Tag Archives: Titanic

Roundup: David Pogue & Titanic, SHS Grad Video, Wrong Way Entrance Ramps …

Posted on June 21, 2023 | 7 comments

As the search continues for the submersible, lost in the Atlantic Ocean during a dive to the wreck of Titanic, media outlets cite David Pogue’s report on the company catering to the ultra-rich.

Last November, the Westporter and “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent described his own dive — and the warnings that preceded it. “06880” wrote about that now-noteworthy segment.

Our piece included a link to his broadcast:

There was a link to his “Unsung Science” podcast too. Click here, then scroll down for his 2-part series on his experience with the vessel.

This week, Pogue has been quoted in print and broadcast media outlets around the world. He has become the world’s go-to expert, both from personal and professional experience.

Here’s his report, from CBS:

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Missed the Staples High School Class of 2023 graduation last week?

Maybe you were there, and want to see it not from behind your cellphone camera lens?

Or perhaps you’d like to show it off to grandparents, siblings or anyone else who could not make it to Paul Lane Field?

Jim Honeycutt did his usual spectacular job of recording the event, then turning it into a video for the whole world to see.

Click below to see it all: processional, recessional, and everything in between.

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Large red and technologically advanced “Wrong Way” signs will be installed soon at the northbound and southbound I-95 Exit 17 entrances.

They’re part of a statewide program to cut down on head-on collisions — often fatal — resulting from drivers entering highway exits.

The state Department of Transportation has identified 236 high-risk ramps. Many are like Exit 17, where the on- and off-ramps are in close proximity. The highest priority goes to ramps that are near to places that serve alcohol.

The new signs will include cameras that identify when cars drive the wrong way. When that happens, lights flash.

The signs will also notify the closest state police barracks, and DOT Highway Operations Center.

I-95 Exit 17 on- and off-ramps are right next to each other.

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Speaking of traffic: The Westport Sunrise Rotary’s annual Great Duck Race is this Saturday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). The Taylor parking lot (between Jesup Green and the Saugatuck River) will be closed beginning Friday evening.

Also this weekend: the downtown Sidewalk Sale (Friday through Sunday). Expect extra traffic — both vehicular and pedestrian.

Oblivious to the upcoming closing of the Taylor parking lot. (Photo/Mary Sikorski)

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Since 2019, Wakeman Town Farm, Earthplace and the Westport Garden Club have promoted Westport’s “Pollinator Pathway.” It’s part of an area-wide effort to restore and connect habitats for ecologically crucial pollinators.

This Saturday (June 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), the group has organized a second annual Pollinator Pathway tour. It features 2 private and 4 public gardens. Other Fairfield and Westchester County towns are also involved.

Westport locations include:

  • 4 Deepwood Lane
  • Earthplace
  • Prospect Gardens (13 Prospect Road)
  • Sherwood Island State Park Nature Center
  • Smith Richardson Wildlife Preserve
  • Wakeman Town Farm

All sites except Earthplace will have guides and/or gardeners on hand to answer questions, and provide information about plant choice and best practices to support biodiversity using earth-friendly practices for healthier lawns and gardens.

Earthplace will be a self-directed tour.

Click here for more information on participating gardens, and an interactive map with descriptions, photographs, and directions. Click here for a list of Northeast native pollinator plants.

Part of the Sherwood Island State Park Pollinator Pathway. (Photo/Kelle Ruden)

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A few days after the end of the legislative session, State Representative Jonathan Steinberg addressed the Westport Rotary Club at yesterday’s weekly meeting.

“We hope Connecticut can get back to where it was pre-pandemic,” Steinberg said, referring to the local economy. Election initiatives such as early voting and new election technology, and sensible gun reform, are other priorities for Governor Lamong.

The legislator also discussed Westport’s crippling traffic. He said, “We need to do more work on improving traffic in Westport, We have no choice not to.”

Though a proposal to levy highway tolls failed in the past few years, Steinberg hopes to keep the issue alive. He says it could help alleviate congestion.

State Representative Jonathan Steinberg, at the Westport Rotary Club. (Photo and hat tip/Dave Matlow)

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At 57 Diane Meyer Lowman set off on a life-changing adventure: a “senior year abroad” studying in the MA program at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon.

She learned a lot.

She wrote a lot too.

Her memoir –“The Undiscovered Country: Seeing Myself Through Shakespeare’s Eyes” — will be published in September.

Diane details her “transformative experiences, both personal and academic,” as she immerses herself in the world of Shakespeare. She learns as much about herself as she does about the Bard.

“Undiscovered Country” is available for pre-order. Click here for details.

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Former Westport resident Patricia Lane Willett died unexpectedly on June 8. She was 83, and lived in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Her family calls her “a devoted wife for nearly 6 decades to William H. Willett, a loving mother of 5, a loyal friend, an active philanthropist, and an extraordinary hostess. Pat embraced life with boundless energy, a competitive spirit, and a knack for timely humor.

