stories behind the news

Austin Bay analyzes the problems that caused the Hawaii alert, including the complicated drop down computer program that was probably the cause, and then goes on to discuss missile and defense issues.

Point 3: the incident demonstrates computer and digital device vulnerability to cyber warfare attacks, especially computers linked to alert networks.

it's not just missile attacks, of course: Also tornadoes, typhoons, flood warnings, and tsunamis. We have these alerts for cellphones in Manila, for example, and here everyone has cellphones, even the tricycle drivers and the maids. But since we live outside of Manila, the warnings are not always about our area, alas.

In the past, "weather radios", or local sirens  would alert us of tornadoes in Oklahoma (but since we were off the grid, usually the warnings came after the tornadoes went by. Which is why Okies stand OUTSIDE when there are storms, while sending the kids into the shelter).

the danger of what happened in Hawaii is that the next time, folks will ignore the alert.

and for the military it points out an even more ominous danger:

Point 3, hackers have grown more sophisticated in techniques and technology. The Pentagon is worried about the cyber attacks on U.S. sensor systems (like those detecting missile launches) and on some offensive weapons (to include nuclear weapons). The Hawaii fiasco shows how much chaos an enemy hacker can create by generating a false attack alert. The enemy then follows the cyber fake with a genuine ICBM attack.

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Dr Deming's quality control theories are supposed to be used by the US Navy, and this article discusses how they should have been implemented so that recent ship accidents would have been avoided.

For later reading. But here is a short video of Dr. Deming himself:




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David Reneke asks and tries to answer the questions you really want to know about outer space, such as: What's on the other side of a black hole.

includes this factoid: No, you can't see the Great Wall of China from the space station, but you can see the pyramids of Giza.

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a meteor almost took out Detroit. 


the meteor broke up before it hit the earth, but reminds one that missiles aren't the only danger coming out of the sky.

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