Operation of Complex Systems

Iterative Solutions, or why planning 10,000 years ahead is a bad idea.

I was musing about the failure of the U.S. government to come to terms with its responsibility and obligation to fulfill on the promise of long term high level radwaste storage with my friends and mentors the other day. I was struck by the concern that seems to be rampant among the public, the responsible government officials, and the scientific and technical effort associated with the Yucca Mountain project that we somehow provide a long term high level radwaste storage solution that will be viable for 10,000 years.

Now maybe it's just me, but doesn't that strike you as ludicrous?

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Robust Barriers and Good Design

Lurking about my favorite root cause analysis forum, reading the conversations about poka-yoke and robust barriers triggered a few thoughts, which are captured here. These are meant to encourage and challenge our collective thinking, not criticize, though sometimes it is difficult to sound that way...

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The Role of Language and Abstraction in the Safe Operation of Complex Systems

This is the abstract to our paper, "The Role of Language and Abstraction in the Safe Operation of Complex Systems." For a copy of the paper, please contact Brad Williamson at blog@interlogic-inc.com.

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