Doomsday Clock Moves Closer to Midnight!

a reply to: ketsuko

In this case, we have an ideology making war and as such there is no conventional strategy that will work because an ideology recognizes no flags. There is, simply put, no there to make war on until it is defeated. So we flail around and look as bad as everyone else and whole effect is destabilizing.

Isn't it always about ideologies? From the Crusades to the Cold War, it seems like world powers are always locked into ideological conflict. Right now, we're all locked into multi-spectrum conflicts between Christian nations and Islamic nations with each ideology regarding the fight as one of survival and dominance. We've also got that East/West dynamic between Russia and the US & Allies and we can't overlook China's influence either.

Wars on terror, wars on drugs, cyber warfare and what else? Maybe the instability is due to a lack of definitive goals? Like you say, ideology is a slippery, abstract enemy to pick a fight with and so hard to keep score. It's made worse when, one day, somebody could use nuclear warheads to destroy an abstract concept.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Hey Kandy, I guess the clock has yet to be moved down to
two minutes then? Yet the same hand that points to doom
from terrorism, communisn, nazis, Al Queda, Isis, comets
meteoroids, asteroids and planetoids. Constitutionalists,
gun owners, gun runners and aliens, both legal and illegal
and this clock etc etc.
The only doom I've every really been concerned about ever,
is us. We are the only doom that actually worries me. We
are the hand of our own doom. The same hand that moves
the clock forward is also distracting us away from the real
threat. While it's only a very few human beings that are
seeing to such deceptions. It is actually, very much all of us.
We are the doom.



SnF

In the event of the breakout of nuclear war (which wont happen in our lifetimes), I can envision some asshat running around in an office somewhere....

"Stephen...!..DID YOU UPDATE THE DOOMSDAY CLOCK!!!!????"

Do we really need a clock for this?

This is Dumb, with a capital 'D'

a reply to: six67seven

I can envision some asshat running around in an office somewhere....

You mean like this guy?

The possession of nuclear warheads by nations like the US and Russia does not really worry me. Neither side will use them offensively, but will only use them defensively. But if neither side uses them offensively, there is no need to use them defensively. However, if total war were to break out, the losing side might be inclined to use nuclear weapons to maintain their national status quo or to prevent their nation from falling. This is why it is important that future wars between superpowers be of a limited nature, as opposed to total war. The main difference is found in the fact that total war involves the mobilization of the entire nation, its entire military, economy, etc., while a limited war is on a smaller scale. Thus even if war breaks out, it is unlikely one nuclear nation will overrun and conquer another nuclear nation. The main deterrent to the use of such weapons by the losing side is their knowledge that a retaliatory strike is inevitable. But they might feel they have nothing to lose. I will say that I believe the greatest nuclear threat comes from nuclear proliferation, where nukes get into the hands of groups like ISIL. The amount of damage they can cause would be limited of course, but one missile can destroy a single city, depending on the defenses of the nation being attacked. The US is capable of shooting down a number of ballistic missiles, while other nations do not possess such ability. And there is virtually zero chance that a modern nation would mistake a single ICBM launch as an all-out nuclear attack, because a nuclear attack will always involve many dozens of missiles, when the attack is truly launched as an annihilation attack on another nation.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Well so much for that garden I just started...better start looking into lead farming.

I think I agree with just about every post so far. We’re living in dangerous times, and there’s no guarantee what tomorrow has in store. I don’t walk around with a sign proclaiming, “The End is NEAR”, but I’ve got to admit it’s getting harder every day to keep a positive outlook on things to come.

I guess what makes me most uneasy is that our technology is far outpacing our wisdom/ability to control it. If all we had were sticks and stones, then our fate would be in Mother Nature’s hands. Unfortunately, though, we have planet killing technology in the hands of psychologically disturbed, borderline psychotic individuals only slightly more advanced than the chimpanzees we see at the zoo. And our weapons technology just gets more powerful every day.

