Author: Nina Nesseth
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
ISBN: 1250765226
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
Nightmare Fuel by Nina Nesseth is a pop-science look at fear, how and why horror films get under our skin, and why we keep coming back for more. Do you like scary movies? Have you ever wondered why? Nina Nesseth knows what scares you. She also knows why. In Nightmare Fuel, Nesseth explores the strange and often unexpected science of fear through the lenses of psychology and physiology. How do horror films get under our skin? What about them keeps us up at night, even days later? And why do we keep coming back for more? Horror films promise an experience: fear. From monsters that hide in plain sight to tension-building scores, every aspect of a horror film is crafted to make your skin crawl. But how exactly do filmmakers pull this off? The truth is, there’s more to it than just loud noises and creepy images. With the affection of a true horror fan and the critical analysis of a scientist, Nesseth explains how audiences engage horror with both their brains and bodies, and teases apart the elements that make horror films tick. Nightmare Fuel covers everything from jump scares to creature features, serial killers to the undead, and the fears that stick around to those that fade over time. With in-depth discussions and spotlight features of some of horror’s most popular films—from classics like The Exorcist to modern hits like Hereditary—and interviews with directors, film editors, composers, and horror academics, Nightmare Fuel is a deep dive into the science of fear, a celebration of the genre, and a survival guide for going to bed after the credits roll. “An invaluable resource, a history of the horror genre, a love letter to the scary movie—it belongs on any horror reader’s bookshelf.” —Lisa Kröger, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Monster, She Wrote At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Nightmare Fuel
Author: Nina Nesseth
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
ISBN: 1250765226
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
Nightmare Fuel by Nina Nesseth is a pop-science look at fear, how and why horror films get under our skin, and why we keep coming back for more. Do you like scary movies? Have you ever wondered why? Nina Nesseth knows what scares you. She also knows why. In Nightmare Fuel, Nesseth explores the strange and often unexpected science of fear through the lenses of psychology and physiology. How do horror films get under our skin? What about them keeps us up at night, even days later? And why do we keep coming back for more? Horror films promise an experience: fear. From monsters that hide in plain sight to tension-building scores, every aspect of a horror film is crafted to make your skin crawl. But how exactly do filmmakers pull this off? The truth is, there’s more to it than just loud noises and creepy images. With the affection of a true horror fan and the critical analysis of a scientist, Nesseth explains how audiences engage horror with both their brains and bodies, and teases apart the elements that make horror films tick. Nightmare Fuel covers everything from jump scares to creature features, serial killers to the undead, and the fears that stick around to those that fade over time. With in-depth discussions and spotlight features of some of horror’s most popular films—from classics like The Exorcist to modern hits like Hereditary—and interviews with directors, film editors, composers, and horror academics, Nightmare Fuel is a deep dive into the science of fear, a celebration of the genre, and a survival guide for going to bed after the credits roll. “An invaluable resource, a history of the horror genre, a love letter to the scary movie—it belongs on any horror reader’s bookshelf.” —Lisa Kröger, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Monster, She Wrote At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
ISBN: 1250765226
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
Nightmare Fuel by Nina Nesseth is a pop-science look at fear, how and why horror films get under our skin, and why we keep coming back for more. Do you like scary movies? Have you ever wondered why? Nina Nesseth knows what scares you. She also knows why. In Nightmare Fuel, Nesseth explores the strange and often unexpected science of fear through the lenses of psychology and physiology. How do horror films get under our skin? What about them keeps us up at night, even days later? And why do we keep coming back for more? Horror films promise an experience: fear. From monsters that hide in plain sight to tension-building scores, every aspect of a horror film is crafted to make your skin crawl. But how exactly do filmmakers pull this off? The truth is, there’s more to it than just loud noises and creepy images. With the affection of a true horror fan and the critical analysis of a scientist, Nesseth explains how audiences engage horror with both their brains and bodies, and teases apart the elements that make horror films tick. Nightmare Fuel covers everything from jump scares to creature features, serial killers to the undead, and the fears that stick around to those that fade over time. With in-depth discussions and spotlight features of some of horror’s most popular films—from classics like The Exorcist to modern hits like Hereditary—and interviews with directors, film editors, composers, and horror academics, Nightmare Fuel is a deep dive into the science of fear, a celebration of the genre, and a survival guide for going to bed after the credits roll. “An invaluable resource, a history of the horror genre, a love letter to the scary movie—it belongs on any horror reader’s bookshelf.” —Lisa Kröger, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Monster, She Wrote At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
100% Unfiltered Nightmare Fuel
Author: Velox Books
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
Dark, imaginative, and often unsettling, inside are horror stories that range from body transformation to Lovecraftian nightmares, from classic NoSleep and creepypastas to vast cosmic beings with a cold indifference to humanity. Tales await to fuel your nightmares including... Some unlucky university students stumble upon a sanity-breaking video, and it isn't on the Dark Web. A group of drunk college students break into a local museum to find a trove of horrors in the basement. A wife's tall tales suddenly seem much less tall when her husband awakes to find her legs missing. One amateur cameraman explains why he fears nothing more than the footage of what he found in the Las Vegas storm drains. If you're looking for a meaty chunk of horror to sink your teeth into, tales that will keep you awake for many nights to come, then 100% UNFILTERED NIGHTMARE FUEL is the collection for you!
