Part 2: Environmental Variables and Social Connections

1. WTF: Environmental Variables

The Columbian Chemical plant explosion (see Part 1) seemed to be a motiveless hoax. No one made money. No one stayed fooled. Plant neighbors did not drive by that evening and say, “Damn, they got that fixed fast!”

So what’s going on here? Why would the Russians bother with something so expensive but apparently pointless?

This and the related hoaxes did have one consistent impact: they added to what might be called the ambient fear…