“Her infectious smile, unwavering desire to please, and unmatched passion for entertaining ensured that every gathering she hosted was unforgettable and filled with laughter.

“She possessed a remarkable ability to spoil her cherished grandchildren, showering them with affection, Nana kisses, and indulgences that will forever hold a special place in their hearts. Pat’s dedication to philanthropy revealed her depth of competitive spirit as she tirelessly pursued charitable goals, all the while expressing immense gratitude for those who supported and shared in her endeavors.”

Patricia was preceded in death by her siblings Mary, Judy, Linda, Joe, Paul, Chubby, Greg, and daughter-in-law Shannon Willett. She is survived by her husband; children Wendy Sellers (Rick), Chris Willett, Jeff Willett (Lisa), Brad Willett (Jennifer) and Elizabeth Johnson; sister Joanne Lane; 16 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests considering donations in Pat’s memory to Autism Speaks, a cause close to her heart.

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In our never-ending quest to bring unusual flora and fauna to “Westport … Naturally,” we offer this cactus:

(Photo/Ken Yormark)

It’s courtesy of Ken Yormark’s garden, on Saugatuck Shores.

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And finally … summer arrives soon (at 10:57 a.m., to be exact). So shouldn’t it be warmer?

I had thousands of songs to choose from today. This tiny smattering popped into my head.

 (You can have fun all summer long with “06880.” But please don’t forget to support us with a contribution. Just click here. Thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Environment, Media, Politics, Staples HS, Transportation

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David Pogue’s Titanic Adventure

Posted on November 30, 2022 | 6 comments

The Titanic is not easy to get to.

Lying nearly 2 1/2 miles under the sea, 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland — and hard to find even with GPS — it’s become a bucket list item for hard-core enthusiasts (“Titaniacs”).

You or I would pay $250,000 to visit, via oil rig servicing ship, then a specially deigned 5-person submersible vehicle.

For David Pogue, it’s just part of his job.

The longtime Westporter leads a more interesting life than most of us dull neighbors. His wide-ranging resumé includes technology writer for the New York Times, Scientific American and Yahoo (plus author of the wildly popular “Missing Manual” series); PBS “Nova” host, and (of course) Broadway conductor.

David Pogue hosting “NOVA.” He stands behind a periodic table “table.”

He’s also a “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent. In his role as “explainer,” he covers everything from cryptocurrency to the war in Ukraine.

Like millions of others, Stockton Rush is a fan of the show. He’s also the founder and CEO of OceannGate, the company that sponsors those $250,000-per-person voyages to the site of the wreck, and the dive that follows.

He suggested a story to the producers. They proposed it to Pogue. “I just about lost my mind with excitement,” he says.

(CBS stockholders, relax: The network paid only for his and the camera crew’s room and board.)

Like most of us, Pogue had no idea “normal people” could visit Titanic.

Like the pro he is, he read up on the ship, and James Cameron’s dives for his famed movie. Among other things, Pogue learned that when you try to dive in the North Atlantic, everything goes wrong.

He set out from Newfoundland this past summer. His fellow ($250,000) passengers included, predictably, a hedge fund guy and his son; an industry magnate, and an AI pioneer who sold a bunch of companies.

But Renata Rojas stole the “CBS Sunday Morning Show.” She’d wanted to see Titanic since she was a little girl. Now she works in the loan department of a bank. She spent 30 years saving for this adventure.

Renata Rojas hoped to fulfill a lifelong dream.

Pogue slept little in the days before the dive. Part of the reason was nerves. The other part was the rolling of the ship at sea.

He worried about 3 things: The sub would collapse under the 6,000 pounds per square inch of pressure. (Think of 46 school buses parked on your sternum.)

Second, he feared that the oxygen scrubbers — the same used on spacecraft — might break down.

Third: What if the ballast system to return to surface didn’t work?

David Pogue gets comfortable in the Titanic submersible.

Fortunately, every system has a backup. And the deeper the submersible goes, the tighter the water presses the titanium endcaps on to the carbon, making it actually more waterproof. (For more on the actual dangers, click here for Pogue’s “Unsung Science” podcast.)

Of course, none of that helped when he was asked to sign a release form. It noted that the submersible was an experimental vessel not approved by any regulatory body. And that the dive could result in “physical injury, disability, emotional trauma or death.”

“Where do I sign?” he asked.

David Pogue reads the release form.

Pogue was bolted into the sub from the outside. “That freaks out a lot of people,” he notes.

But inside the minivan-sized submersible, he felt comfortable. Of course there’s no temperature control, so it’s very hot at the start, frigid at 2.4 miles below the surface.

There were 5 potential dive days.

The first dive was aborted due to mechanical problems. Days 2 and 3 were scrubbed by weather.

Uh oh. What if — after all that preparation — the Titanic dive turned out to be its own disaster?

