In 1945, engineers found a moth in Panel F, Relay #70 of the
Harvard Mark II computer system, which caused errors in its math
functions. The moth was removed and taped into the computer's
logbook with the words: "first actual case of a bug being found."
There have, of course, been many more computer bugs since,
although usually in a less literal sense. Computer bugs can
cause problems ranging from the trivial to the deadly. Wired
examines their effects on our lives by listing the ten worst
software bugs of all time.
The list includes:
The Mariner I Space Probe
A formula written on paper in pencil was incorrectly transcribed
into computer code, causing a miscalculation the rocket's
trajectory. It went off-course and had to be destroyed.
The Soviet Gas Pipeline
A bug in a Canadian computer system purchased to control the
trans-Siberian gas pipeline caused the largest non-nuclear
explosion in history. The bug may have been deliberately planted
by the CIA.
The Therac-25 Medical Accelerator
A radiation therapy device malfunctioned, delivering lethal
radiation doses at several medical facilities. At least five
patients died; others were seriously injured.
The Kerberos Random Number Generator
An error in the security system's random number generator meant
that for eight years, it was trivially easy to break into any
computer relying on Kerberos for authentication.
The Intel Pentium Floating Point Divide
A silicon error caused Intel's highly promoted Pentium chip to
make mistakes in certain division problems. Although the bug
affected few users, it became a public relations nightmare, and
ultimately cost Intel $475 million to replace the chips.
Ariane 5 Flight 501
A bug in an arithmetic routine caused a series of computer
crashes, affecting the rocket's engines and causing it to
disintegrating 40 seconds after launch.
National Cancer Institute, Panama City
A bug in radiation therapy planning software, activated when it
was used in a nonstandard way, caused it to recommend twice the
necessary radiation exposure. At least eight patients died,
while another 20 received overdoses likely to cause significant
health problems. The physicians, who were legally required to
double-check the computer's calculations by hand, were indicted
for murder.
Wired News November 8, 2005Wired News November 11, 2005
Dr. Mercola's Comment:As much as I love technology, there are
downsides to innovation. And some of them occur in places you
least expect them, until they happen.
Computer software is now intermingled with every facet of your
life; when the software that drives your computers, cars, mobile
phones and medical devices goes bad in an instant, unexpectedly
and without warning, the effects can be disastrous.
It's interesting to note that two of the "top" 10 bugs on the
Wired list were in the field of medicine, involving radiation
therapy. It's an important reminder those kinds of mistakes can
often be the fatal ones.
Sometimes, it really is better to stick to the simple
old-fashioned natural methods. When it comes to your health,
your body evolved over thousands of years to be healthiest under
conditions that didn't involve computers or advanced technology.
The best way to sidestep the tech bugs and the human errors that
are bound to creep up is to take responsibility for it by
following these proven guidelines:
- Eat the right foods
for your body's unique metabolic type.
- Cut down, with the
plan of eliminating, grains and sugars from your daily diet.
- Start exercising today.
- Take a high quality fish or cod
liver oil daily.
- Consume raw foods as often as you
can.
About the author:
This article is reprinted from Mercola.com, the world's #1 most
visited and trusted natural/alternative health website. For a
limited time only, you can take the FREE "Metabolic Type Test"
to help you learn the right foods for your particular body type
so you can achieve optimal fitness & health. Just go to
http://www.mercola.com/forms/mt_test.htm right now to take this
quick test!