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
Dark, imaginative, and often unsettling, inside are horror stories that range from body transformation to Lovecraftian nightmares, from classic NoSleep and creepypastas to vast cosmic beings with a cold indifference to humanity. Tales await to fuel your nightmares including... Some unlucky university students stumble upon a sanity-breaking video, and it isn't on the Dark Web. A group of drunk college students break into a local museum to find a trove of horrors in the basement. A wife's tall tales suddenly seem much less tall when her husband awakes to find her legs missing. One amateur cameraman explains why he fears nothing more than the footage of what he found in the Las Vegas storm drains. If you're looking for a meaty chunk of horror to sink your teeth into, tales that will keep you awake for many nights to come, then 100% UNFILTERED NIGHTMARE FUEL is the collection for you!
Apartment 16
Author: Adam Nevill
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 0330525700
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 481
Book Description
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it has been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever. A young American woman, Apryl, arrives at Barrington House. She's been left an apartment by her mysterious Great Aunt Lillian who died in strange circumstances. Rumours claim Lillian was mad. But her diary suggests she was implicated in a horrific and inexplicable event decades ago. Determined to learn something of this eccentric woman, Apryl begins to unravel the hidden story of Barrington House. She discovers that a transforming, evil force still inhabits the building. And the doorway to Apartment 16 is a gateway to something altogether more terrifying . . . Apartment 16 is another gripping novel full of suspense and horror from Adam Nevill, twice winner of the August Derleth award.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 0330525700
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 481
Book Description
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it has been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever. A young American woman, Apryl, arrives at Barrington House. She's been left an apartment by her mysterious Great Aunt Lillian who died in strange circumstances. Rumours claim Lillian was mad. But her diary suggests she was implicated in a horrific and inexplicable event decades ago. Determined to learn something of this eccentric woman, Apryl begins to unravel the hidden story of Barrington House. She discovers that a transforming, evil force still inhabits the building. And the doorway to Apartment 16 is a gateway to something altogether more terrifying . . . Apartment 16 is another gripping novel full of suspense and horror from Adam Nevill, twice winner of the August Derleth award.
