Reading Colossus, a book about the world's first fully electronic computer that was built during the Second World War to crack the codes of high-level Nazi communications, is like reading a suspenseful spy story! It is entertaining to read and at the same time one learns a lot about the history of cryptography and code breaking secrets, decryption and related technologies.
After providing a brief history of cryptography from Cesar’s cipher to modern days the authors reveal the history behind Bletchley Park - United Kingdoms’ main decryption center during the Second World War, through recently declassified documents. Colossus covers this project in full detail and is also enlightening about the overall history of technology and computer systems.
Historical pictures along with many interesting charts make the book indispensable to anyone who reviews or writes about the history of computer technology.
This is a very interesting read for almost everyone, even non technical audiences.
A.M.
“Colossus: The secrets of Bletchley Park's code-breaking computers“, by
B. Jack Copeland, Oxford University Press, 2010, 462 Pages,
ISBN-10:0-19-284055-X.
http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/HistoryOther/HistoryofScience/~~/dmlldz11c2EmY2k9OTc4MDE5OTU3ODE0Ng==
Published in " HCIInternational NEWS - March 2010 - Number 42"
http://www.hci-international.org/index.php?module=newsletter&MMN_position=3:3
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Human Factors in the BP Gulf Oil Spill
On April 20 th , 2010 an explosion happened onboard of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the United States Gulf of Mexico, 41 miles offshore Louisiana. Out of a crew of 126 workers 11 were reported missing and 17 injured. Following this explosion, underwater robots detected that the deep water oil well was leaking several thousand barrels of oil per day into the ocean. To this date (May 20 th , 2010) the leak has not been controlled and the consequences of this catastrophic event on wildlife, long term impact on the local ecosystem, and the effects on the local and even the national economy and politics are growing every day. I am sure that discussion and investigation will continue for many years on how many barrels of oil have leaked or how to measure the leak, how to control such an accident or prevent it. However an early look at what has already been reported indicates a few human factors that are related to the investigation. Here are just a few of the issues reported:
·Blowout preventer apparently had a significant leak in a key hydraulic system. It seems that the blowout preventer was damaged from an accident that happened a few weeks before the massive disaster.
·Emergency controls on the blowout preventer may have failed.
·A dead man's switch (a switch that is automatically operated in case the human operator becomes incapacitated) failed to activate.
·It is also reported that on the day of the accident, the Transocean manager and BP employee argued about how to finish the well. The BP employee wanted to save time and money by taking some shortcuts.
· The crew member also admitted that the blowout preventer was damaged from an accident that happened a few weeks before the massive disaster. BP and Deep Horizon knew that the BOP and the Pod were damaged, but the operation was behind schedule and losing money.
A.M.
"The Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics International NEWS - June 2010- Number 20"
References
Nitrogen-Cement Mix Is Focus of Gulf Inquiry
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/us/11hearings.html?sq=halliburton&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=all
Blowout: The Deepwater Horizon Disaster
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/16/60minutes/main6490197.shtml
60 Minutes oil spill: accident could have been avoided, BP took shortcuts
http://www.examiner.com/x-29705-Houston-TV-Examiner~y2010m5d17-60-Minutes-oil-spill-accident-could-have-been-avoided-BP-took-shortcuts-videos
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill#cite_note-nyt0510-34
·Blowout preventer apparently had a significant leak in a key hydraulic system. It seems that the blowout preventer was damaged from an accident that happened a few weeks before the massive disaster.
·Emergency controls on the blowout preventer may have failed.
·A dead man's switch (a switch that is automatically operated in case the human operator becomes incapacitated) failed to activate.
·It is also reported that on the day of the accident, the Transocean manager and BP employee argued about how to finish the well. The BP employee wanted to save time and money by taking some shortcuts.
· The crew member also admitted that the blowout preventer was damaged from an accident that happened a few weeks before the massive disaster. BP and Deep Horizon knew that the BOP and the Pod were damaged, but the operation was behind schedule and losing money.
A.M.
