For your enjoyment and enlightenment: a hangout with a bunch of people involved in the Rosetta project. They are there to give updates on what’s happening.
One of the people is Matt Taylor, he of The Shirt. Starting at 15:20 (which is the first time he talks) he apologizes for wearing The Shirt. Good; thanks, ESA. Then he collects himself, and gets a pat on the shoulder from the guy next to him, and then he talks about the project.
Good. Done. Now we can talk about the project and leave The Shirt behind!
That’s the irony of notpologies and evasion — they don’t solve anything and just leave the issue festering like a dead bat inside the walls. A real apology lets everyone move on. It takes so little to settle these kinds of things… so very little.
The majority of the problems in a civilized society can be worked out with a “please”, a “thanks”, or an “I’m really sorry”.
This is the Internets.
Nothing is ever truly left behind.
But we can leave it behind.
Gladly.
@3: Yes, if we’re going to have a sad over this mission, let it be that Philae fell so far short (as it currently looks like it will) of the dreams it carried.
Well if this Guardian report is right it didn’t really fall all that far short – it’s more that the hopes for extra may be dashed.
Yup, this was a perfect apology, handled masterfully. A formal statement from ESA about examining policies wouldn’t be out of place further down the road, but it would be better if it was a broader statement with no reference to this specific incident.
But we can leave it behind.
You are going to have to work on your crazed and vindictive behavior.
*makes half-hearted clawing motions in the air*