Plutonium
Author: Frank von Hippel
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811399018
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 193
Book Description
This book provides a readable and thought-provoking analysis of the issues surrounding nuclear fuel reprocessing and fast-neutron reactors, including discussion of resources, economics, radiological risk and resistance to nuclear proliferation. It describes the history and science behind reprocessing, and gives an overview of the status of reprocessing programmes around the world. It concludes that such programs should be discontinued. While nuclear power is seen by many as the only realistic solution to the carbon emission problem, some national nuclear establishments have been pursuing development and deployment of sodium-cooled plutonium breeder reactors, and plutonium recycling. Its proponents argue that this system would offer significant advantages relative to current light water reactor technology in terms of greater uranium utilization efficiency, and that separating out the long-lived plutonium and other transuranics from spent fuel and fissioning them in fast reactors would greatly reduce the duration of the toxicity of radioactive waste. However, the history of efforts to deploy this system commercially in a number of countries over the last six decades has been one of economic and technical failure and, in some cases, was used to mask clandestine nuclear weapon development programs. Covering topics of significant public interest including nuclear safety, fuel storage, environmental impact and the spectre of nuclear terrorism, this book presents a comprehensive analysis of the issue for nuclear engineers, policy analysts, government officials and the general public. "Frank von Hippel, Jungmin Kang, and Masafumi Takubo, three internationally renowned nuclear experts, have done a valuable service to the global community in putting together this book, which both historically and comprehensively covers the “plutonium age” as we know it today. They articulate in a succinct and clear manner their views on the dangers of a plutonium economy and advocate a ban on the separation of plutonium for use in the civilian fuel cycle in view of the high proliferation and nuclear-security risks and lack of economic justification." (Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (1997-2009), Nobel Peace Prize (2005)) "The 1960s dream of a ‘plutonium economy’ has not delivered abundant low-cost energy, but instead has left the world a radioactive legacy of nuclear weapons proliferation and the real potential for nuclear terrorism. Kang, Takubo, and von Hippel explain with power and clarity what can be done to reduce these dangers. The governments of the remaining countries whose nuclear research and development establishments are still pursuing the plutonium dream should pay attention.” (Senator Edward Markey, a leader in the US nuclear-disarmament movement as a member of Congress since 1976) "The authors have done an invaluable service by putting together in one place the most coherent analysis of the risks associated with plutonium, and the most compelling argument for ending the practice of separating plutonium from spent fuel for any purpose. They have given us an easily accessible history of the evolution of thinking about the nuclear fuel cycle, the current realities of nuclear power around the world and, arguably most important, a clear alternative path to deal with the spent fuel arising from nuclear reactors for decades to centuries to come." (Robert Gallucci, Chief US negotiator with North Korea (1994); Dean, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (1996-2009); President, MacArthur Foundation (2009-2014))
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811399018
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 193
Book Description
This book provides a readable and thought-provoking analysis of the issues surrounding nuclear fuel reprocessing and fast-neutron reactors, including discussion of resources, economics, radiological risk and resistance to nuclear proliferation. It describes the history and science behind reprocessing, and gives an overview of the status of reprocessing programmes around the world. It concludes that such programs should be discontinued. While nuclear power is seen by many as the only realistic solution to the carbon emission problem, some national nuclear establishments have been pursuing development and deployment of sodium-cooled plutonium breeder reactors, and plutonium recycling. Its proponents argue that this system would offer significant advantages relative to current light water reactor technology in terms of greater uranium utilization efficiency, and that separating out the long-lived plutonium and other transuranics from spent fuel and fissioning them in fast reactors would greatly reduce the duration of the toxicity of radioactive waste. However, the history of efforts to deploy this system commercially in a number of countries over the last six decades has been one of economic and technical failure and, in some cases, was used to mask clandestine nuclear weapon development programs. Covering topics of significant public interest including nuclear safety, fuel storage, environmental impact and the spectre of nuclear terrorism, this book presents a comprehensive analysis of the issue for nuclear engineers, policy analysts, government officials and the general public. "Frank von Hippel, Jungmin Kang, and Masafumi Takubo, three internationally renowned nuclear experts, have done a valuable service to