Like I’ve said in other posts like this one, IMO Humanity is rapidly approaching a crossroads (probably this century) that will determine our fate. If we make wise choices we could move on to a magical world of dreams fulfilled through advancing technology. If we make bad choices, however, we’ll be essentially making a deal with the Devil and assuring our own destruction. It pains me to say this, but considering our embattled history, it’s hard for me to look ahead to a brightly optimistic future. I do hope I’m wrong.

Cheers!

PS: Remember 9/11? Remember how it affected the psyche of our nation, it’s impact on Wall Street, how it nearly shutdown the travel industry, etc., etc., etc. Now imagine the impact on our culture and economy if only a dozen 50 megaton hydrogen bombs pummeled our largest cities, and then the long term consequences of the nuclear winter and radioactive fallout to follow...

Could be started mistakenly from a remark, never know. Nothing really came of this, but with the state of things today, who knows what would happen. It's Reagan joking about bombing Soviet Union.

www.youtube.com...

originally posted by: stosh64
I saw this a few weeks ago and am not surprised.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

How is this news? Firstly, the announcement was made a while ago. Secondly, any sane person old enough to understand the world around them knows that the twenty-first century has not started off very well for humanity.
Here are a few examples:

1. Prolonged wars
   
2. Outbreaks of disease
   
3. Political instability
   
4. Economic instability
   
5. Environmental issues from BP to Fukushima
   
6. Reckless spending of resources, monetary and other
   
7. Changing climate
   
8. etc etc
   

Are we trying to create a self-fulfilling prophecy or what? The clock is nonsense. It means nothing. How can you foretell the end of the world based on a clock that is based almost completely on guesswork and nothing that even sort of resembles science? Personally I feel that the humans innate need for something to kick in their survival mechanism enjoy doom and disaster. Evolution has not kept pace with advances. It's why the world is overweight, bored, and confused. And why they want doom.. something to give life meaning beyond the mundane. It's not surprising that humans are often at their best, in the face of adversity and trial.

a reply to: JiggyPotamus

Yeah but what if US feels so confident in their black ops secret technology that they are willing to risk a full out war with Russia

Thinking Russian secret toys are not as good

What about that ?

Ever heard of breakaway civilization ?

Good thing all those nuke missle guys are failing/cheating on their exams eh? Sure makes me feel safer knowing these people don't exactly take their jobs that seriously. Only the fate of humanity in their hands...

a reply to: Sparkymedic

What even scarier is that you don't need to be a genius to know how to do the following:

1) Answer a phone
2) Unlock a lockbox
3) Insert a key into a panel
4) Turn said key in tandem with another officer

If people are failing this, I weep for humanity.

Okay, in all seriousness I know these guys undergo intensive training on how to deal with false positives, tampering, sabotage, espionage, etc. They are also made to very intimately understand exactly what nuclear weapons do and what it means when those keys are turned.

originally posted by: netbound
I think I agree with just about every post so far. We’re living in dangerous times, and there’s no guarantee what tomorrow has in store. I don’t walk around with a sign proclaiming, “The End is NEAR”, but I’ve got to admit it’s getting harder every day to keep a positive outlook on things to come.

I guess what makes me most uneasy is that our technology is far outpacing our wisdom/ability to control it. If all we had were sticks and stones, then our fate would be in Mother Nature’s hands. Unfortunately, though, we have planet killing technology in the hands of psychologically disturbed, borderline psychotic individuals only slightly more advanced than the chimpanzees we see at the zoo. And our weapons technology just gets more powerful every day.

Like I’ve said in other posts like this one, IMO Humanity is rapidly approaching a crossroads (probably this century) that will determine our fate. If we make wise choices we could move on to a magical world of dreams fulfilled through advancing technology. If we make bad choices, however, we’ll be essentially making a deal with the Devil and assuring our own destruction. It pains me to say this, but considering our embattled history, it’s hard for me to look ahead to a brightly optimistic future. I do hope I’m wrong.

Cheers!

PS: Remember 9/11? Remember how it affected the psyche of our nation, it’s impact on Wall Street, how it nearly shutdown the travel industry, etc., etc., etc. Now imagine the impact on our culture and economy if only a dozen 50 megaton hydrogen bombs pummeled our largest cities, and then the long term consequences of the nuclear winter and radioactive fallout to follow...

