M.A.D. and me

[PBI]

Interesting article Fragony, I think it seems quite close to my own initial opinions. I guess I just tend to wonder what situation could arise where a government would willing order a first strike against another nuclear power when the consequences for their own authority seem so automatically and universally negative. Maybe the US could scrape through a nuclear exchange with 30% of the population and the authority of the government barely intact, but what situation could arise that this would seem preferable to the status quo?

I'm less worried about nuclear weapons, which have such clear long-term consequences, than whatever replaces them. Something like an anti-matter bomb that can rip off the atmosphere but leave no harmful radiation.

I find this a bit odd. Firstly, why would anyone feel the power of "traditional" nuclear weapons an insufficient deterrent as to need to develop such a massively expensive and inherently risky weapon? Secondly, why would a state be any more likely to use such a weapon against another nuclear power than ordinary nuclear weapons?

In any case, it would be best for your job prospects in the said area not to divulge whether or not you are actually taking employment in this area.

The Backroom is inaccessible for anyone but Org members who have been granted access. Hence it should be considered pretty unlikely that they would ever be able read this post?

I cannot stress strongly enough that this is all purely hypothetical at the moment. I am working under the assumption that if I do decide to pursue such a career the security services will read both this thread and everything else I say or do on the Internet. I suspect if they were unable to access my backroom posts on their own they would either outright demand my password as a precondition for employment or else simply discard my application. I reasoned however that before even considering such a career I ought to seek as much advice as possible from people whose opinions I respect on whether it would be an irresponsible or unethical use of my physics training.

I heard Black Mesa is hiring.

Unfortunately my research interests are not sufficiently closely related to the exciting cutting-edge fields of cart pushing and switch flipping.