Applause for Robert Cook

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Robert, you did a great job! Congrats! But I have to ask - how come I haven't heard about Dave Stroub and the Y2k Readiness store? Anyway, hope your sensible words soaked in to some hard heads!

-- April (Alwzapril@home.com), November 14, 1999

Answers

Damn I'd like to have heard ole Robert give em hell. Synopsis anybody?

-- a (a@a.a), November 14, 1999.

---yes, i am truly sorry i missed it, too, had to work, was in and out. so, robert, how'd it go? get any good zingers in????

-- zog (zzoggy@yahoo.com), November 14, 1999.

Robert did a terrific job. He gave a very clear explanation of the interdependency of the supply chain, and how failure at any one point in the chain would bring distribution to a halt. He was very knowledgeable about production and distribution of electricity, and had researched very thoroughly the readiness of the counties surrounding Atlanta. All in all a very fine job, I only wish the program had been longer. Robert, I didn't know you were a nuclear engineer...I'm glad I was able to tune in to the program! Hope they'll invite you back.

-- Jill D. (jdance@mindspring.com), November 14, 1999.

RealAudio, please! Stomp stomp, whistle 'n hoot, clap clap, Robert!

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), November 14, 1999.

I'm quite sure you were GREAT Robert! 'Cause you already are!

;-D

Diane

@}'-->---

(Here's a rose... you've earned it).

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 14, 1999.



Just how many nuke plants are there in Atlanta? Ever ask yourself that question....

-- (questions@to.ask), November 14, 1999.

None that I know of. Anybody else? I think the nearest is Savannah or Oak Ridge, TN...? Are you trying to make us even MORE anxious?

-- Jill D. (jdance@ mindspring.com), November 15, 1999.

Yes, I have. There are none that I know of. I think the closest one is Savannah or Oak Ridge, TN. Anybody else???

What are you trying to do...make us even MORE anxious?

-- Jill D. (jdance@mindspring.com), November 15, 1999.


Thank you most sincerely for the compliant compliments - I bow and humbly aknowledge your praise....

Nuclear plants in GA?

Two south of Macon, a little off of the highway.

A couple in Alabama on the Tenn. River, a few others up in TN (TVA jobs) plus the Oak Ridge facilities - granted, Oak Ridge are not really reactors, these are U enrichment plants and processing facilities. The Duke Power North and South Carolina plants, plus the DOE's enrichment and Pu processing plants in Aiken (Savannah River facilities), the nuclear storage sites in SC, the navy reactors at Charleston plus the SSBN reactors in South GA......Several others further south in FL - I've been at all of these, or worked on drawings from them at one time or another.....

(By the way, what the above troll was trying to get at was that I couldn't be a nuclear engineer, since there are no power plants in downtown Marietta....He's wrong. Although I was a qualified nuclear operator - not currently certified, my brother is shift supervisor down in South TX, my dad built the things (containment concrete and rebar, steel, layout, cooling towers, cooling water systems, forms and buildings), and I built, installed, tested and certified the piping, reactor instrumentation, initial criticality, core load (and refueling anad reactor maintenance and re-testing), and misc. mechancal parts and pieces (turbines, generators, chemical control, rods, pumps, condensors, etc.)

Here in Marietta/Atlanta, the regional NRC offices employ NE's, so does the entire GE reactor group - though I am not employed by them), so does GA Power. My own company does reactor QA and 3D design services for reactors in Japan, Korean, Russian - nope not Chernobyl, yes - for TMI), Slovakian, UK, Tawain, US and for future plants under design.

Although I need to go on site at times, you can't design and plant from the field - You can do most QA work most efficiently from the drawings and documents right at "home."

I'd say - having crawled around, in, under, and behind piping, cables, equipment, steel, and concrete for most of the past 26 odd years - even before graduation as a "nuke" - I'm experienced in the field ....

As an "oh, by the way" - for the past ten years I've been split time between actual nuclear/chemical plant QA (using the drawings and documentation) and software testing and configuration control for new programs/revised/upgraded programs here in Marietta: and debugging software is EXTREMELY difficult. My MS is in Quality Assurance, specializing in Software Testing. (Can't program - don't pretend to. I just am very good at figuring out what to tell the programmers to fix, why it broke, and what they need to do to solve the customer's problem(s) the fastest, simplest way.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 15, 1999.


