Israel and Jordan Trip

Normally, math and psychology are separate fields, but they come together in calculating the odds of a nuclear disaster. You can hire engineers to calculate the probably of a nuclear meltdown. The calculation itself is a math question, but getting them to do a good job is a psychological question. What if their boss is evil? What if there is disagreement and the corporation suppresses the bad reports? The drug industry also has a problem with companies suppressing reports.

One of the complaints about the original Jurassic Park movie was “Who would design a zoo where if the power failed, the animals would escape?” I have the same question about nuclear power plants. Who would design nuclear power plant such that if the power failed, the plant would blow up?

I’m not evil, so I would never tell a lie like this, but it might be cool if someone did. The following is a fictitious conversation between a reporter and an American tourist in Haiti

Reporter:
Is this the most scared you have ever been?

Tourist:
No, I was in Indonesia when the big tsunami hit. 3 or 4 years later, I was in China when a big Earthquake hit. My friends have started calling me Mr. disaster, because I tend to vacation in Earthquake spots.

Reporter:
Where is your next vacation scheduled?

Tourist:
I’ll be in San Francisco in about 6 weeks.