first world problems - Page 6

Dr. Eugene Felikson · 10.01.2010, 06:14 PM

Another Friday night without plans. Oh joy.

Derek · 10.01.2010, 06:16 PM

My toe keeps itching.

EVOLghost · 10.01.2010, 06:58 PM

my iphone is dying.

space · 10.02.2010, 01:53 PM

Last month I asked Robert McNamara, the secretary of defense during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, what he believed back in the 1960s was the status of technical locks on the Minuteman intercontinental missiles. These long-range nuclear-tipped missiles first came on line during the Cuban missile crisis and grew to a force of 1,000 during the McNamara years — the backbone of the U.S. strategic deterrent through the late 1960s. McNamara replied, in his trade-mark, assertively confident manner that he personally saw to it that these special locks (known to wonks as “Permissive Action Links”) were installed on the Minuteman force, and that he regarded them as essential to strict central control and preventing unauthorized launch.

When the history of the nuclear cold war is finally comprehensively written, this McNamara vignette will be one of a long litany of items pointing to the ignorance of presidents and defense secretaries and other nuclear security officials about the true state of nuclear affairs during their time in the saddle. What I then told McNamara about his vitally important locks elicited this response: “I am shocked, absolutely shocked and outraged. Who the hell authorized that?” What he had just learned from me was that the locks had been installed, but everyone knew the combination.

The Strategic Air Command (SAC) in Omaha quietly decided to set the “locks” to all zeros in order to circumvent this safeguard. During the early to mid-1970s, during my stint as a Minuteman launch officer, they still had not been changed. Our launch checklist in fact instructed us, the firing crew, to double-check the locking panel in our underground launch bunker to ensure that no digits other than zero had been inadvertently dialed into the panel. SAC remained far less concerned about unauthorized launches than about the potential of these safeguards to interfere with the implementation of wartime launch orders. And so the “secret unlock code” during the height of the nuclear crises of the Cold War remained constant at OOOOOOOO.

After leaving the Air Force in 1974, I pressed the service, initially by letters addressed to it and then through congressional intermediaries, to consider a range of terrorist scenarios in which these locks could serve as crucial barriers against the unauthorized seizure of launch control over Minuteman missiles. In 1977, I co-authored (with Garry Brewer) an article (click here to view) entitled “The Terrorist Threat to World Nuclear Programs” in which I laid out the case for taking this threat more seriously and suggesting remedial measures including, first and foremost, activating those McNamara locks that apparently he and presidents presumed had already been activated.

The locks were activated in 1977.

Genteel Death · 10.02.2010, 02:32 PM

This materasse is hurting my back.

chicka · 10.02.2010, 03:31 PM

Sounds like our country all right. Thanks Space.

Dr. Eugene Felikson · 10.02.2010, 06:23 PM

I just got ding-dong ditched!

nicfit · 10.02.2010, 06:55 PM

I ended up watching two Skins Season 3 episodes. In a row.

Derek · 10.02.2010, 07:05 PM

Oh god, are you okay?

nicfit · 10.02.2010, 07:23 PM

Genteel Death · 10.03.2010, 05:36 AM

The poking on Facebook is getting out of hand.

ann ashtray · 10.03.2010, 05:38 AM

My lighter is out of fluid which means I must resort to using the stove.

Damn you, cigarettes.

pbradley · 10.03.2010, 05:53 AM

My Playstation 3 is not able to read the video files on my external hard drive.

^ hyper first-world problem

space · 10.03.2010, 01:06 PM

every day is not pancake day.

verme (prevaricator) · 10.03.2010, 08:52 PM

is this where we talk about twitter?

!@#$%! · 10.03.2010, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by verme (prevaricator)

is this where we talk about twitter?

yes. how you never have time for anything else but it, etc.

space · 10.03.2010, 09:24 PM

what's a twitter? isn't that the sound of old ladies talking?

akprodr · 10.04.2010, 08:57 AM

I'm not sure if this is a first world problem but it took place there: I found a mouse floating (dead) in my dog's water bowl.

Genteel Death · 11.11.2010, 05:25 AM

No brown sugar for my coffee in the staff restaurant. This is destroying my life.

Toilet & Bowels · 11.11.2010, 08:52 AM

I didn't manage to have my normal forty winks on the train to work this morning so i feel a bit tired. mind you i did do a fairly massive poo this morning so that brightened me up a bit.

