Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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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.

- Links for the Curious -

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" - youtube.com/watch?v=2S0k12uZR14

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Climbing Accident Reports: How (and Why) to Read Them (Kirby, courtesy of Angus Smith!) - 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.