In amongst to all the "dumb" threads lately, I ran across this story which sounds rather interesting.
The dumb things our brilliant minds do

So maybe its just a plug for some guys hypothesis on why we do dumb things, but the article seems reasonable to me.

I was very unhappy though with this quote...
I consider a kluge as not the ideal solution among alternatives. There were no alternatives here. Based on the definition given, I can probably let it slide, but that last sentence just eats at me.

__________________
Numbers are not case sensitive. (me)

I consider a kluge as being a clever solution, given circumstances.

And given the circumstances of Apollo 13, the CO₂ filter solution was clever.

Yes, that last sentence grates: I think it shows a misunderstanding of the circumstances of the Apollo missions. They didn't create a new filter, they created a mechanism to use a differently-sized filter that was part of the CM for use in the lifeboat, the LM.

It rhymes with "huge"? I've always pronounced it as rhyming with "fudge."

__________________
SeanF

"Ask to understand, but don't challenge unless you have the knowledge."--NEOWatcher

The contents of this post are ©2008 by SeanF and may not be copied or retransmitted in any form without the express written consent of SeanF

Agreed! But then again, I spelled it kludge!

__________________
Any day you wake up on "the right side of the dirt" is a good day.

T. Anderson

Me, too.

__________________
SeanF

"Ask to understand, but don't challenge unless you have the knowledge."--NEOWatcher

The contents of this post are ©2008 by SeanF and may not be copied or retransmitted in any form without the express written consent of SeanF

In my opinion, a kluge (I prefer kludge) does not have to be elegant, clever, or the optimal solution given the circumstances. It just needs to get the job done for the desired time. In fact, I would submit that the ideal kluge is one that works but it is so "klugey/kludgy" you want to remove it as soon as possible.

-V

Ya, something that's bad for failing to have been properly designed... the sense in which Nietzscheans used it as an epithet for inferior unmodified (or little-modified) humans in "Andromeda".

Wasn't kluge the villain from Star Trek III?

__________________
There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
-Douglas Adams
Aim high (but don't blow yourself up)!- Homer Hickam

In Soviet Russia, UFO report you!- Phil Plait

Clear skies Maksutov.

Kruge.

I challenge anyone who thinks the human mind isn't good enough to make a better one. It is not perfect, no. But it works.
I rather admire the filter rig. Using parts only on board, with a very limited time frame, they fit a square peg in a round hole. No, they wouldn't use it in future missions. But they wouldn't need it in future missions, unless something broke. And if they had needed it, they now had the procedure, and could have replicated it, if needed.
All it needed to do was work, which it did, and by doing so saved the lives of the astronauts.
So too the human brain. We carry a lot of baggage from the stone ages we may feel we don't need. Even if that is true, to get to here, we needed that kludge, and who knows when we may need it again?

__________________

What was the sock for, anyway?

The Mission Control suggested using a piece of a sock to block the bypass hole in the center of the bottom of the LiOH canister. But it seems the crew opted using a piece a towel instead, so I don't think they needed a sock after all.

I spelled it kludge, pronounced it huge, like most people

This wiki article:

woo-hoo--I see a weasel word and a citation needed! Most dictionaries--did someone do a survey?

__________________
-----
Todd (Bowie, MD, US, North America, Earth, Sol System, Vega region, Local Bubble, Orion arm, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group, Virgo A Cluster, Virgo supercluster, the universe in which spock is clean shaven)

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

personal page: http://blog.astrosketches.info

woo-hoo? I call inordinate glee!

Dictionary.com has five entries. The Random House, Ame.Her.Dic., and On-line Dictionary of Computing entries all have the klooj pronunciation, the fudge pronunciation doesn't appear at that webpage--the other two entries (Brita,nica and WorldNet) don't mention pronunciation.

Just Joking

__________________
There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
-Douglas Adams
Aim high (but don't blow yourself up)!- Homer Hickam

In Soviet Russia, UFO report you!- Phil Plait

Clear skies Maksutov.