Dear readers, day after day we devote at least a third of our time to work, oil and gas service experts dealing with wells, journalists – with papers… But there is always more to put in our life, apart from work. Moreover, in order to succeed and to make a career, we need health, good luck, wide knowledge…

 

Starting from this issue we launch a new column called Alpha – Omega. These are the first and the last letters of the Ancient Greek alphabet which stand for the beginning and ending, but also for the route that may take the form of the line of knowledge extending to infinity, or the winding spiral of development. We have no intention to embrace the boundless, nor are we going to look for easy ways to success, because there are no such ways. Our aim is to share with you the knowledge on the modern world and those changes in it that look prospective to us, as well as on the growth points where our future starts crystallizing. First and foremost, we shall focus on the cutting-edge technologies emerging in various spheres of the human life.

 

You may find our choice subjective. That is why we are looking forward to the feedback from you and hope that you will offer new topics for the Alpha – Omega column.

 

In the context of our new column it would be appropriate to draw a metaphoric parallel between the two innovative technologies: coiled tubing in oil and gas sphere and usage of the Da Vinci robotic system in surgery. There is much in common between the two activities. The actions of a surgeon, operating on with the help of the robot, resemble those of an engineer, reconstructing a well by means of a coiled tubing unit. In both cases the work is conducted in the dark depth of substance, which is not seen by the unaided eye, but which is lightened by the virtual eyesight of sensitive devices. This is the depth abounding with the unexpected and the unpredictable. In case of the well this uncertainty stands for the depth of several miles, high temperature and pressure, aggressive environments. In case of human body… One gets scared thinking of that. But in both cases correct actions of the specialist minimize the negative impact for the patient and the environment. In both cases the specialist has to uncover the reasons, determine the consequences and take unique actions. But in case of endosurgery we speak about a living, animate substance…