Amanda Ripley Author of The Unthinkable

The Department of Homeland Security has begun thinking outside this universe. According to a Washington Post article, they’re turning to science fiction writers. Apparently science fiction writers flocked to the 2009 Homeland Security Science & Technology Stakeholders Conference and offered imaginative ways to think about threats. This is considered “science fiction in the national interest” by the writers. Their services are pro bono, and most of the writers have a conventional science background, such as a PHd in physics. According to Rolf Dietrich, Homeland Security’s deputy director of research, the writers “help managers think more broadly about projects, especially about potential reactions and unintended consequences.” And how do the bureaucrats, in exchange, help the writers...? A free trip to Washington and a much-needed boost to the self-esteem of sci-fi geeks everywhere.

Fascinating article in the NY Times about “virtual autopsies” being done on soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2004, CT scans have been given to every service man and woman killed (autopsies have been performed since 2001)—a new procedure implemented by Captain Craig Mallack, a Navy pathologist.

The CT scans have been valuable pragmatically and psychologically, it seems. For the military, the scans reveal blind spots in equipment. The findings have already led to improvements in body armor and medical gear.

But the detailed analysis is also important to the families of the deceased, who crave information about their loved ones’ last moments. According to the Times, about 80-90% of families ask to see the report--which comes with a warning not to read it alone.

An example of the good that can come from using expensive technology wisely--and then sharing the results.

In case you missed it, Wal-Mart has agreed to a nearly $2 m payout with the Nassau County DA’s office to avoid charges in the tragic Black Friday trampling death of a worker.

The agreement included no admission of guilt by Wal-Mart, but it does exact a promise that the retailer will work with independent experts to implement a better crowd-management plan for post-Thanksgiving Day sales. Wal-Mart also agreed to set up a $400,000 victims’ compensation and remuneration fund and give $1.5 million to Nassau County social services programs and nonprofit groups.

Wal-Mart says the new plans will apply to all Wal-Mart stores in N.Y. What about the other some 4,000 Wal-Mart facilities in the rest of the U.S.? (Not to mention the 3,100 outside the U.S.)

According to Wal-Mart:

“As we explore how we can make our stores even safer for our associates and customers, we will consider how aspects of this plan could apply to stores outside New York.”

Seems to me it would make excellent business (and moral) sense to do more than consider.

Fatigue is being named as a possible cause of the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo. The brain performs horribly when it is tired. This is not a new issue. According to the NTSB, fatigue has been related to 250 airplane accident fatalities over the last 16 years, including:

-Corporate Airlines Flight 5966: The NSTB concluded the “pilots’ unprofessional behavior during the flight and their fatigue likely contributed” to the October 19, 2004 crash.

-American Airlines Flight 1420: Fatigue was connected to the crash that killed 11 people.  The pilot, who had been on duty for more than 13 hours, attempted to land the plane during a thunderstorm.

-Delta Connection Flight 6448: The NTSB concluded that “the captain’s fatigue, which affected his ability to effectively plan for and monitor the approach and landing” was one of many factors contributing to the crash.

-Pinnacle Airlines Flight 4712: The NTSB claimed that the pilot’s poor decision making resulted from “fatigue produced by a long, demanding duty day.”

“It’s like having too much to drink,” Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, tells CNN about pilot fatigue. The brain has trouble making decisions and paying attention to important cues when it is tired.

Regional airlines are disproportionally involved in crashes related to pilot fatigue. As Joe Sharkey writes on his blog High Anxiety, “many regional airline pilots work in a culture of chronic fatigue, in a sub-tier of the air-travel industry where captains might make $50,000 a year and first officers might make less than $20,000.”

Pilots working for regional airlines are often overworked and underpaid. Alex Lapointe, a regional airline pilot, tells the BBC that many of his colleagues make so little (starting salary of $20,000) they’ve been forced to take second jobs.  Sharkey suggests that the underlying culture (low-pay, no sleep) of regional airlines must change in order to avoid future accidents. 

Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, the same one responsible for the recent NYC flyover, has resigned. In his resignation letter to a furious President Obama, Caldera wrote that the situation had become a distraction—an extremely expensive distraction, too. According to military officials, the mission and accompanying photo shoot cost the American people $328,835. The White House also released a seven-page report and a photo of the flyover yesterday (the report can be downloaded here).  The report points to a series of miscommunications, namely that Caldera failed to read an email informing him of the flyover until after the incident had already occurred. According to CNN, the sole responsiblity of informing important people such as White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs lay with Caldera. Not surprisingly, Obama has ordered a review of the White House Military Office