asakiyume: (feathers on the line)
This morning, since I have a dearth of paid work, and since the topic is tangentially related to something I'm writing, I watched a simply fabulous 47-minute video on Singapore's transshipment port.

I've always been fascinated by ports--or as fascinated as a person can be who's never actually hung out at any. They're such complex systems, and so important! So much going on. And the port in Singapore is especially so--the video claims it's the world's busiest.

Oh man, the video was just so well done. It starts with the arrival of a megaship, a giant container ship, and periodically it comes back to that ship to check on how things are coming along, and even though that's artificial--the filming isn't happening in real time (and the ship is in port for close to 24 hours)--it gives you a sense for how long it takes to unload and then reload it. And meanwhile it's talking about things like the Vessel Traffic Information Service (like air traffic control, but for the ships), or how they use gamma rays to check for bombs and things, or the car jockeys who have to drive the cars on and off the ship, or how they deal with VLCCs (Very Large Crude Carriers)--or how they deal with pirates! And they have historical footage of the port in the 1970s, and lots of interviews with various people in various roles, and always with this narration that knows how to play things for drama, e.g.:
It’s a wonder this megastructure doesn’t fall apart. The secret is Big Brother: Computer Integrated Terminal Operation System, code name CITOS. And this is central command. CITOS is a supercomputer whose fiberoptic tendrils reach every corner of the port. It orders, it controls, and it’s always watching.

Or:
The megaship will guzzle in just one day enough fuel to run an economy car for more than 150 years ... The fuel runs the largest diesel engine in the world … with more power than 143 top-of-the-range Ferraris.

(You have to love the comparisons--the wackiest was this: "100,000 boxes are stacked in the yard on any given day. Over 10 years, that’s enough to build a container beanstalk to the moon.")

You can imagine how exciting things get when it's talking about pirates:
It was almost midnight. The men were creeping in with pistols and long knives ... There was one chance the ship could be saved--but there was not a moment to lose ... Both the captain and the pirates were now racing to the bridge--racing to seize control of the ship. At stake? The lives of his crew.

But honestly, it was just as fun to see the car jockeys parking the cars within a hand's width of each other, or seeing a crane operator talk about his son wanting to go up in the crane.

I was thinking I would happily, happily watch a long serial set in a port, with the port master and the captain in charge of maritime environment and hazardous cargo, and the ship masters, the CEO of port security, and the car jockeys, and of course the pirates. Or even better, could I secure some grant to go live there and interview people and shadow them at work and create the serial myself??

I don't imagine my gushing can induce you to settle in for a 47-minute documentary video unless, like me, you're already interested in the topic, but I can promise you that it's an excellent ride if you do watch!


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asakiyume

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