Trapped Chilean Miners Receive Sony PSPs
To cope with the isolation, trapped Chilean miners received Sony's PSP and other gadgets to keep entertained.
Monday Chilean officials said that they would begin drilling a rescue shaft to retrieve 33 miners trapped more than 2,300 feet below the earth's surface. The miners have been stuck underground since an August 5 cave-in, and are living off food, water and other supplies funneled in through a four-inch-wide tube snaked down to their position.
Despite the current rescue effort, Chilean officials said that it could take up to three or four months to extract the trapped miners. In the meantime, a four-person team from NASA will be shuttled in to provide behavioral health and physical support to the miners. NASA believes that isolated environments such as space and underground caves are no different, thus will apply its knowledge and experience.
To help alleviate the mental stress, Chilean officials have sent down Sony's PlayStation Portable handheld gaming device. Each miner will receive the unit along with his daily necessities. There was no indication on how the device will be recharged, as the PSP battery holds a charge of around six hours. Currently the miners are using vehicle batteries to power the bulbs in their helmets.
In addition to the PSP units, the miners will also receive flashlights, playing cards, MP3 players, speakers, a mini-TV projector, movies, recording of soccer games in addition to bed frames, shampoo, towels and other needed items. A cable to provide electrical power and fiber optic communications may also be dropped down into the mines.
"We have to make sure the miners are physically and psychologically fit," said Minister of Health Jaime Mañalich. "If they lose their mental balance, it could create panic and violence down there, and that would be a huge catastrophe."
A diagram of the mine can be found here. Currently the miners are unaware of the possible three to four month stay underground.
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"A diagram of the mine can be found here. Currently the miners are unaware of the possible three to four month stay underground."
Seems sort of rude to withhold information like that. Personally, if I was stuck in a hole, I'd like to know just how long the people trying to get me out thought the process was going to take.
So it seems as if 3-4
months will have to pass
and currently the miners don't
really know
that it will take that long? Yikes!
Are the
new psp's capable of wifi 2300 feet
down? They might get news that it will take 3-4 months!
With all respect for the miners trapped
in the mine, I do hope
they make it out soon
to see their families and
young ones!
Man.. I would really hate to be down there.. Even with all the stuff they are giving them.. That mine might collapse or something as they are drilling the new hole.. Hope they come out alright though.. With so much support I figure they will be fine..
that's pretty f'd up that they haven't told them how long its gonna take
seriously, this looks like a research... poor miners! hope they can get out asap
Are you kidding me? Are you f***king kidding me?
Oh well, it's nice copy for Sony I suppose.
"Currently the miners are unaware of the possible three to four month stay underground."
It's not true, they are aware it could take until Christmas.
But there is also another piece of hi-tech equipment that is on its' way (still going to take 4 days to get there) that is going to try and enlarge the current path they are using to get them supplies big enough (60 cm) to pull them up one by one.
But even this procedure, if successful, will take around a month to complete. And then it will take 5 hours to pull each miner up - one at a time - they are 700m deep.
I hope there aren't any Nintendo fanboi's down there...
I would like to send em a memory stick duo full of porn. Atleast it will alleviate their loneliness.
"In addition to the PSP units, the miners will also receive flashlights, playing cards, MP3 players"
LOL I thought they sent em fleshlights. Hahahahahaha
$ony always trying to benefit from things like this by getting free advertising . Theyre so greedy
33 miners and 3-4 months without sex, I wonder if they can cope.
Hope they get out before the estimated time.
"A cable to provide electrical power and fiber optic communications may also be dropped down into the mines."
Seriously? Fiber optic?
.. in the same way Mother Teresa was greedy, she was just being charitable to promote herself, then yes, I agree.
I hope they're out soon. However, a mine excavation to save lives is something you can't rush.
They could lower a WIFI router into the mine and just run a wire from the router to a modem above ground to get internet access for a PSP or a laptop or any other WIFI device down there.