If 'only' a dozen 50 megaton hydrogen bombs hit us? 50 megaton? I'm wondering if you actually understand the basic finality of what you're describing. No, it wouldn't end all life on the planet, or crack the planet in half or anything silly like that, any I'm not implying you said anything of the sort. But comparing 12 50 megaton blasts on our major cities to 9/11 is more like saying "Remember when that kid in third grade gave you a bloody nose? Well, this is what it's like to get hit by a speeding delivery truck..."
Simply put, I just don't think that even attempting comparisons to 9/11 is going to help most readers even begin to grasp the scale of the devastation that attack would cause. (Un)luckily, there wouldn't be nearly as many left afterwards, so the task would be easier at that point.

Oh, come now. Humans are nothing if not highly adaptable creatures. The world changes every day, but fearful possibilities stick in the mind more clearly than the wonderful advancements we make as a species every day. The end of the world has been predicted every year for much of recorded history. Empires have risen and fallen, our destructive capabilities have increased exponentially, and yet we're still alive enough to go on musing about how we'll be the last generation of humans. Perhaps it's more comforting than the concept that after our inevitable deaths (unless some sort of technology makes us all immortal) that the world will simply go on without us.

This negative piece of crap "Doomsday Clock" is just another tool meant to scare the masses, with no redeeming qualities otherwise. How about a "Peace Clock"? Measure the goal towards world peace. Do you think that would fly? NO, because we eat the negative garbage willingly as most are fixated with doom, destruction and chaos.

What kind of world would it be if the majority of people were fixated with peace, happiness and love of one another?

All we have to do is look within, to understand why the world is in the state it is in.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Top notch thread, was just talking about this recently. Will be passing this forward.

a reply to: Ultralight

I seriously doubt this will happen.

a reply to: fleabit

Damn Fleabit! This is the first time I can recall disagreeing with you.

The clock is nonsense. It means nothing. How can you foretell the end of the world based on a clock that is based almost completely on guesswork and nothing that even sort of resembles science?

It isn't 'nonsense' and it isn't 'foretelling the end of the world' either. It's a symbolic clock to communicate the perception of risk in the world. It isn't meant to be a statistical device or an expression of science.

The panel of scientists are all PhDs in nuclear physics, atomic energy and management of nuclear waste. They see the declining state of out-of-date warheads, proliferation of nuclear technology and the political conflicts of nuclear powers facing the world in 2015. They're well-informed and have collectively concluded that the world is less safe than it was.

The OP has a dozen or so links that illustrate the increased risks and other examples that can be checked. In contrast, the 'atomic scientists' spend their professional, academic lives immersed in the world of nuclear energy and warfare. If they're feeling anxious about the direction we're heading in, it's more rational to ask why instead of dismissing them as 'nonsense.'

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: ketsuko

Maybe it's a reflection of our current mind-states? Glass half empty?! Can we ever know?

Whatever the case, I agree with you and can see more potential areas of instability than anything generated by an East-West arms race.

It's a sign of the times. Pluto (death/transformation) in Sagittarius (religion) brought us the war on terror and a the rise in increased exposure to "fundamentalism." In fact, on 9/11 Pluto in Sag. opposed Saturn in Gemini (twins). In 2008, Pluto (d/t) moved into Capricorn (finance, banking, gov't - structure) and we saw the initial financial collapse reminding us our house is built with straw or sticks (not bricks). Pluto is still in Capricorn and we've seen increased scandals and criticism of the government.

It's important to note that the last time Pluto was in Capricorn was the period of 1762-1778, the period of the American Revolution. It's no doubt that there have been stirrings from some people in society that echo a similar revolutionary mindset. In other threads I've hinted at the fact that it may be impossible to stop the train. Especially with Pluto in Aquarius around the corner.

Saturn will be entering Sagittarius fully this Sept/Oct 2015, historically this doesn't bode well for the stock market.