On Day 4, Rush took the first set of paying passengers down to the sea floor. However, communication problems prevented them from finding the wreck. They spent 4 hours looking at … nothing. (OceanGate will give them a free do-over next summer.)

Pogue was freaking out. He’d spent 12 days documenting an expedition to the Titanic that never got there. Yikes.

Happily, on the final day the remaining customers made a successful dive.  They had “an incredible experience,” Pogue says.

“CBS Sunday Morning” had only enough time to show 45 seconds of the passengers’ video. Pogue offers “06880” readers a special bonus: a link to 12 minutes more:

So how did Pogue spend the rest of his time on the chartered oil rig service ship?

He toured the engine room. He interviewed the captain and first mate (and got a course in piloting the state-of-the-art, $300 million vessel).

He saw huge pods of dolphins and whales.

And each night, 4 Titanic and deep sea experts gave educational talks.

Ever the entertainer, Pogue spent one bad-weather day writing rhyming clues for a scavenger hunt. The payoff was a brilliant word puzzle that his son Kell had written for the occasion. Check out this exclusive video:

The story ran this past Sunday. Viewers reacted strongly on social media.

One was “disgusted” that people would “piss away” all that money “just to see a wrecked ship.” Another claimed he would not go even if paid $250,000.

Pogue has a different view.

For one, he has new respect for how hard it is to reach Titanic. Every expedition faces mechanical and weather problems.

For another, he thinks OceanGate could be more transparent about how low the odds are of reaching the wreck. They run 5 expeditions — each lasting 8 days — over the summer. Usually, they get down to Titanic only twice. Sometimes, they don’t succeed at all.

Third, Pogue  appreciates that “most people would never in a million years pay that kind of money for this kind of trip,” whether for price, risk or claustrophobic reasons.

But, he adds, a certain percentage of the population thrives on thrills like that. They have the money — or save up to take the trip.

“Having lived with 6 of these folks at sea for 8 days,” he says, “I’m convinced they got what they were looking for.”

Renata — the woman who saved for 30 years to see Titanic — told Pogue, “I feel like I was missing something in my life. Now it’s not missing. I can die happy.”

You can’t put a price on that.

To see David Pogue’s full “CBS Sunday Morning” segment, click below:

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Titanic Discoverer, Undersea Explorer Surfaces At Library

Posted on January 23, 2020 | 5 comments

The 2nd “Andrew Wilk Presents…” will be fascinating.

On Thursday, February 13 (7 p.m.), Dr. Robert Ballard speaks at the Westport Library.

I was excited to interview him, for a sneak peak. In 1985 he discovered the wreck of Titanic. He’s also found the Bismarck, the lost fleet of Guadalcanal, the aircraft carrier Yorktown (sunk in the Battle of Midway), and John F. Kennedy’s PT-109.

Dr. Robert Ballard

But when I started talking about those titanic discoveries, he basically said, “Who cares?”

Ballard has bigger fish to fry.

The National Geographic Society Explorer-at-Large says his most important discoveries were of hydrothermal vents — and the exotic life forms living miles below the surface.

Basically, Ballard found the origins of life on earth. These creatures have found ways to duplicate photosynthesis without sunlight. Thanks to Ballard, we now know that life can flourish all over the universe.

He’ll talk about all that in Westport. (And Titanic too. “It’s part of the story of human history,” he realizes.)

But wait! There’s more!

Ballard is also about to embark on “the 2nd Lewis & Clark Expedition.” Of course, there are a couple of differences between this, and the one 2 centuries ago that uncovered the wonders of our still-unexplored continent.

Dr. Robert Ballard, ready to explore

For one, Ballard is going underwater. The US owns waters 200 miles from our coastline — and we’ve got a lot of coast. Including Alaska, Hawaii and all our Pacific islands like Guam, Ballard says there is as much undersea as the entire surface of the United States.

And we have no idea what minerals and species are down there.

“I’ll tell you when I find it,” Ballard says confidently.

A second difference between the 1800s and 2000s: Half of the explorers this time will be female.

“I’m calling it the Lois and Clark Expedition,” Ballard says.

So he’s not only astonishingly smart, and superbly adventurous. Ballard is also quite funny.

“Andrew Wilk Presents…” — hosted by Westport’s Emmy-winning television executive producer and director/playwright/symphony conductor — brings remarkable men and women to the library. The series kicked off last month with Michael Davie, a filmmaker who has worked on major projects for Oprah Winfrey, National Geographic, Discovery and more.

Ballard will be a compelling guest. His sense of adventure is — clearly — profound.

So I wanted to know more about what he will discover, in his upcoming exploration of our planet’s vast oceans.

“What did Lewis and Clark expect when they got in their canoes?” Ballard asked rhetorically.

“I’ll tell you when I find it.”

(Tickets for Dr. Robert Ballard’s talk with Andrew Wilk are $50 for reserved seating; $150 for VIP reception and reserved seating. Click here for tickets and more information.)

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Posted in Library, People

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