Robert, I read somewhere that the reactor in Cuba was the same type and age as Chernobyl. What is your opinion about the possible lack of compliance of this time bomb sitting 90 miles from our coast?

-- April (Alwzapril@home.com), November 15, 1999.


You gigged 'em, Robert. Way to go!

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), November 15, 1999.

Robert: Is there a way to get a transcription of the show? Or can you provide your synopsis of what you said? According to a post above, you discussed power and Y2k...was a utility representative present? What specifically did you say on electric grid issues?

Thanks...

-- Dan (dgman19938@aol.com), November 15, 1999.


Well I'm not a nuclear engineer, but I do know this much...

The nuclear power plants in North Carolina run on analog controls where the actual generation of power is concerned. They were built back in the days when people didn't trust computers to be so completely in charge of such sensitive issues. The personnel at all nukes in NC are trained to run those plants completely manually for weeks or months, if need be.

Two conventional power plants in NC have been running in post-2000 mode for months now, without a glitch. Those plants are virtually identical to every other conventional power generation plant in the state, as regards Y2k remediation status.

My source? The man who is in charge of the Y2k effort for the North Carolina Utilities Commission, with whom I spoke personally, face to face, about three weeks ago. I'm a pretty good judge of face-to-face BS; he was telling the truth.

Have also seen some of these facts in state news reports previously, and at Duke Power and CP&L company websites. Just don't think they're all lying.

-- Chicken Little (panic@forthebirds.net), November 16, 1999.


What!?!

No scathing refutation of these irrefutable facts?

No wiggly-wormy reasons why other states are so hugely different from North Carolina?

Where are Andy and Sysman and King of Scum?

What a shock

-- Chicken Little (panic@forthebirds.net), November 16, 1999.


Sir Chicken - What is there to "refute?"

That's pretty much what I said: that the nuclear plants have been remediated, tested, AND audited, that they had qualified design departments and good documentation, qualified vender lists and a limited number of design that were well-maintained with revision control and updates. Of ANY system anywhere, the nuclear plants would be most likely to successfully get power to the fences.

The fossil plants (everywhere) have NOT had design revision control, nor qualified documentation. They have NOT been independently audited, do NOT have backup systems, do NOT have emergency drills, do NOT have periodic formal operator training, do NOT have operator qualification testing and reviews, do NOT have legistlative-mandated design/operations reviews. Fossil plants are entirely self-reported data to a voluntary agency of commercial companies with no power to investigate or fine for false reports.

The distribution system itself (the grid) has NOT been tested, nor have specific independent audits been made of its operator qualifications, training, readiness status, or emergency readiness. Blackstart conditions - at fossil plants, nor at the grid - are not drilled, simulated, nor practiced.

Thus, periodic and intermittant blackouts are likely - lasting unknown times, as unexpected problems occur in the distribution and control systems. Eventually, we hope all these probelms can get identified, can get the "fix" designed or jury-rigged, can get the fix installed, and can eventually get power restored.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 17, 1999.



To all - I've been told we can get a tape of the program - if so, I'll put the info here.

Again - Thank you for your comments.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 17, 1999.


I stated early and thoroughly why there would be no Y2K collapse and had many of you doomers basically tell me I was lying. Well, now that the rollover has occurred and virtually nothing happened, as I told you would be the case, where are you? I've been expecting to see all sorts of conspiracy theories and such. By the way, how were returns at the Y2K store? Final by the way, Leap Year won't be an issue either.

-- Murray E. Jennex, Ph.D., P.E. (murphjen@aol.com), January 26, 2000.

I'm sure you were telling the truth as you saw it. The biggest problem I have with you is your personality.........

It must be terminal. You have my deepest sympathy.

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), January 26, 2000.


"I stated early and thoroughly why there would be no Y2K collapse"

You did? Your name is unfamiliar to me, although I may have missed something. Could you supply some URLs or links where you thoroughly stated why? I would like to read them with the benefit of hindsight.

"Well, now that the rollover has occurred and virtually nothing happened, as I told you would be the case, where are you?"

Are you addressing Robert in particular? If so, I've seen him around on the forum. If you're addressing the forum in general, you might want to read the "Oldtimers Roll Call" thread. Sorry, too lazy to find the link...it's about midway on the New Answers page.

" I've been expecting to see all sorts of conspiracy theories and such."

