mtseymour,
Since you never answered my question I'll assume you have never ridden Mt. Evans or Pikes Peak. None of what you wrote address the main issue of dealing with the extreme braking conditions caused by external variables such as traffic. Several posts back you had said these 'brake tests' are too extreme and you called me an 'alarmist' for bringing the brake failure article into attention. I replied back to you letting you know you have forgotten about the external variables such as weather and traffic. You went on to say that today's modern disk brakes are safe and that the riders are to blame for improper braking technique.
As several others have pointed out, the disk brake has a limit in terms of how much heat it can dissipate. Engineers design a system that will meet perhaps 90% of the expected load because no one wants a disk brake that weighs 15lbs. The limits of a modern disk brake system is reached more frequently than you think. One forum reader posted their experiences on brake failure on Mt. Ventoux. When someone brings up their brake failure experiences you immediately blame them for improper braking technique.
I invite you to come to Colorado and do Mt. Evans either on your single or tandem. You could stay at my house and I'll be your host. Once you have experienced of going down a steep mountain with heavy vehicle traffic where your speed cannot be faster than 20mph, with an air density that is a lot less than at 4,000' elevation, you will understand that the modern disk brake cannot handle all situations safely as you claimed.