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In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Iain Hendry writes:
> LOL! Actually, I've toured... I think at least 4 reactors. Too bad that's a
> practice I can no longer enjoy. Bruce Nuclear and Cook Nuclear (Michigan) I
> know I've had tours at, and it was McMaster University's reactor I got to
> get really up-close and personal with back in like, 97? when everyone was
> thinking about going to university (HA!).
Well, if you're counting that, I got to see the Slowpoke at the University
of Toronto several times...There used to be this box which said something to
effect of "If this box makes a noise call 416/978-xxxx" around that room in
Haultain which I'd walk by whenever I was in there. We'd take exams in the
same building-it was kind of weird to have a nuclear reactor in the basement
of the place you were grueling out in a midterm...
...okay obscure tour visit time. I got to visit Bell Mobility's DMS-MTX
switch and their Network Operations Center for the GTA area...isn't that
somewhat neat? They even tell when the door of a cell tower is forced open
from there and track weather patterns which affect cellular performance.
> What, you thought the moderators were gonna get pulled out or what? :)
My friend was at the time (and still is) working up at Bruce B and while he
attests to CANDU being the most safe reactor design in the world, always
makes me shudder when he says stuff like "Good enough for government work".
Anyways, I saw this TV program around 1999ish about Y2K at Hydro and they
show this shot of...a Digital Equipment PDP-11 in some nuclear control room.
Scared the crap out of me, I'm all for not fixing it if it ain't broken, but
RAM was expensive back then... :) Anyways, I figure if Y2K was going to
cause any trouble, it would be fun to be at the source and die in the
process. (I think it was the stress of Fall Session exams in fourth year)
> PS - Calum has this really awesome book about design engineering things gone
> wrong. One of the things in it talks about this horrific accident that
> happened way back a while ago when the United States was first fooling
> around with nuclear power generation. I don't want to spoil it for anyone
> who might read it (Storytime at the next dinner?), but it's really, really
> gut-wrenching...
It's called "Set Phasers on Stun" and despite being required reading as part
of MIE240: Human Centered Systems Design here in MIE (as is also used in
Systems Design at Waterloo IIRC), an excellent text about what happens when
engineers don't think about human factors. Highly recommended. (Mario and
Iain have both read it and I would gladly lend it to anyone interested)
http://members.aol.com/AegeanPC/AegeanHP.html
http://chapters.indigo.ca/item.asp?Catalog=books&Section=books&Cat=&Lang=en&Item=978096361788
Another really great book is called Design of Everyday Things (aka
Psychology of Everyday Things), again another Human Factors favourite by
acclaimed author Don Norman (formerly Apple, HP, now of Nielsen Norman Group)
http://chapters.indigo.ca/item.asp?Catalog=Books&Section=Books&Cat=&Lang=en&Item=978038526774
It's a really casual look at designing good products. A must read for
anyone in engineering or design.
Calum
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Aw crap.
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| "Calum Tsang" <tsangc@mie.utoronto.ca> wrote in message news:GwCM9x.Jos@lugnet.com... (...) Group) My mom seemed to get mad when we were grocery shopping last night, and she said that they didnt have the kind of apple she normally gets, and I said (...) (22 years ago, 19-May-02, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Aw crap.
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| "Calum Tsang" <tsangc@mie.utoronto.ca> wrote in message news:GwBGAK.Avy@lugnet.com... (...) the (...) LOL! Actually, I've toured... I think at least 4 reactors. Too bad that's a practice I can no longer enjoy. Bruce Nuclear and Cook Nuclear (...) (22 years ago, 18-May-02, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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