"The Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics International NEWS - June 2010- Number 20"
References
Nitrogen-Cement Mix Is Focus of Gulf Inquiry
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/us/11hearings.html?sq=halliburton&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=all
Blowout: The Deepwater Horizon Disaster
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/16/60minutes/main6490197.shtml
60 Minutes oil spill: accident could have been avoided, BP took shortcuts
http://www.examiner.com/x-29705-Houston-TV-Examiner~y2010m5d17-60-Minutes-oil-spill-accident-could-have-been-avoided-BP-took-shortcuts-videos
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill#cite_note-nyt0510-34
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Work Related Suicides at France Télécom, a Major French Telecommunications Company
Work Related Suicides at France Télécom, a Major French Telecommunications Company
In the field of human factors the effects of work related stressors (environmental, social or psychological) on performance accidents, errors and the overall mental health of the employees are well established. Research suggests that job stress might also result in serious mental health difficulties that can result in suicide. Employees’ suicide is a result of a complex interaction between individual vulnerabilities, stressful working conditions and the social environment.
In September of 2009, the press reported that twenty-three employees of France Télécom have killed themselves since the beginning of 2008 (BBC, 2 September 2008). France Télécom SA provides consumers and businesses with telecommunications services, including fixed telephony and mobile telecommunications, data transmission, Internet and multimedia, and other value-added services. The company employs 100,000 people in France. According to the Wall Street Journal, citing the World Health Organization, the average suicide rate in France is 26.4 per 100,000 men and 9.2 per 100,000 women (WSJ, Sept. 15, 2009). Although the suicide rate at Télécom seems to be in line with the suicides in France over the past decades. The Wall Street Journal reported that France Télécom SA decided to “train all of its 22,000 managers to identify staffers showing signs of depression or erratic behavior”.
In unprecedented news, the French newspapers “Le Monde” and “Le Parisien” cited a report submitted to the Court in the City of Besancon that revealed that the suicide of a France Télécom employee, in 2009 was “related to work” and the “company management was aware of the high risk” and “did not take the sufficient preventive measure”.
Consequently “Le Monde” reports that the L'inspection générale des affaires sociales (IGAS), a French regulatory agency, recommended that France Télécom classifies the three cases of employees’ suicides as work related accidents.
This case again underlines the fact that the social and organizational changes on the enterprise, especially during the economic crises and high unemployment period, have a huge impact on the mental health of employees and their well being at work, and should be focused on more among the human factors and ergonomics professionals community.
A.M.
References
“French unease at telecom suicides”, BBC, Sept., 12, 2009.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8252547.stm
France Télécom épinglé pour "mise en danger délibérée" de la vie d'autrui,” March, 12, 2010.
http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2010/03/12/france-telecom-epingle-pour-mise-en-danger-deliberee-de-la-vie-d-autrui_1318032_3224.html#ens_id=1268114
France Télécom Addresses Suicides,” Sept 15, 2009.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125291498468308169.html#printMode
“Un rapport de l’inspection du travail accuse l’opérateur d’être en partie responsable du suicide d’un de ses agents dans le Doubs,” Le Parisien, March12, 2010.
http://www.leparisien.fr/economie/france-telecom-mis-en-cause-pour-homicide-involontaire-12-03-2010-845318.php
------------------
Published in
The Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics International NEWS - April 2010 - Number 19
http://www.ahfe2010.org/news/2010_April.html
In the field of human factors the effects of work related stressors (environmental, social or psychological) on performance accidents, errors and the overall mental health of the employees are well established. Research suggests that job stress might also result in serious mental health difficulties that can result in suicide. Employees’ suicide is a result of a complex interaction between individual vulnerabilities, stressful working conditions and the social environment.
In September of 2009, the press reported that twenty-three employees of France Télécom have killed themselves since the beginning of 2008 (BBC, 2 September 2008). France Télécom SA provides consumers and businesses with telecommunications services, including fixed telephony and mobile telecommunications, data transmission, Internet and multimedia, and other value-added services. The company employs 100,000 people in France. According to the Wall Street Journal, citing the World Health Organization, the average suicide rate in France is 26.4 per 100,000 men and 9.2 per 100,000 women (WSJ, Sept. 15, 2009). Although the suicide rate at Télécom seems to be in line with the suicides in France over the past decades. The Wall Street Journal reported that France Télécom SA decided to “train all of its 22,000 managers to identify staffers showing signs of depression or erratic behavior”.
