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Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was Based on Fact

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Re: Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was Based on Fact

#51

Post by mpweiher »

pcrh wrote: post #10
cstross wrote: post #8

Young folks today just don't believe how downright surreal (and scary) the cold war was to live through. Look, just read this wikipedia entry about the British Blue Peacock nuclear device, and boggle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Peacock Yes. It's a chicken-heated atomic landmine. Not a joke: it was a Real Thing. And so was this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_%28nuclear_device... The M-29 Davy Crock…

That reminds me of the pigeon-guided missile. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pigeon

I see your pigeon and raise you a bat. As in bat-shit-crazy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_bomb

When they tested them, the bats incinerated an Air Force base.

Re: Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was Based on Fact

#52

Post by mpweiher »

HillRat wrote: post #34
philwelch wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems a little troubling that the Turkish military was supposed to be the pivotal factor in World War III. Was there any particular reason for that, other than Turkey being right next to Russia and the Crimea? What if the Soviets went after Turkey first?

After WW2, the Turks were the largest standing army in NATO, had performed excellently in the Korean War, were a linchpin between Europe and the Near East, and had a longstanding historical antipathy towards Russia. Basically, the Pentagon trusted the Turks to be more effective war fighters than anyone else in NATO at the time, and to be able to get to any particular front line faster than any other ally. Eventually,…

Did you mean "remilitarization" ?

Re: Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was Based on Fact

#53

Post by mstade »

I read Rosenbaum's "How the End Begins: The Road to a Nuclear World War III"[1] and it contains a number of pretty sobering details of just how crazy the cold war was, and how not much has truly improved since. The Soviet's perimeter system gets a mention, along with a story of how supposedly it set of a chain of events that very nearly did cause the launch of Soviet nukes, had it not been for a Soviet commander questioning whether the data received by the system was in fact accurate.

As well, no mention of Dr. Strangelove, the cold war, or just nukes in general should go without also mentioning Major Harold Hering[2] who was discharged from the for asking:

> How can I know that an order I receive to launch my missiles came from a sane president?

Indeed.

[1]: http://www.amazon.com/How-End-Begins-Nuclear-World/dp/141659... [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Hering

Re: Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was Based on Fact

#54

Post by mcguire »

simonsarris wrote: post #12
cstross wrote: post #8

Young folks today just don't believe how downright surreal (and scary) the cold war was to live through. Look, just read this wikipedia entry about the British Blue Peacock nuclear device, and boggle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Peacock Yes. It's a chicken-heated atomic landmine. Not a joke: it was a Real Thing. And so was this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_%28nuclear_device... The M-29 Davy Crock…

Wars would be a lot better if guys would say to themselves sometimes "Jesus, I'm not going to do that to the enemy. That's too much." -Kurt Vonnegut

A large chunk of modern military training is explicitly to prevent guys from saying that reflexively.

Re: Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was Based on Fact

#55

Post by mcguire »

joosters wrote: post #15
cstross wrote: post #8

Young folks today just don't believe how downright surreal (and scary) the cold war was to live through. Look, just read this wikipedia entry about the British Blue Peacock nuclear device, and boggle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Peacock Yes. It's a chicken-heated atomic landmine. Not a joke: it was a Real Thing. And so was this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_%28nuclear_device... The M-29 Davy Crock…

...the rocket's flight range was less than its lethal radius of effect Reminds me of an old RPG called Paranoia, which featured nuclear hand grenade bombs. I never realised that weapons similar to that joke actually existed!

Send in the clones!

Re: Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was Based on Fact

#56

Post by PythonicAlpha »

cstross wrote: post #8

Young folks today just don't believe how downright surreal (and scary) the cold war was to live through. Look, just read this wikipedia entry about the British Blue Peacock nuclear device, and boggle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Peacock Yes. It's a chicken-heated atomic landmine. Not a joke: it was a Real Thing. And so was this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_%28nuclear_device... The M-29 Davy Crock…

Living in Middle Europe was not less surreal at all in this times. While the US people thought, that their Minuteman, other missiles and strategic bombers would give some protection, in Germany many people knew, that a third world war could not only start there, but also be the main place where it would be fought.

When in some era (I think, it was in Reagan's era, maybe a little later), the Generals where thinking, that a third world war could be limited to some territory (meaning: Middle Europe/Germany) and thus would not be the end of the world -- it was a void feeling for many people, that knew, what that could mean for Germany -- to be the designated place of nuclear destruction for the bigger nations.

In deed, it was a surreal time for the whole world it was. That is also one reason, that many in the 90s believed now humanity would rest in peace ....

Re: Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was Based on Fact

#57

Post by bane »

iolsantr wrote: post #48
bane wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up right at the tail-end of it, the 1984 Red Dawn was a perfectly reasonable scenario. Whenever I think the hysteria was completely insane I think back to my parents and grandparents and some of the truly bizarre notions that happened during their youth: duck and cover, public bomb shelter drills, etc. People actually paid significant parts of their yearly salary to build, stock and maintain nuclear bomb shelt…

Extreme emegency preparededness is insane, but buying a yacht is not? I don't think there is anything wrong with someones hobby being building and stocking their secret fort in the back yard.

Actually people who compulsively buy things can have an identifiable mental illness.

Why would people who compulsively believe the world is about to end then spend all their money on emergency shelters, food and guns not?

Re: Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was Based on Fact

#58

Post by cstross »

philwelch wrote: post #28
bane wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up right at the tail-end of it, the 1984 Red Dawn was a perfectly reasonable scenario. Whenever I think the hysteria was completely insane I think back to my parents and grandparents and some of the truly bizarre notions that happened during their youth: duck and cover, public bomb shelter drills, etc. People actually paid significant parts of their yearly salary to build, stock and maintain nuclear bomb shelt…

That emergency food supply would feed a family of four for a year, that's not "multiple years" of emergency food if you actually have a family of four. If you have a family of six it won't even last one year. Emergency food supplies are also useful for things like earthquakes and other natural disasters where you might have to stay put for awhile but you won't be able to make it to the grocery store either. You might…

Or you might be doing it for religious reasons:

https://www.lds.org/topics/food-storage?lang=eng

(Devout Mormons are supposed to maintain a stockpile of food. I suspect Costco get much of their custom for this preparedness pack from members of the LDS ...)

Re: Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was Based on Fact

#59

Post by kchoudhu »

JetSpiegel wrote: post #14
geichel wrote: post #2

This is also true for Enemy of the State. Watch it again. Your jaw will hit the floor: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120660/

Enemy of the State is a still a Michael Bay film though. A bit restrained, but still a bit too explosion-ey.

It's based on The Conversation (or vaguely related to it?). I remember being mildly entertained when Gene Hackman turned up partway through the movie.

Re: Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was Based on Fact

#60

Post by JetSpiegel »

kchoudhu wrote: post #59
JetSpiegel wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Enemy of the State is a still a Michael Bay film though. A bit restrained, but still a bit too explosion-ey.

It's based on The Conversation (or vaguely related to it?). I remember being mildly entertained when Gene Hackman turned up partway through the movie.

Hmm, that film was on my watchlist, I'll take a look.
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