While it is extremely difficult to turn our eyes away from the slow motion ACA IT train wreck, there were other IT derailments of interest last week as well, including spiders that cause Toyota airbags to unexpectedly deploy (spiders also caused problems with Mazda vehicles a few years ago), another airline reservation system meltdown, this time affecting easyJet in the UK, and Florida’s shaky start to its new unemployment insurance system.
Spiders Like Toyota, But the Feeling Isn’t Mutual
Spiders Force Toyota to Recall 800 000 Cars
Spiders Blocking AC Unit, Force Recall of 870 000 Toyotas
Toyota Recalls 885 000 Vehicles, Spiders Get Part of the Blame
easyJet Suffers European-wide System Failure
easyJet Reservation System Crashes
Technical Issue Hits easyJet Reservation System
easyJet Faces Big Compensation Claim for Reservation System Problems
Florida’s New Unemployment System Bumpy Start
Problems Persist in New Unemployment Claims System
More Phone Lines Opened to Handle Unemployment Claims
Deloitte-Designed Florida Unemployment System Draws Fire
State Downplaying Problems with New Unemployment Claims System
Of Other Interest…
Level 3 Outage Affects East Coast Internet Traffic for 24 Hours
California EDD Refuses to Release Documents on Broken Unemployment Computer System
Long Distance Bus Service in India Hit by Week Long Ticketing Glitch
Software Issue Delays New Park-and-Display Parking Meters in Little Rock, Arkansas
Australian Telecom Optus Refunds A$8.8 Million to 235 000 Customers for 2 Year Billing Error
United Airlines Says It Wasn’t a Glitch and Cancels “Free Tickets” This Time
Photo: iStockphoto
Robert N. Charette is a Contributing Editor to IEEE Spectrum and an acknowledged international authority on information technology and systems risk management. A self-described “risk ecologist,” he is interested in the intersections of business, political, technological, and societal risks. Charette is an award-winning author of multiple books and numerous articles on the subjects of risk management, project and program management, innovation, and entrepreneurship. A Life Senior Member of the IEEE, Charette was a recipient of the IEEE Computer Society’s Golden Core Award in 2008.