Tuesday, August 08, 2006

24th International System Safety Conference


I spent last week in Albuquerque attending the conference. I presented a paper on the safety change control for the Krakatau sub-critical experiment. The photograph is of Jeff, Martin, chuck, and myself just after Chuck and Martin accepted the award for Krakatau which won the group scientific achievement award.

I asked Martin (who lives just outside London) if they had casinos in england. He said they are almost non-existant there and nothing like the ones we have in the US. Seemed the discussion went to the value or damage to the economy that casinos cause. I thought that although gambling is a zero sum game, it does serve as an economic engine pushing people to work more. Casino patrons get some playtime enjoyment and in the course lose their money and need to work again (and end up gambling some more). Ends up being a perpetual work cycle for the poor laborer. I know of a few people who were in retirement who took a trip to vegas and had to come out of retirement after gambling away all their savings. Sucks for them, good for getting them back to work.

So what do you think? Casinos good, casinos bad? and for who?

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