The human factor: philosophy and engineering

Albert Zenkoff
2015-04-22
Management, arete, blind men and an elephant, engineering, excellence, holistic approach, long-term view, philosophy, quality, security, systemic approach, value, virtue

The ancient Greeks had a concept of “aretê” (/ˈærətiː/) that is usually loosely translated to English as “quality”, “excellence”, or “virtue”. It was all that and more: the term meant the ultimate and harmonious fulfillment of task, purpose, function, or even the whole life. Living up to this concept was the highest achievement one could ...

GAO report on cybersecurity in Air Traffic Control is outright scary

Albert Zenkoff
2015-04-17
Society, aircraft, airplane, control system, FAA, firewall, GAO, in-flight, network, terror, terrorist attack, USA, vulnerability

The fact that the modern aircraft can be controlled from the ground is not widely publicized but known. There was though a lot of controversy, including among specialists, about how much of control could be intercepted by unauthorized 3rd parties. Well, now the extent of the problem is confirmed officially. The U.S. Government Accountability Office ...

The human factor: philosophy and engineering