10.01.2010, 06:14 PM	#101
Dr. Eugene Felikson invito al cielo Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 7,571	Another Friday night without plans. Oh joy.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.01.2010, 06:16 PM	#102
Derek invito al cielo Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 8,095	My toe keeps itching.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.01.2010, 06:58 PM	#103
EVOLghost invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: cybatraz! Posts: 11,537	my iphone is dying.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.02.2010, 01:53 PM	#104
space expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,553	Last month I asked Robert McNamara, the secretary of defense during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, what he believed back in the 1960s was the status of technical locks on the Minuteman intercontinental missiles. These long-range nuclear-tipped missiles first came on line during the Cuban missile crisis and grew to a force of 1,000 during the McNamara years — the backbone of the U.S. strategic deterrent through the late 1960s. McNamara replied, in his trade-mark, assertively confident manner that he personally saw to it that these special locks (known to wonks as “Permissive Action Links”) were installed on the Minuteman force, and that he regarded them as essential to strict central control and preventing unauthorized launch. When the history of the nuclear cold war is finally comprehensively written, this McNamara vignette will be one of a long litany of items pointing to the ignorance of presidents and defense secretaries and other nuclear security officials about the true state of nuclear affairs during their time in the saddle. What I then told McNamara about his vitally important locks elicited this response: “I am shocked, absolutely shocked and outraged. Who the hell authorized that?” What he had just learned from me was that the locks had been installed, but everyone knew the combination. The Strategic Air Command (SAC) in Omaha quietly decided to set the “locks” to all zeros in order to circumvent this safeguard. During the early to mid-1970s, during my stint as a Minuteman launch officer, they still had not been changed. Our launch checklist in fact instructed us, the firing crew, to double-check the locking panel in our underground launch bunker to ensure that no digits other than zero had been inadvertently dialed into the panel. SAC remained far less concerned about unauthorized launches than about the potential of these safeguards to interfere with the implementation of wartime launch orders. And so the “secret unlock code” during the height of the nuclear crises of the Cold War remained constant at OOOOOOOO. After leaving the Air Force in 1974, I pressed the service, initially by letters addressed to it and then through congressional intermediaries, to consider a range of terrorist scenarios in which these locks could serve as crucial barriers against the unauthorized seizure of launch control over Minuteman missiles. In 1977, I co-authored (with Garry Brewer) an article (click here to view) entitled “The Terrorist Threat to World Nuclear Programs” in which I laid out the case for taking this threat more seriously and suggesting remedial measures including, first and foremost, activating those McNamara locks that apparently he and presidents presumed had already been activated. The locks were activated in 1977.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.02.2010, 02:32 PM	#105
Genteel Death invito al cielo Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 8,744	This materasse is hurting my back.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.02.2010, 03:31 PM	#106
chicka expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: wormtown MA Posts: 1,549	Sounds like our country all right. Thanks Space. __________________ some men just want to watch the world burn
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.02.2010, 06:23 PM	#107
Dr. Eugene Felikson invito al cielo Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 7,571	I just got ding-dong ditched!
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.02.2010, 06:55 PM	#108
nicfit invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: banana boat Posts: 15,570	I ended up watching two Skins Season 3 episodes. In a row. __________________ 11:11 11-11-11 I Ascended.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.02.2010, 07:05 PM	#109
Derek invito al cielo Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 8,095	Oh god, are you okay?
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.02.2010, 07:23 PM	#110
nicfit invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: banana boat Posts: 15,570	No. __________________ 11:11 11-11-11 I Ascended.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.03.2010, 05:36 AM	#111
Genteel Death invito al cielo Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 8,744	The poking on Facebook is getting out of hand.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.03.2010, 05:38 AM	#112
ann ashtray expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Macon, GA Posts: 2,299	My lighter is out of fluid which means I must resort to using the stove. Damn you, cigarettes. __________________ Team Thurston!
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10.03.2010, 05:53 AM	#113
pbradley invito al cielo Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: SoKo Posts: 10,621	My Playstation 3 is not able to read the video files on my external hard drive. ^ hyper first-world problem
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10.03.2010, 01:06 PM	#114
space expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,553	every day is not pancake day.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.03.2010, 08:52 PM	#115
verme (prevaricator) 100% Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 751	is this where we talk about twitter?
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.03.2010, 09:24 PM	#117
space expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,553	what's a twitter? isn't that the sound of old ladies talking?
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.04.2010, 08:57 AM	#118
akprodr the end of the ugly Join Date: May 2006 Location: Mt Clair Posts: 1,129	I'm not sure if this is a first world problem but it took place there: I found a mouse floating (dead) in my dog's water bowl. __________________ Odi profanum vulgus et arceo
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11.11.2010, 05:25 AM	#119
Genteel Death invito al cielo Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 8,744	No brown sugar for my coffee in the staff restaurant. This is destroying my life.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

11.11.2010, 08:52 AM	#120
Toilet & Bowels invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Europe Posts: 12,273	I didn't manage to have my normal forty winks on the train to work this morning so i feel a bit tired. mind you i did do a fairly massive poo this morning so that brightened me up a bit.
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