Alert About Missile Bound for Hawaii Was Sent in Error, Officials Say

Post by ben_jones » Sat, Jan 13, 2018, 10:10 PM UTC

ImSkeptical wrote: post #194

ghaff wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm always a bit shocked at the number of people here calling for someone's head in this sort of situation. I imagine the same people would downvote to oblivion anyone who came on here and wrote something like: "The only way we're going to get better software is by firing people who write bugs and make sure they never work in the industry again."

I'd say we just don't have enough information. It's possible someone deserves to be fired for this - e.g. if the alarm was intentional or negligent. It's also possible it was a misclick, confusing UI, etc, in which the person or people who should be fired are those who designed the system such that a simple mistake could set it off. There is a third possibility too - that some unpredictable alignment of factors means…

Post by BatFastard » Sat, Jan 13, 2018, 10:11 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #164

blantonl wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of people are calling for the person who did this to be instantly fired, but I've always been of the opinion that the guy that pushed that button would be an outstanding hire - because he'll never, ever do something like that again and he's learned an important lesson.

I'm always a bit shocked at the number of people here calling for someone's head in this sort of situation. I imagine the same people would downvote to oblivion anyone who came on here and wrote something like: "The only way we're going to get better software is by firing people who write bugs and make sure they never work in the industry again."

Post by pjc50 » Sat, Jan 13, 2018, 10:13 PM UTC

musicandscones wrote: post #183

packetslave wrote: post #117

Just watched an interview on CNN with the Governor of Hawaii and their director of emergency management. Pretty impressed that the director didn't throw anybody under the bus. He basically said "An employee pushed the wrong button. It's my responsibility, so this is my fault. We're going to make procedure and technical changes to make sure this doesn't happen again."

It's sad that a beautiful paradise like Hawaii is still threatened by the scums of the earth (North Korea), propped up by Russia and China. We really need to step up the sactions against Russia and North Korea, and start to impose tariffs and sactions against China. Otherwise a nuclear strike will likely head to hawaii, silicon valley, new york, or tokyo.

Post by ju-st » Sat, Jan 13, 2018, 10:14 PM UTC

davidp wrote: post #82

vtail wrote: post #49

I’m in Hawaii and received it this morning. First thought: there is probably no shelter close by anyway, and if they would send a missile they would probably target Honolulu (I’m in Kauai).

I know this isn't a comforting thought, but: Missiles from the most likely source (North Korea) are not thought to have very good accuracy. They may be as likely to hit Kauai or the big island (or the ocean nearby) as Honolulu. I hope this event wasn't too stressful for you and your family.

Post by ghaff » Sat, Jan 13, 2018, 10:15 PM UTC

nradov wrote: post #184

blantonl wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of people are calling for the person who did this to be instantly fired, but I've always been of the opinion that the guy that pushed that button would be an outstanding hire - because he'll never, ever do something like that again and he's learned an important lesson.

Just to play devil's advocate, in some cases the point of firing an employee in a situation like this isn't about that one employee but more pour encourager les autres . So the remaining employees will see that management takes the issue seriously and they need to be diligent about following procedures. In this particular case no real harm was done and firing would probably be excessive.