the global community in putting together this book, which both historically and comprehensively covers the “plutonium age” as we know it today. They articulate in a succinct and clear manner their views on the dangers of a plutonium economy and advocate a ban on the separation of plutonium for use in the civilian fuel cycle in view of the high proliferation and nuclear-security risks and lack of economic justification." (Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (1997-2009), Nobel Peace Prize (2005)) "The 1960s dream of a ‘plutonium economy’ has not delivered abundant low-cost energy, but instead has left the world a radioactive legacy of nuclear weapons proliferation and the real potential for nuclear terrorism. Kang, Takubo, and von Hippel explain with power and clarity what can be done to reduce these dangers. The governments of the remaining countries whose nuclear research and development establishments are still pursuing the plutonium dream should pay attention.” (Senator Edward Markey, a leader in the US nuclear-disarmament movement as a member of Congress since 1976) "The authors have done an invaluable service by putting together in one place the most coherent analysis of the risks associated with plutonium, and the most compelling argument for ending the practice of separating plutonium from spent fuel for any purpose. They have given us an easily accessible history of the evolution of thinking about the nuclear fuel cycle, the current realities of nuclear power around the world and, arguably most important, a clear alternative path to deal with the spent fuel arising from nuclear reactors for decades to centuries to come." (Robert Gallucci, Chief US negotiator with North Korea (1994); Dean, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (1996-2009); President, MacArthur Foundation (2009-2014))
Jean Grey Vol. 1
Author: Dennis Hopeless
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
ISBN: 1302500295
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 143
Book Description
When the teenage Marvel Girl traveled through time and arrived in the present, she learned the terrible fate that befell her adult counterpart. Possessed by a cosmic entity called the Phoenix, that Jean Grey was trapped in an endless cycle of life and death. Now, determined to escape that future, young Jean sets out to write her own destiny. But when she has a premonition that the Phoenix is coming for her, she'll have to fight tooth and nail not to become its next victim! Jean enlists the help of some of its previous hosts - but will the ultimate brain trust of Rachel Grey, Quentin Quire and Hope Summers have the answers she's searching for? COLLECTING: JEAN GREY #1-6.
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
ISBN: 1302500295
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 143
Book Description
When the teenage Marvel Girl traveled through time and arrived in the present, she learned the terrible fate that befell her adult counterpart. Possessed by a cosmic entity called the Phoenix, that Jean Grey was trapped in an endless cycle of life and death. Now, determined to escape that future, young Jean sets out to write her own destiny. But when she has a premonition that the Phoenix is coming for her, she'll have to fight tooth and nail not to become its next victim! Jean enlists the help of some of its previous hosts - but will the ultimate brain trust of Rachel Grey, Quentin Quire and Hope Summers have the answers she's searching for? COLLECTING: JEAN GREY #1-6.
Marvel Zombies
Author: Mark Millar
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
ISBN: 1302515969
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 475
Book Description
Collects Ultimate Fantastic Four #21-23 And #30-32, Marvel Zombies #1-5, Marvel Zombies: Dead Days, Black Panther (2005) #28-30 and material from Marvel Spotlight: Marvel Zombies/Mystic Arcana. The gory, horrifying breakout hit is back! On an Earth shockingly similar to the Marvel Universe, an alien virus has mutated the world’s greatest super heroes — into flesh-eating monsters! What happens when they run out of humans to eat? When the Ultimate Universe’s young Reed Richards unknowingly makes contact with the Zombie-verse, he’ll find out the hard way! Then: When the Silver Surfer arrives, the world-devourer Galactus is never far behind. But the Marvel Zombies might just be a match for his all-consuming hunger! Plus: The Marvel Universe’s New Fantastic Four just crash-landed in the Zombie-verse! If they can’t escape, they’ll be the next hors d’oeuvre for…Zombie Skrulls?!
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
ISBN: 1302515969
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 475
Book Description
Collects Ultimate Fantastic Four #21-23 And #30-32, Marvel Zombies #1-5, Marvel Zombies: Dead Days, Black Panther (2005) #28-30 and material from Marvel Spotlight: Marvel Zombies/Mystic Arcana. The gory, horrifying breakout hit is back! On an Earth shockingly similar to the Marvel Universe, an alien virus has mutated the world’s greatest super heroes — into flesh-eating monsters! What happens when they run out of humans to eat? When the Ultimate Universe’s young Reed Richards unknowingly makes contact with the Zombie-verse, he’ll find out the hard way! Then: When the Silver Surfer arrives, the world-devourer Galactus is never far behind. But the Marvel Zombies might just be a match for his all-consuming hunger! Plus: The Marvel Universe’s New Fantastic Four just crash-landed in the Zombie-verse! If they can’t escape, they’ll be the next hors d’oeuvre for…Zombie Skrulls?!
