions, 911 calls, and calls to family to create the account.

There are many parts of the book which are really heartbreaking, and some are rather horrifying. It shares some common ground with the non-fiction Into Thin Air in that there are so many accounts of the strong remaining behind to help the incapacitated and that leading to their deaths. You're torn wanting those who stayed behind to realize that in doing so they are sacrificing their own lives. Why didn't they go? And horrified by those who, on the other hand, passed by those in need of help, leaving them to die.

( more detailed discussion )

I do question the New York Times' authors in some of their forensic dissection of the fire codes. Particularly, I seriously question whether the author -- in his efforts to make his point regarding the codes-- left out some pertinent information.

( architectural discussion of fire code interpretation )

I don't think you could design anything short of NORAD that would survive these kinds of attacks. Not and have it be a commercially viable -- or even appealing space for humans to regularly inhabit -- space. No one would have imagined 9/11. And no one can design against such acts of malevolence. There are things to be learned and code changes that should be made. But no building can ever be 100% terror proof. Just can't.

Half-blind and a little sad...

Whatever happened to the days when I could spend hours upon hours reading and it not bother my eyes in the least? Sigh. Those days seem to be gone. Spend a full day reading and I begin to have trouble focusing on things at a distance for a while. Not at all pleasant.

Anyway, I read 102 Minutes, a non-fiction novel covering the 102 minutes between when Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center and when the last tower collapsed. . .as experienced by those inside the building. They've incorporated survivor accounts, radio transmissions, 911 calls, and calls to family to create the account.

There are many parts of the book which are really heartbreaking, and some are rather horrifying. It shares some common ground with the non-fiction Into Thin Air in that there are so many accounts of the strong remaining behind to help the incapacitated and that leading to their deaths. You're torn wanting those who stayed behind to realize that in doing so they are sacrificing their own lives. Why didn't they go? And horrified by those who, on the other hand, passed by those in need of help, leaving them to die.

( more detailed discussion )

I do question the New York Times' authors in some of their forensic dissection of the fire codes. Particularly, I seriously question whether the author -- in his efforts to make his point regarding the codes-- left out some pertinent information.

( architectural discussion of fire code interpretation )

I don't think you could design anything short of NORAD that would survive these kinds of attacks. Not and have it be a commercially viable -- or even appealing space for humans to regularly inhabit -- space. No one would have imagined 9/11. And no one can design against such acts of malevolence. There are things to be learned and code changes that should be made. But no building can ever be 100% terror proof. Just can't.

Half-blind and a little sad...

Whatever happened to the days when I could spend hours upon hours reading and it not bother my eyes in the least? Sigh. Those days seem to be gone. Spend a full day reading and I begin to have trouble focusing on things at a distance for a while. Not at all pleasant.

Anyway, I read 102 Minutes, a non-fiction novel covering the 102 minutes between when Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center and when the last tower collapsed. . .as experienced by those inside the building. They've incorporated survivor accounts, radio transmissions, 911 calls, and calls to family to create the account.

There are many parts of the book which are really heartbreaking, and some are rather horrifying. It shares some common ground with the non-fiction Into Thin Air in that there are so many accounts of the strong remaining behind to help the incapacitated and that leading to their deaths. You're torn wanting those who stayed behind to realize that in doing so they are sacrificing their own lives. Why didn't they go? And horrified by those who, on the other hand, passed by those in need of help, leaving them to die.

( more detailed discussion )

I do question the New York Times' authors in some of their forensic dissection of the fire codes. Particularly, I seriously question whether the author -- in his efforts to make his point regarding the codes-- left out some pertinent information.

( architectural discussion of fire code interpretation )

I don't think you could design anything short of NORAD that would survive these kinds of attacks. Not and have it be a commercially viable -- or even appealing space for humans to regularly inhabit -- space. No one would have imagined 9/11. And no one can design against such acts of malevolence. There are things to be learned and code changes that should be made. But no building can ever be 100% terror proof. Just can't.

Meme Spam

You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the
tongue of the ancient Romans is a real
anachronism. With its profusion of different
cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a
language; it is a whole different way of
thinking about things.

You are very classy, meaning that you value the
classics. You value old things, good things
which have stood the test of time. You value
things which have been proven worthy and
valuable, even if no one else these days sees
them that way. Your life is touched by a
certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are
even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain
fascination with the grotesque and the profane.
Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad
transplant. Your problem is that Latin has
been obsolete for a long time.


What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Meme Spam

You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the
tongue of the ancient Romans is a real
anachronism. With its profusion of different
cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a
language; it is a whole different way of
thinking about things.

You are very classy, meaning that you value the
classics. You value old things, good things
which have stood the test of time. You value
things which have been proven worthy and
valuable, even if no one else these days sees
them that way. Your life is touched by a
certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are
even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain
fascination with the grotesque and the profane.
Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad
transplant. Your problem is that Latin has
been obsolete for a long time.


What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Meme Spam

You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the
tongue of the ancient Romans is a real
anachronism. With its profusion of different
cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a
language; it is a whole different way of
thinking about things.

You are very classy, meaning that you value the
classics. You value old things, good things
which have stood the test of time. You value
things which have been proven worthy and
valuable, even if no one else these days sees
them that way. Your life is touched by a
certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are
even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain
fascination with the grotesque and the profane.
Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad
transplant. Your problem is that Latin has
been obsolete for a long time.


What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla