Author Archives: Anita Lipsky

2018 03 07 – Click to read full article IMPACT: unexpected and unwarranted bursts of robotic laughter ROOT CAUSE: the laughs had occurred “in rare circumstances” because the speaker was picking up a “false positive” for the command “Alexa, laugh” WORKAROUND: Unplug Alexa

2018 03 02 – Click to read full article IMPACT: 120 doctors who planned to specialise as physicians and paedeatricians will have to re-sit a career-defining test IMPACT: they couldn’t finish their online theory exam ROOT CAUSE: a computer-based technical problem… the computers were essentially locking the candidates out COMPANY RESPONSE: The Royal Australasian College of […]

2018 03 02 – Click to read full article IMPACT: charged some patrons more for tickets to the smash hit “Hamilton” COMPANY RESPONSE: Thank you… We apologize for any confusion this may have caused …The Kennedy Center will not be asking customers to pay more ROOT CAUSE: computer glitch

2018 01 28 – Click to read full article IMPACT: Sensitive information about the location and staffing of military bases and spy outposts around the world has been revealed ROOT CAUSE: details were released by Strava in a data visualisation map that shows all the activity tracked by users of its app, which allows people to […]

January 23rd 2018 – Click to read full article ROOT CAUSE: glitch in the state Department of Revenue computer system ROOT CAUSE: The batch of refunds that Revenue’s business tax system sent over for processing at Treasury had taxpayers’ names truncated and Treasury’s computers couldn’t read them properly [which] prevented the processing of the refund checks […]

ROOT CAUSE: glitch in the state Department of Revenue computer system

ROOT CAUSE: The batch of refunds that Revenue’s business tax system sent over for processing at Treasury had taxpayers’ names truncated and Treasury’s computers couldn’t read them properly [which] prevented the processing of the refund checks

IMPACT: the distribution of $15.3 million in tax refunds owed to about 700 businesses across the state

COMPANY RESPONSE: Revenue employees created a fix for the issue and implemented it

2018 01 23 – Click to read full article ROOT CAUSE: The Canadarm2 software is not communicating properly with the newly installed spare LEE RESOLUTION: “do a cycle” meaning, turning it off and on again IMPACT: set back the astronauts by roughly an hour  

2018 01 22 – Click to read full article IMPACT: nearly 5 million gallons of sewage spilled into the ocean in Monterey County IMPACT: At least eight beaches remained closed ROOT CAUSE: a bar screen at a water treatment plant got clogged and the computer system failed to sound an alarm  

2018 01 21 – Click to read full article IMPACT: Some of Wells Fargo customers saw the money in their bank accounts vanish overnight IMPACT: users … expressing anger that they had to stay on the phone for more than a hour for an issue that is not their fault ROOT CAUSE: a glitch in the […]