The Red Room Riddle
Author: Scott Corbett
Publisher: Dell Publishing Company
ISBN: 9780440475248
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 118
Book Description
Bruce and Bill meet a strange boy with a bulldog who offers to introduce them to the ghosts in his house.
Publisher: Dell Publishing Company
ISBN: 9780440475248
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 118
Book Description
Bruce and Bill meet a strange boy with a bulldog who offers to introduce them to the ghosts in his house.
The Forest
Author: Michaelbrent Collings
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789798670343
Category : Forests and forestry
Languages : en
Pages : 362
Book Description
"For Tricia and Alex, the idea is simple: find and rescue their friend, Sam, from his insane mother. But when they enter the forest, they discover that their idea is anything but simple. Because this forest isn’t like any other. In this forest, a silver mist hangs. In this forest, a simple trip of a few miles can turn into a nightmare. In this forest, the monsters are real. Twenty years later, Tricia and Alex remember nothing of what happened that day they lost their friend. They know only that three kids went in, but only two came out. Now, they are going back. To find their lost memories. To discover what happened to Sam that day. To encounter fear itself."--Publisher's description.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789798670343
Category : Forests and forestry
Languages : en
Pages : 362
Book Description
"For Tricia and Alex, the idea is simple: find and rescue their friend, Sam, from his insane mother. But when they enter the forest, they discover that their idea is anything but simple. Because this forest isn’t like any other. In this forest, a silver mist hangs. In this forest, a simple trip of a few miles can turn into a nightmare. In this forest, the monsters are real. Twenty years later, Tricia and Alex remember nothing of what happened that day they lost their friend. They know only that three kids went in, but only two came out. Now, they are going back. To find their lost memories. To discover what happened to Sam that day. To encounter fear itself."--Publisher's description.
From the Depths
Author: Richard Saxon
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 198
Book Description
Join Richard Saxon, one of Reddit's top terrifying authors, as he dredges up horrors From the Depths. A discovery in the deepest parts of the ocean threatens all humanity. An unlucky man awakes during brain surgery. Russians make a shocking discovery when they dig the world's deepest hole. Two men guard a mysterious empty room. An impenetrable, sound-swallowing darkness envelopes a town. These and other harrowing tales await you in Saxon's first collection featuring fan favorites and never-before-published exclusives.
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 198
Book Description
Join Richard Saxon, one of Reddit's top terrifying authors, as he dredges up horrors From the Depths. A discovery in the deepest parts of the ocean threatens all humanity. An unlucky man awakes during brain surgery. Russians make a shocking discovery when they dig the world's deepest hole. Two men guard a mysterious empty room. An impenetrable, sound-swallowing darkness envelopes a town. These and other harrowing tales await you in Saxon's first collection featuring fan favorites and never-before-published exclusives.
Nightmare Pipeline Failures
Author: Jan Hayes
Publisher: Cch Australia Limited
ISBN: 9781925091137
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
The worst nightmares of the oil and gas pipeline industry are coming true in the United States.High-pressure natural gas pipelines run underground through many suburban areas as part of the network providing fuel to homes and businesses. This infrastructure poses an immense, but insufficiently recognised, threat to the general public. In 2010, one of these pipelines ruptured in San Bruno, a suburb of San Francisco adjacent to the international airport. The result was a massive explosion and fire in which eight people died, many were injured, and 38 homes were destroyed. This possibility haunts many cities around the world.Coincidentally in the same year, another worst-case scenario came true, near Marshall, in the state of Michigan. A pipeline rupture released vast quantities of oily sludge into a local river system. The smell was so offensive that many nearby residents were forced to sell their homes and get out. The clean-up cost the pipeline owner more than a billion dollars, making it the most expensive oil spill on land in US history.This book examines the causes of these two events. It argues that, although they were profoundly surprising to the companies concerned, from a broader perspective they were no surprise at all, stemming as they did from well-known human, organisational and regulatory failures. In particular, we emphasise two contrasting but equally flawed approaches to prevention of rare but catastrophic events.Fantasy planningCompanies often try to convince themselves, regulators and members of the public that they have the relevant hazards under control because they have elaborate plans to deal with them. When it comes to the point, these plans turn out to be wildly optimistic and full of unjustified assumptions and inaccurate data. Their function is symbolic rather than instrumental - that is, they serve as statements that the hazard is