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Comment by andrepd | Hacker News Reader

Yikes. Now consider this: this is the design for the missile warning system. It is possible, even likely, that some missile launch system has similar catastrophic UI.

How we've not wiped ourselves off by accident so far is a miracle.

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I take it you've read Command and Control [1]? A great, if worrying read on exactly that subject. It's luck, not judgement that something really terrible hasn't happened yet.

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_and_Control_(book)

I can't say I have. It seems an interesting read though. Thanks for the suggestion!

Along the same lines: a whistleblower's account of problems in the UK's "Trident" nuclear defense program from 2015: https://wikileaks.org/trident-safety/

Relevant Far Side comic: https://i.imgur.com/AosYvGn.jpg

Man I miss the Far Side

The designer of that control could have simplified things by just labeling the states as "ON" and "OFF"

This is seriously what came to mind first when I saw the EAS screenshot

another interesting read regarding this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_close_calls

J random local civilian warning system really doesn't have to be as tight as "don't blow up the world". There's a scale, here.

The back-up nuclear launch code for the Minuteman missile system used to be 00000000. You have far too much faith in humanity.

That was because, IIRC, Congress mandated a launch code be added to the system, so the military added one and set it to all 0's as a loophole, because their main concern was to make sure the system would work as intended. Not having a launch code when you need it would be a bad thing. None of this precluded the existing, strict, chain of command, which included the famous "biscuit" that the president needs to launch missiles. And I believe the whole thing also needs to be authenticated by the Sec. of Defense.

I'd disagree on the first point, but only because it seems that many launch systems use floppy drives. (The big ones)

There is room for error. “This floppy is the drill floppy, I’m sure.”

http://nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/issu...

1979 Nov 9 Computer Exercise Tape

Use different colors

Of course. My point is that people find ways to screw up, regardless of the underlying technology.

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