Episode 13 - Can of Worms

Mini Catastrophe

How do we evaluate if something rises up to a catastrophe? In this mini catastrophe, co-host Carlos Phoenix and Emilie Fournier explore computer security and threats to our global infrastructure.

The virus/worm Stuxnet was used by the United States in cyber espionage. The target was Iran's nuclear enrichment plant Natanz. This opened the door for the risk of weaponizing cyber attacks against global infrastructure. Will we convince you that this computer virus attack is a catastrophe?

Image by Darwin Laganzon from Pixabay.

Image by Darwin Laganzon from Pixabay.

Episode 12 - Raving Mad

Mini Catastrophe

How do we evaluate if something rises up to a catastrophe? This mini catastrophe explores rabies and whether its impact to humans and our pets rises to a level of catastrophe.

In this mini catastrophe format, co-host Carlos Phoenix welcomes a new producer and co-host Emilie Fournier. The vaccine for Rabies has made this a non-issue for some regions of the world, but for others the devastation is significant. Will we convince you that rabies is a catastrophe?

World Health Organization - Map of Countries or areas at risk of Rabies

World Health Organization - Map of Countries or areas at risk of Rabies

Interesting Information

Sources

Etymology - Merriam Webster

Medical Info - Health Link

Canada and Global Facts - Canadian Government

Rabies Cost (US) - CDC

Vaccine History - Lab Roots

Vaccine History across Western World - US National Library of Medicine

News - CBC British Columbia

Earthquake Richter Scale - CBC British Columbia

Volcanic Explosivity Index - Geology.com

Episode 9 - Alpha & Omega

History’s Worst Oil Platform Disaster

An Aberdeen, Scotland memorial to the Piper Alpha rig workers who died in the catastrophe.

An Aberdeen, Scotland memorial to the Piper Alpha rig workers who died in the catastrophe.

In the late 1980s, oil and gas production were common in the North Sea, off the coast of Scotland.

Rig workers were accustomed to long hours in harsh conditions, but nothing could have prepared the men working on Piper Alpha for the catastrophic series of events that took the lives of nearly three-quarters of the crew one July night.

Row 1, L to R: View of the Piper Alpha platform pre-disaster from the southeast; Map of North Sea Oil and Gas Fields with Piper close to the number 15; Initial fire on board Piper Alpha before the riser rupture

Row 2 L to R: Smoke from the fire on Piper Alpha before the riser rupture; Close view of the Module B fire 30 seconds after initial explosion; Fire after the riser rupture 20 minutes after initial explosion

Row 3 L to R: Atlantic 21 Fast Rescue Craft (FRC); Module A, the only remaining platform Module the morning of July 7; Remains of main crew quarters, the East Replacement Quarters, after seafloor salvage

All gallery images from The Public Inquiry into the Piper Alpha Disaster.

Sources

Piper Alpha: The Disaster in Detail - The Chemical Engineer

Piper Alpha Disaster: how 167 oil rig workers died - The Guardian

The Piper Alpha and the Deepwater Horizon - The Human Factors of Process Safety and Worker Empowerment in the Offshore Oil Industry: Proceedings of a Workshop

Deepwater aftermath - exploring the parallels with Piper Alpha - TUVRheinland/Risktec

Piper Alpha: Lessons Learnt, 2008 - Oil & Gas UK

The Piper Alpha Explosion and Fire - Parthenon Consultancy Ltd

UK Piper Alpha pair ‘wrongly blamed’ - BBC News

Episode 8 - Do No Harm

The Horror When Humanity Is Forgotten

A venereal disease poster aimed at military service members. National Library of Medicine.

A venereal disease poster aimed at military service members. National Library of Medicine.

The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment was a 40-year lesson in how not to conduct medical research on human subjects.

Sadly, it wasn't the only episode where the United States and its government researchers neglected ethical obligations to participants in experiments. The Guatemala Experiments were a ghastly violation of patient rights, and serve as a stark reminder of why we need someone to watch the watchmen.

Interesting Information

“ETHICALLY IMPOSSIBLE” STD Research in Guatemala from 1946 to 1948 - Official Government Report

Records of John C. Cutler - Released by the National Archives and Records Administration, 2011

Images

Row 1, L to R: A diagram of locations of facilities involved in the Guatemala experiments; venereal disease advertisement; clinical photograph of sore on study subject

Row 2 L to R: Medical record for a study subject; Dr. John C. Cutler; Cutler working with subjects of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment

All images from National Archives and Records Administration or the National Library of Medicine.

Episode 7 - De Havilland's Comet

The Jet’s Turbulent Beginnings

The front fuselage wreckage of Comet G-ALYP salvaged off the island of Elba

The front fuselage wreckage of Comet G-ALYP salvaged off the island of Elba

Air travel has been a dream of humanity since our earliest ancestors gazed up to the heavens. From an earthbound species just a little over 100 years ago, to thousands of airliners cruising the skies daily, our journey to the sky has not been without complication.

The first jetliner to carry paying passengers was the futuristic, elegant DH 106 Comet. Its streamlined body, innovative engine design, and promise of luxury were a dream come true. However, the Comet’s rise was marked by tragedy that would change the world of engineering forever.

Interesting Information

Accident Report on the Accident to Comet G-ALYV

Accident Reports on the Accidents to Comet G-ALYP and Comet G-ALYY

Images

Row 1, L to R: The airboat flown with the first paying passenger; the prototype of the DH 106 Comet, the pressure tank used in accident investigation with Comet fuselage inside

Row 2 L to R: The hole left by explosive cabin decompression of the test plane; the reconstruction of the Elba crash; Representation of the recovered portions of the Elba crash

Row 3 L to R: The front fuselage of the recovered Elba wreckage; The ADF windows with splits recovered from the Elba crash; Diagram illustrating points of failure on the Elba crash

All images from Accident Reports by the British government except for the Benoist XIV airboat, which is from the Florida Photographic collection.