Technology

Picture this: You have just twisted your ankle on a morning run. After hobbling to the doctor’s office and feeling the pain with each step, you are led into a dimly lit room. The technician positions your swollen ankle on a cold platform, disappears behind a protective barrier, and with a soft click, invisible rays pass through your aching joint. The doctor calls you to his computer screen and shows you an image of your bones, seemingly unharmed. ...

There’s something darkly funny about aviation safety guidelines: When an aircraft instrument fails or gives wrong readings, regulations require not just a warning sticker next to it labeled “INOP” (as in “inoperative”) but demand the instrument be physically deactivated or removed entirely. Why? Because pilots, highly trained professionals who spend countless hours learning about instrument reliability and cross-verification, keep looking at them anyway. I’ve experienced this myself flying a small aircraft recreationally. Despite the warning stickers next to the broken instrument, despite knowing better, your eyes are magically drawn to these dead instruments — as if staring at false readings long enough might somehow make them true. ...