Customer Reviews

The Atomic Chef: And Other True Tales of Design, Technology, and Human Error

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This anthology of 20 brilliantly written true stories should be of special interest to anyone dealing with technology management or product development, but it also would be enjoyed by any lay reader. As a well-known expert and writer on human factors engineering and human error, Steven Casey has obviously selected these stories because each subtly educates the reader about the role of the user interface in system failure, but also because each is tremendously interesting.

Although each chapter stands solidly on its own, a few stand prominent in my own mind due to personal interests. "Rhymes and Reasons" is a beautifully written story of musician John Denver's fatal flight in a new aircraft. Although an accomplished pilot, Denver's piloting skills were no match for a confusing set of aircraft controls and displays in his just-purchased home-built plane. The story makes the clearest case possible for the importance of good user interface design and ergonomics, and like all the stories in the book this one is thoroughly researched and referenced.

In addition to aviation and aerospace settings, the stories address transportation, maritime, medical, and various everyday events in contemporary life. Particularly poignant is "Event Horizon," a disturbing accident involving a child and an MRI machine in a New York hospital. In hindsight, the reader understands the procedures and barriers that must be in place when dealing with powerful new technologies like this.

Casey throws some truly hilarious stories in the mix to break up the pattern of predictability inherent in a book on error and disaster, and this approach works well. But, overall, be forewarned: the author is skilled at putting the reader in the "pilot's seat" to experience the confusion, shock, and terror that can occur when technology and human behavior conflict. I highly recommended this book.

I just finished reading "The Atomic Chef" and found it difficult to put down. I simply couldn't resist finding out what unexpected consequence or turn of events was around the next corner.

This is an absolute must read if you are in any way involved with the development of new products or services. Sometimes things don't go as planned despite everyone's best efforts. Like the bumper sticker says, "stuff" happens. This book gets into the stuff to reveal what really happened. The author painstakingly researches and recounts the real story behind mismatches in people and technology.

If you like fairy tale endings this may not be the book for you. However, if you are interested in learning the true details behind real world events, I highly recommend the Atomic Chef. In contrast to more traditional Human Factors books or case studies, the Atomic Chef presents enjoyable and eminently readable accounts of actual events.

Little things can make a big difference, I'd recommend The Atomic Chef's cautionary tales to any student or professional interested in learning more about the relationship between people and technology.

I'd been waiting years for another work from Dr. Steven Casey (president of and creative drive behind Ergonomic Systems Design) ever since I finished 'Set Phasers on Stun' years ago. Being in the medical field, I am continually aware of human error and the disasters to which it can easily lead. This book, comprised of twenty-some short stories, each unique and standing on their own, ranges from the dramatic to the comical, but all driving home the valuable lesson of usability as well as the basics of simple human behavior. I was particularly intrigued by the tale of one of the largest mistakes to ever be made in the field of epidemiology and vaccination, where the translation of batch size of the fledgling polio vaccine did not manage to produce a fully inactivated shot for hundreds of school children. But I was just as pulled in by the story of John Denver's plane crash, also caused by design error - the controls and gauges were poorly designed, and the world lost an amazing musical voice due to an obvious design oversight. Casey's narrative voice precisely describes the background of each story as well as the minute-by-minute breakdown of how each disaster unfolded he leaves the haunting conclusions and implications of each short story to be made by the reader. A must-read of 2006.

Fascinating stories on human stupidity, negligence, incompetence and lack of common sense that ends up costing people's lives. Anyone involved with Engineering, Sciences or Maintenance needs to read this book. Actually everyone should read this book to understand human failings and why no one should ever take safety for granted. Every day people die needlessly and this book details how and why.
I really commend the author for bringing these stories to print and hope that it may save some lives.

This book is an impressive collection of well written episodes that reflects the author's vast knowledge of the subject of human and design error. I came away with a sobering reminder of the complexity of our interaction with technology and with a much greater understanding of the need for human factors engineering. I would reccomend the book to specialist and nonspecialist alike.

Dr. Casey has done it again! Each story in "The Atomic Chef" keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Whether your profession takes you to the world of human factors or whether you just enjoy a great story, your jaw will drop over these tales that seem unbelievable but are absolutely true.

Masterfully written, wonderfully entertaining....

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Steven Casey (author of Set Phasers on Stun) had written another compilation of short stories. In a similar vein to its predecessor, the book is comprised of some 20-odd true events, graphically detailed as they unfold in real time. As an engineer, I've always been interested in the "how" accidents happen, and in turn the "why," and consequently how they could have been prevented. A must-read for anyone in a technical or design field of work, Casey instills in the reader the importance of human factors in the discipline - how an engineer thinks isn't neccessarily how a majority of the population will think, operate, or naturally act. This book points out this human factors dichotomy of sorts, and serves as a reminder that grave consequences are in store when it is not considered.

"The Atomic Chef" is a masterfully written collection of 20 stories about user interface design and human error. Each story is true, carefully researched, and, best of all, thoroughly entertaining. The stories cover medical errors, aircraft accidents, industrial mishaps, and much, much more. The author has a rare talent for putting the reader directly in the story and the action. At the same time, the book provides first-rate "instruction" on the importance of user interface design. Highly recommended for anyone involved in technology development or management.

I strongly recommend this book. I read "set phasers on stun" and thought it was very good. The author has done even better this time.

This product was in perfect shape and I received it in no time! I was very happy with this transaction!