mm wrote:

Today I heard on the radio, no discussion of when the cap was first
conceived or how long it took to make, or why it wasn't conceived and
made long ago, but that it was used last because methods that couldn't
make things worse were used first.


From the Christian Science Monitor (17 July 2010)

"[ATLANTA] The identity of the "mystery plumber" whose homemade design for a
new containment cap may have helped to finally stanch the Gulf oil spill
geyser emerged Saturday.

"His name is Joe Caldart, a married, 40-something blue-collar guy with five
kids and three hound dogs living in St. Francis, Kan. Mr. Caldart has 907
Facebook friends. He likes the band Rednecks & Red Dirt, watches "Family
Guy," and cites the 1978 Burt Reynolds flick "Hooper" as one of his
favorites."

Money quote:
"The idea was using the top flange on the blowout preventer as an attachment
point and then employing an internal seal against that flange surface," says
Dr. Bea. "You can kind of see how a plumber thinks this way. That's how they
have to plumb homes for sewage."

Full story
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment...oil-spill-leak