If I was stuck down there I'd want internet access at the very least so I could IM and e-mail ad read the news sites and everything else..
What the hell else are they going to do until they get out anyway?
I can tell by these comments that most of you aren't married. I would have traded anything to be stuck down there if I were still stuck with that psycho witch.
They could lower a WIFI router into the mine and just run a wire from the router to a modem above ground to get internet access for a PSP or a laptop or any other WIFI device down there.If I was stuck down there I'd want internet access at the very least so I could IM and e-mail ad read the news sites and everything else..What the hell else are they going to do until they get out anyway?
That'd be great. They could write blogs then.
LOL, a bunch of grown up dudes that worked their lives in mines are now being trained to be gamers. At least they'll be able to beat games that I don't even have the time to even play. Next thing you know, they'll be leaving the mines to go to a local gaming store to buy consoles.
Next Article: To cope with the isolation of his office desk, trapped American IT Pro received Tom's Hardware i7 gaming rig to keep entertained.
You know guys... Sad thing is... Those miners won't know how to even turn the PSPs on. 'Cause, you see... Chilean miners aren't the most "tech work force" out there at all.
Anyway, good thing they're trying at least to ease their boredom and anxiousness while the real rescue happens.
Cheers!
PS: I'm a chilean BTW, so don't think I'm trolling the miners, please xD!
All the comments making fun of this situation are just horrible, it just tells me that this place is full of kiddos that live inside a bubble.
"A diagram of the mine can be found here. Currently the miners are unaware of the possible three to four month stay underground."Seems sort of rude to withhold information like that. Personally, if I was stuck in a hole, I'd like to know just how long the people trying to get me out thought the process was going to take.
They know, this "article" just lacks tons of info.
To begin with, they survided 17 days before the rescue team found em. They ate once each 2 days to stay alive and they are pretty aware of how long they will be there.
"A diagram of the mine can be found here. Currently the miners are unaware of the possible three to four month stay underground."Seems sort of rude to withhold information like that. Personally, if I was stuck in a hole, I'd like to know just how long the people trying to get me out thought the process was going to take.
Im not trying to sound ignorant, but sending a bed frame down a 4 inch tube? How are they gonna get a mattress down to them?
Are thenew psp's capable of wifi 2300 feetdown?
PSP even at 23ft the wifi is slow on a psp. They could play adhoc.
"fiber optic communications"
Man, can you say lucky?
I hope they get out soon.
You know guys... Sad thing is... Those miners won't know how to even turn the PSPs on. 'Cause, you see... Chilean miners aren't the most "tech work force" out there at all.Anyway, good thing they're trying at least to ease their boredom and anxiousness while the real rescue happens.Cheers!PS: I'm a chilean BTW, so don't think I'm trolling the miners, please xD!
I guess its an experiment, give them a psp and internet connection. See how long it will take them to find out(by getting online) how long they will be trapped. It might be easier if they found out for them self's.
If you told a group of 33 men that were confined in dark, hot, humid conditions without something has basic as a toilet that they were going to be stuck there without the slightest vision of day or any remote sense of time for 3 to 4 months, imagine how well that would go down.
I'd rather be considered "rude" than be the one who'd risk having the survivors kill each other over depression and anxiety.
Why not fish through a couple Asian girls while you're at it.
That's a pretty horrible situation, but I have confidence that it'll all end well, and sooner than anticipated. I think they should slide them down some extra food and sleeping pills; let them sleep the days away.
All the comments making fun of this situation are just horrible, it just tells me that this place is full of kiddos that live inside a bubble.
You´re right... but I can´t resist, they should have been given something that allowed them to tweet:
-Stuck in a mine
(5minuts later)
-still stuck in a mine, stay tuned for developments
Hope you can all leave safe and helthy as fast as possible
HEY EVERYBODY. IM GOING TO CHILE AND JUMP IN TO THE MINE. ITS BETTER LUXURIOUS THAN IM LIVING NOW. DONT MIND HOW I GET IN!