h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Dear Icy North,

I read your report on the Columbia Disaster. It has really given me the shivers.

You wrote it with such excellent suppressed emotion that you made the point - of PowerPoint - even more vivdly.

I am absolutely lousy at maths, but there are a lot of things which I would like to read which you have on your page. Would you mind if I put you on my friends list as this is the first time that I have "met" you and I think I still have so much to read and learn about.

I am very ancient and I find that reading on my computer is much easier than trying to read a book.

With many thanks for the very sensitive way in which you wrote this tribute to those oh-so-courageous crew members of Columbia.

Christiane
AlsoRan80.

Hi Christiane, and thank you for reading the Entry on Columbia.

I'm not the first Researcher to write about it - Galaxy Babe wrote a fine tribute to the crew here: A1004743

And there's a fine picture of the crew here: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030203.html

PowerPoint, or rather the way NASA used it, wasn't the only reason for the disaster, of course. I wrote about this aspect of it because I felt it wasn't widely known, and it's something that all of us office-workers need to understand (as we use PowerPoint regularly).

We have a joke phrase 'Death by PowerPoint' which we use when we're forced to sit through a really long and boring meeting with hundreds of slides. Sadly, the Columbia investigation had proved that phrase to be true. I did use the phrase in the Entry, but the BBC Editors removed it as they thought it was libellous.

I would be honoured to appear on your h2g2 Friends List. I will of course reciprocate.

Best wishes,

Icy