Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Dreamliner at last

The delays that Boeing has suffered in getting its Dreamliner program up and running have been a disappointment. However, today I'm happy to congratulate Boeing and especially its engineers for the successful first test flight of the 787.

I deliver computer software systems for a living. These are complex. Our project suffer delays and must deal with risk. However, these pale in comparison to a project to design, build, test and sell a new airliner. Moreover, in the case of the Dreamliner, the company took significant risks in going with new materials.

It was fantastic to see the plane take flight, to see dreams in the process of being realised, and to see progress that will actually help people. This is pleasantly refreshing considering the idiocy unfolding in Copenhagen. The bane of humanity - scientific charlatans, Greenpeace, Mugabe, David Miller, and the Yes Men are gathered to destroy dreams.