In unprecedented news, the French newspapers “Le Monde” and “Le Parisien” cited a report submitted to the Court in the City of Besancon that revealed that the suicide of a France Télécom employee, in 2009 was “related to work” and the “company management was aware of the high risk” and “did not take the sufficient preventive measure”.
Consequently “Le Monde” reports that the L'inspection générale des affaires sociales (IGAS), a French regulatory agency, recommended that France Télécom classifies the three cases of employees’ suicides as work related accidents.
This case again underlines the fact that the social and organizational changes on the enterprise, especially during the economic crises and high unemployment period, have a huge impact on the mental health of employees and their well being at work, and should be focused on more among the human factors and ergonomics professionals community.
A.M.
References
“French unease at telecom suicides”, BBC, Sept., 12, 2009.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8252547.stm
France Télécom épinglé pour "mise en danger délibérée" de la vie d'autrui,” March, 12, 2010.
http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2010/03/12/france-telecom-epingle-pour-mise-en-danger-deliberee-de-la-vie-d-autrui_1318032_3224.html#ens_id=1268114
France Télécom Addresses Suicides,” Sept 15, 2009.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125291498468308169.html#printMode
“Un rapport de l’inspection du travail accuse l’opérateur d’être en partie responsable du suicide d’un de ses agents dans le Doubs,” Le Parisien, March12, 2010.
http://www.leparisien.fr/economie/france-telecom-mis-en-cause-pour-homicide-involontaire-12-03-2010-845318.php
------------------
Published in
The Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics International NEWS - April 2010 - Number 19
http://www.ahfe2010.org/news/2010_April.html
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Will the Apple iPad be a paradigm shift that will change the way we use portable computers?
On January 27, 2010, Apple launched the iPad, a device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, photos, watching videos, playing games, reading e-books, and even more. The device has a high-resolution Multi-Touch display that can be described as a bigger, more refined version of the iTouch. Although the tablet computer is not necessarily new, other computer companies have offered similar tablet products before, the success of the Apple iTablet, along with the Amazon Kindle for digital book and iPhone/iTouch that had haptic interfaces, indicates a paradigm shift in portable computer usage. This could also be another major change in the way that people apprehend portable computers, considering the following major changes: graphical user interfaces in making the computer software accessible to everybody, portable music players in the way that people listen to music, and portable computers for giving the opportunity to have a portable office, as well as the Internet's refinements in breaking the wall and connecting and making everything available to everybody, and finally mobile phone's in making it technologically possible to connect anybody to everybody almost anywhere. Even though we still need to physically experience the exact behavior of the iPad, we can anticipate the following major changes in user behavior.
-Reading from a vertical screen to physically changeable position in the way user wants to view or read.
-Cut and paste versus keyboard data entry.
-Direct access to desired application versus free navigation.
-Multi tasking all the time. We can already see that many people have their eyes usually focused on a small screen of a handheld device even when they are walking or talking to someone.
Thus what would be the impact of this device on user behavior? And what are the other changes that we should expect to see soon? These are the questions that HCI experts will need to research.
A.M.
"International NEWS - March 2010 - Number 40"
http://www.hci-international.org/index.php?module=newsletter&MMN_position=3:3
-Reading from a vertical screen to physically changeable position in the way user wants to view or read.
-Cut and paste versus keyboard data entry.
-Direct access to desired application versus free navigation.
-Multi tasking all the time. We can already see that many people have their eyes usually focused on a small screen of a handheld device even when they are walking or talking to someone.
Thus what would be the impact of this device on user behavior? And what are the other changes that we should expect to see soon? These are the questions that HCI experts will need to research.
A.M.
"International NEWS - March 2010 - Number 40"
http://www.hci-international.org/index.php?module=newsletter&MMN_position=3:3
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