Smithsonian Channel: System Crash

Investigate the most complex, and overworked, machine on the planet – the North American power grid. See how the nation’s worst blackout in 2003 could easily happen again, and discover the alternative energy solutions science is developing to prevent even worse breakdowns in the future.

Take a disturbing trip to the dark side of the Internet, where cyber crooks pose a constant threat to our finances, privacy, even our national security. Discover how hackers can attack major corporations and bring entire countries to a standstill, and what, if anything, we can do to stop them.

From traffic lights to commuter flights, elaborate transportation systems are at work to get us to our destinations quickly and safely. But just how quick, and just how safe, are they? Get an inside look these complex systems and how their failure can bring about astronomical, even deadly, results.

See how the exploding system of global communications has made life more convenient, more efficient, and more dangerous. From online and cell phone communications to the operation of power grids and nuclear reactors, our dependence on giant systems has never been greater…or more subject to failure.