The Doomsday Clock just moved: It’s now 2 minutes to 'midnight,’

originally posted by: NerdGoddess
That wiki link was cool thanks. I like how it showed music that was inspired by or about the Doomsday Clock. Also mentioned a Watchmen/DC universe thing there too.

Yes it was in Watchmen, followed by a great line by the alternate Richard Nixon:

"Who are these assholes to say when doomsday approaches? I say when doomsday is approaching!"

So just who are these assholes? Well, they're members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Science and Security Board. And who are they? According to their website, "The Science and Security Board (SASB) is comprised of a select group of globally recognized leaders with a specific focus on nuclear risk, climate change and emerging technologies." Here they are. Note their credentials. They're on all kinds of impressive sounding boards that you would think indicate they're experts in international relations and strategic analysis. Are they?

The first two sound reasonably qualified, although I'd like to see some formal military strategic education. Then we get to Mr. Rod Ewing.

Professor in Nuclear Security in the Center for International Security and Cooperation in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

Sounds impressive, but what about some specifics?

Ewing’s research focuses on the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, mainly nuclear materials and the geochemistry of radionuclides. He is the past president of the International Union of Materials Research Societies. Ewing has written extensively on issues related to nuclear waste management

Oh, so he's an expert in how to handle nuclear waste. How does that qualify him to judge how close we are to nuclear war? He's also a Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences in the School of Earth, Environmental, and Energy Sciences at Stanford University. No help there. He has written about climate change though.

Moving right along, Daniel Holz.

Holz is an Associate Professor in Physics, Astronomy & Astrophysics, the Enrico Fermi Institute, and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on general relativity in the context of astrophysics and cosmology.

So his qualifications on this subject are... none? Got it. But he's written about climate change. He doesn't appear to be qualified to write about that either, but that's a pretty common theme in the climate change arena anyway.

Next we've got Sivan Kartha.

Kartha is a Senior Scientist at the Stockholm Environmental Institute whose research and publications for the past 20 years have focused on technological options and policy strategies for addressing climate change, concentrating most recently on equity and efficiency in the design of an international climate regime.

Unqualified.

Elizabeth Kolbert:

Kolbert has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1999 and has written extensively on science and climate change to great acclaim.

Unqualified.

Are we seeing a pattern here? The next few folks are a theoretical physicist, a cybersecurity expert (would be a good person to consult on certain security issues, by why are they on the actual board?), a physician. There's Steven Miller who actually appears to have some international security expertise. 2 more physicists, an astronomer. Jennifer Sims, who appears to have gotten her position because she was an Obama crony in Chicago. An environmentalist, an oceanographer.

Sharon Squassoni sounds qualified based on the positions she's held, but her education is in unrelated fields. Wonder how she got those positions (politics).

A retired Admiral, that sounds promising. What was his command history? Naval Meteorological and Oceanography Command and he was on the Navy's task force on climate change. I don't think you can become an admiral without going through at least some formal strategic training, so I'll be generous and give them that one.

The last guy, Jon Wolfsthal sounds qualified.

So out of 19 board members who manage this clock, only 4 or 5 of them have any realistic qualifications to be doing this kind of work, and if I'm generous you might bump it up to 7 or 8. That's not even half the board. The rest of them are just there because of the recent effort to turn this into a climate change clock, and probably through some political cronyism. Almost all of them have been involved with climate change research.

The lesson here is don't pay any attention to this #in thing. It's meaningless. It always has been, but it's even more of a joke now.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
I wonder what would have to happen to turn the clock back.

Doomsday Savings Time?

originally posted by: Blue Shift

originally posted by: DBCowboy
I wonder what would have to happen to turn the clock back.

Doomsday Savings Time?

The clock has been turned back numerous times. The history of all the changes is on the wikipedia article.

a reply to: face23785

Pretty epic analysis - the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists sounds like a bunch of academics who think they're above the common man because they are oh-so-learned. What a crock of ****

a reply to: face23785

So out of 19 board members who manage this clock, only 4 or 5 of them have any realistic qualifications to be doing this kind of work. The rest of them are just there because of the recent effort to turn this into a climate change clock, and probably through some political cronyism. Almost all of them have been involved with climate change research. The lesson here is don't pay any attention to this #in thing. It's meaningless. It always has been, but it's even more of a joke now.

I'd be interesting in knowing your educational background. What are your qualifications to determine who is qualified or not?

More doom porn music ...

originally posted by: Blue Shift

originally posted by: DBCowboy
I wonder what would have to happen to turn the clock back.

Doomsday Savings Time?

originally posted by: olaru12
a reply to: face23785

So out of 19 board members who manage this clock, only 4 or 5 of them have any realistic qualifications to be doing this kind of work. The rest of them are just there because of the recent effort to turn this into a climate change clock, and probably through some political cronyism. Almost all of them have been involved with climate change research. The lesson here is don't pay any attention to this #in thing. It's meaningless. It always has been, but it's even more of a joke now.

I'd be interesting in knowing your educational background. What are your qualifications to determine who is qualified or not?

More doom porn music ...

What would be your qualifications to determine if my educational background qualifies me to determine who is qualified?

The denial will pass. Your failure to address anything I said shows you know I'm right, you're just having a hard time accepting the fact that you got fooled and thought these people knew what they were talking about. You're welcome for the information.

originally posted by: GeekHeretic
The wiki article listing the changes to the clock are very telling.

1. In 1962 there was no change due to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
2. Where is the reaction to other major flare ups? Take a look at this list - metro.co.uk...

Its just theater.

First , the doomsday clock was not very relevant (and still remains that today) during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Second , your link has absolutely zero , zilch to do with the the Doomsday clock

a reply to: olaru12

I'd be interesting in knowing your educational background. What are your qualifications to determine who is qualified or not?

The Doomsay Clock means absolutely nothing. More political than anything . DefCon is what matters.
Want to ask me my credentials ?
Look just slightly to the left

originally posted by: Gothmog
a reply to: olaru12

I'd be interesting in knowing your educational background. What are your qualifications to determine who is qualified or not?

The Doomsay Clock means absolutely nothing. More political than anything . DefCon is what matters.
Want to ask me my credentials ? Look just slightly to the left

Take a snapshot of the relevant threats to mankind and weigh them against the odds of resolving those threats and you have a pretty good idea what time it is.

Its beer:30

a reply to: FamCore

Shouldn't this be in the Predictions and Prophecies Forum?