33 APRIL 2021 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Got a Computer Problem? Just Hit the Reset Button! by Britt Storkson Owner, P2FlowLLC Reset the computer. Reset the circuit breaker. When your computer “locks up” or is “not responding”, what do you do? You reset (or restart it), of course. It usually takes care of the problem. The worst that can happen is you will have to wait a few minutes for the computer to “reboot”. Nothing works during that time and you cannot use your machine, but it’s what needs to be done to regain your ability to use the machine. But what if the computer flying your airplane 30,000 feet above mean sea level locks up and needs a reboot? You hit the reset button, of course. But wait a minute . . . when that happens, the computer is out of service for whatever period of time it takes to get its act together. In other words, nothing works. It’s not a comforting thought when you’re streaking along, high up in the sky. With all microprocessors (the computer brain of the system), turning the power off to it for a time and then back on again initiates a “power on reset”. This means the computer program goes back to the starting point and through an initialization routine that, more often than not, fixes what caused it to fail in the first place. What caused the problem in the first place could be either hardware or software errors, or both. When we say “hardware” in computer terms, we mean items you can see and touch. When we say “software” in computer terms, we mean the instructions written into the hardware program memory which make the computer work as desired. Hardware errors could mean one or more of the many thousands of transistors used in the system isn’t working like it should. Software errors are the wrong instruction or location of that instruction, which may not be accessed by the program for years after the final software is written. This is the ticking time bomb aspect of flawed software as previously undetected problems can pop up at any time. This is why it is so important to test both software and hardware diligently and under all conditions it will encounter during its lifetime. And the more software there is, the tougher and more time-consuming it is to test. In the October 31, 2020, release of The Hour.com there is an article entitled: NASA's new rocket would be the most powerful ever. But it's the software that has some officials worried. The article talks about having all of the latest and greatest in rocket technology on tap, but it is all for naught if the software is flawed. “All for naught” means if certain parts of the software are flawed, it could literally blow up the entire mission. And likely blow up the careers of those involved with that mission. There are several commonsense solutions to this problem. When you do make something, make it as simple as possible to get the job done. Do not use unnecessary components or software. Test everything thoroughly - both individual parts, as well as the product as a whole. Do not yield to the temptation to add things at the last minute. Like the saying goes: GIGO. Garbage in = Garbage out. If you make garbage, you will get garbage performance - usually showing up at the worst possible time. So don’t go there. Britt Britt Storkson may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com Kathy, My rig is headed to Texas, monies in my bank. Am I glad I didn’t give up on your ability to sell the rig . . . classified advertiser from Illinois Want Your Own FREE Subscription to WWDR? Get your FREEmonthly subscription delivered to your home or office. Call 850-547-0102, or visit: worldwidedrillingresource.com
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