208. How Complex Systems Fail

2021-04-30

Engineering disasters often highlight how bad decisions can wreak havoc, but Dr. Richard Cook’s model of complex systems & how they fail paints a different picture.

Audio Version MP3

How Complex Systems Fail (Cook, 2000) - https://how.complexsystems.fail/

Behind Human Error: Cognitive Systems, Computers and Hindsight (Cook, 1994) - https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a492127.pdf

Normal Accidents (Perrow, 1984) - http://geo.unibuc.ro/dm/Documents/[Charles_Perrow]_Normal_Accidents.pdf

Velocity 2012: Richard Cook, “How Complex Systems Fail” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S0k12uZR14

Velocity NY 2013: Richard Cook, “Resilience In Complex Adaptive Systems” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGLYEDpNu60

Flying Astronauts to Space Is Never Routine (Koren, 2020) - https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/11/spacex-nasa-astronauts-crew-launch/617112/

Well There’s Your Problem 8: Three Mile Island - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm5p2K9eW9o

Well There’s Your Problem 4: The Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw2t0MOGnVc

Well There’s Your Problem 12A: The Boeing 737 Max - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvM6vaZKKm4

Well There’s Your Problem 14: The Quebec Bridge - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjOduiPSF1Q

THUNK 161: 13 Reasons Why & Compatibilism - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngQ7Dh9-NFM

THUNK 199: FMEA - Dodging Disaster - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z2s9Ornp6U

Climbing Accident Reports: How (and Why) to Read Them (Kirby, courtesy of Angus Smith!) - http://www.alpineinstitute.com/articles/expert-tips/climbing-accident-reports-how-(and-why)-to-read-them/

“Funny how many problems boil down to ‘People need to be less shitty to one another.’” -Ulfoolius

Rest in peace, man. You will be missed.

← Back to Episodes