What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Introduction

Around 1990 I was working on mainframe computers and everything was nailed down and worked perfectly. But it was all processed in batches and then we got desktops with GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces) and now we have handheld devices that can do anything except teleport us (yet).

In the mainframe environment possibilities were limited, but on today's devices, the possibilities seem almost infinite. That got me thinking about just everyday life and how everything we do could have so many outcomes, some good, but mostly bad. so I thought I would construct a piece around that concept.

The music is "Wrong" by the wonderful Archers Of Loaf from their album "The Speed Of Cattle".

So What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

You could wake up with an awful cramp, you try to get out of bed and knock over your glass of water which then runs onto the plug when your electronic alarm clock is plugged in, causing the fuse to blow and your house loses all power, and it is winter and freezing.

And this is all before you have left the bedroom.

I never think like this, although I can see the possibilities, i always take small precautions but you can't prepare for cramp, just not panic when it happens.

So I get out of the bedroom, and then go and wash and shave. I could cut myself badly with my razor then get blood all over the floor and maybe even infect myself with something.

Then it is shower time.

On the way to the shower in the west wing of the house I have to traverse two small sets of stairs while passing the main flight. I could easily slip and break an ankle or even fall downstairs and break far more than just an ankle.

But I never do.

Then in the shower sometimes there is soap and shower gel on the shower floor making it slippery. Once when I was on holiday I did slip like that and it did hurt, but I reported it to the owners, it wasn't their fault, but just made them aware of the potential for accidents in the shower.

Out of the shower and dry myself, then back to the main bathroom, to put some gel on my hair. I am always scared of putting hair gel on my fingers and then trying to put my contact lenses in. How mad would that be? But there are times when I choose the wrong item for whatever I am doing. I always spot it before it is too late.

So it is time to go downstairs for real now and make myself coffee or tea, so first of all I need to boil the kettle. It still amazes me that I have no qualms about putting my hands through steam, but would never put my hands into boiling water, but I am ok with the even hotter steam. That is strange.

As I pour the boiling water into the cafetiere the glass could shatter spraying me with boiling water and sharp glass shards, but that has only happened to me once. I am not scared of making coffee in a cafetiere.

Conclusion

So that is a list of things that could go wrong before leaving the house. It is very seldom any of these happen to me, but they could. I never think they will, but I am prepared.

Everything we do could go wrong, it could be a mistake, but 99.99% of the time it doesn't. Things going wrong are an exception.

We need to be prepared for things going wrong, it's why cars carry spare wheels, but we never expect to use them.