And? Are you seeing what you expected? Why, or why not?

" By the way, how were returns at the Y2K store?"

Dunno. I don't have anything I want to return, and haven't seen anyone posting that they have either.

"Final by the way, Leap Year won't be an issue either."

From what I'm reading on the forum, I think most agree with you.

Murray E. Jennex, Ph.D., P.E. (murphjen@aol.com)

Were you posting under a different name before? If so, why use your real name (assuming you are) now?

My final by the way...what Will Continue said.

-- (TrollPatrol@sheesh.now), January 26, 2000.


Chicken Little,

I'm here. Power is not my area, but it was/is one of my concerns. I like to leave these discussions to people that know what they're talking about. <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), January 26, 2000.


Oh well, I didn't notice that this thread goes back to Nov. I gotta pay better attention... <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), January 26, 2000.

Ah, Sir Murray E. Jennex, Ph.D., P.E., good of you to rejoin us. Welcome back.

There where no returns that I'm aware of at DaveStroub's Y2K Ready Store. (Though not an owner, founder, nor stockholder, I do talk to dave regularly, and he says evybody's very happy no extra troubles happened in early january.

Perhaps they closed up shop too early: Home Depot, Lowes, Northern Hydraulics, Kmat, WalMart, and Sears are out of generators and emergency heaters now - due to the 360,000 thousand who were without power from Sunday's storm. Kerosene heaters, firewood, wood stoves, and campfire (propane) heaters are all sold out too. Couple of people have dies from CO poisening - wished thay had prepared for "winter storm" as Mr. K. urged everybody to.

Those of us who prepared - AS IF POWER MIGHT FAIL for an extended or for a short period of time - (we never said it would absolutely fail!) - were fine, as several threads previously have indicated. We are all safe, sheltered, and have hot water, running refrigerators, and warm houses.

The others, the ones who listened to you perhaps? Nothing.

As of this afternoon - about 8,000 in Atlanta itself are still without power, and roughly 12,000 are still out in northern Georgia.

(Can somebody whose better at llinking: look for the five recent "Georgia" threads for me please?)

For example, since I have an invertor and backup power from the batteries, I never lost home heating since the furnace fan always had power: so I donated my kerosene heater and a drum of kerosene to some people who had none. (Might have been an opportunity to "profit" - but it doesn't seem right to take advantage of another's needs, ah well - a debate for the ages. It this kind of "material" item tax deductible either?)

Shameless advertising for Dave Stroub: Anybody who remains interested in the idea of a quiet (no generator!) partial or whole house backup system can get a package deal from Dave Stroub --- as a packaged, professionally put together unit, his systems are a lot easier to "plug-in-play" than my own, which had to be assembled from scratch - learning the way as I went along. (Email me, I'll give you his info. The little ones are less expensive than the bigger units obviously, but have equally less power reserves, and usually have smaller invertors....hey, they're cheaper than a generator, you can't get everything.)

---...---...

No apologies, I didn't expect the degree of success that we enjoyed throught he tremendous efforts of the power industries in January at rollover. But I also didn't expect to use my backups in a real three day "winter storm" in January.

Nor did I expect to see so many hundred thousand suffer needlessly from failing to prepare - IF y2k had caused power outages on January 01, 02, 03,....

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), January 26, 2000.


Well, I never expected to see this thread revived! But now that it is - I'll tell you this - we lost power on Sunday around noon and we didn't get it back until Monday night. We had everything we needed and we managed to keep the house temp at 61 degrees. We loaned one of our kero heaters to a neighbor and shared a pot of soup with them on Monday evening before the power came back up.

I learned a few things from the experience - I don't have enough oil lamps, plan to get more, (they don't make that much light, but it is something). I also learned that it is hard work keeping two fireplaces stoked around the clock and that you need to plan ahead and do your evening meal before it gets dark. I also learned that the evenings are long in the winter and toilet seats can be excruciatingly cold in the morning.

I have no intention of giving up any preps, given that I always was prepping for other contingencies anyway, y2k was just a good excuse with a deadline. This past weekend, I liked knowing we were safe and warm and didn't have to seek shelter away from home. I liked knowing, today, while everyone else was scrambling to prepare for this weekend's storm -fighting over what was available, I am ready and have been ready and will always be ready from this point in time forward.

-- April (alwzapril@home.com), January 27, 2000.


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