under control, rather than as real instruments of control. Fantasy planning was very evident in both accidents.Black swansThe second approach adopts the currently fashionable "black swan" metaphor. In Europe, historically, all swans are white, and Europeans could not conceive of a black swan - until they discovered Australia. In the 21st century, the concept of a black swan has taken on new meaning - a rare event with major impact, quite unpredictable at the time, although possibly explicable in hindsight. Nowadays, major industrial accidents, such as the blowout in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, are sometimes referred to as black swans. But here the analogy breaks down. Black swans were unforeseeable to Europeans. Major accidents are not unforeseeable to risk analysts. In fact, it is their responsibility to foresee them and to put in place barriers against them. Accidents occur when those barriers fail. The metaphor is therefore wrong. In fact, it seems to be nothing more than a contemporary version of the idea that major accidents are inevitable - the 'stuff happens' view of risk management.Integrity managementThese two concepts shed new light on why integrity management is so difficult to get right and also how it can be improved. We hope that those in positions of responsibility in companies that have responsibility for hazardous facilities will feel the need to scrutinise their own integrity management systems with these absurdities in mind. The major failings we have identified provide valuable lessons for all organisations that use risk assessments to manage and prioritise routine activities.Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand is the non-exclusive distributor of this title.
Publisher: Cch Australia Limited
ISBN: 9781925091137
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
The worst nightmares of the oil and gas pipeline industry are coming true in the United States.High-pressure natural gas pipelines run underground through many suburban areas as part of the network providing fuel to homes and businesses. This infrastructure poses an immense, but insufficiently recognised, threat to the general public. In 2010, one of these pipelines ruptured in San Bruno, a suburb of San Francisco adjacent to the international airport. The result was a massive explosion and fire in which eight people died, many were injured, and 38 homes were destroyed. This possibility haunts many cities around the world.Coincidentally in the same year, another worst-case scenario came true, near Marshall, in the state of Michigan. A pipeline rupture released vast quantities of oily sludge into a local river system. The smell was so offensive that many nearby residents were forced to sell their homes and get out. The clean-up cost the pipeline owner more than a billion dollars, making it the most expensive oil spill on land in US history.This book examines the causes of these two events. It argues that, although they were profoundly surprising to the companies concerned, from a broader perspective they were no surprise at all, stemming as they did from well-known human, organisational and regulatory failures. In particular, we emphasise two contrasting but equally flawed approaches to prevention of rare but catastrophic events.Fantasy planningCompanies often try to convince themselves, regulators and members of the public that they have the relevant hazards under control because they have elaborate plans to deal with them. When it comes to the point, these plans turn out to be wildly optimistic and full of unjustified assumptions and inaccurate data. Their function is symbolic rather than instrumental - that is, they serve as statements that the hazard is under control, rather than as real instruments of control. Fantasy planning was very evident in both accidents.Black swansThe second approach adopts the currently fashionable "black swan" metaphor. In Europe, historically, all swans are white, and Europeans could not conceive of a black swan - until they discovered Australia. In the 21st century, the concept of a black swan has taken on new meaning - a rare event with major impact, quite unpredictable at the time, although possibly explicable in hindsight. Nowadays, major industrial accidents, such as the blowout in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, are sometimes referred to as black swans. But here the analogy breaks down. Black swans were unforeseeable to Europeans. Major accidents are not unforeseeable to risk analysts. In fact, it is their responsibility to foresee them and to put in place barriers against them. Accidents occur when those barriers fail. The metaphor is therefore wrong. In fact, it seems to be nothing more than a contemporary version of the idea that major accidents are inevitable - the 'stuff happens' view of risk management.Integrity managementThese two concepts shed new light on why integrity management is so difficult to get right and also how it can be improved. We hope that those in positions of responsibility in companies that have responsibility for hazardous facilities will feel the need to scrutinise their own integrity management systems with these absurdities in mind. The major failings we have identified provide valuable lessons for all organisations that use risk assessments to manage and prioritise routine activities.Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand is the non-exclusive distributor of this title.