Topic: Software Safety

A Boeing 787 aircraft traveling from India to Gatwick crashed on takeoff, reportedly striking a hospital building. Early reports suggest a potential compressor stall or a failure of the ram air turbine, while some speculate a catastrophic software failure in the fly-by-wire system. The incident adds to the ongoing scrutiny of Boeing's safety record and manufacturing quality.

Jen Easterly, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), discusses the inherent insecurity of the internet and software. She argues that AI must be developed with "guardrails" to prevent ransomware and infrastructure attacks. The hosts criticize her background as a "globalist spook" and mock her assertion that software was never intended to be safe.

Tesla Motors released over-the-air software updates enabling semi-autonomous driving features. The segment critiques the safety of relying on software for vehicle operation, citing reports of dashboard freezes and the potential for hacking.

Dutch pilot Jan Cocheret reportedly predicted a scenario similar to the Germanwings crash in a specialist aviation magazine weeks before the event. Cocheret expressed concern about being locked out of the cockpit by a co-pilot while using the restroom. The discussion also touched on the complexity of Airbus flight software and the potential for computer-driven errors or "planned obsolescence" in high-tech machinery.

A report from the UK Aircraft Accident Investigation Board details a 2007 incident where a Boeing 737's auto-throttle disengaged, nearly causing a stall at Bournemouth Airport. Adam Curry compares this to the recent Turkish Airways crash near Schiphol, suggesting a systemic software or subsystem fault in the Boeing 737 series. The hosts express concern over increasing automation in aircraft.