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One of the things pointed out that they identified when certain plans (eg. missile defense system) was not useful, and also that the sound heard during the 'son

One of the things pointed out that they identified when certain plans (eg. missile defense system) was not useful, and also that the sound heard during the 'sonic attack' were crickets.

leroy_masochist 7y ago
Right, but they're hardly a single point of failure with regard to internal oversight of missile defense systems; that alone is a multiple $Bn per year endeavor with several competing bureaucracies analyzing weak points and areas to improve. The cricket thing is just a hypothesis; the article itself says that, "No definitive cause of the illnesses has been determined". I don't have a dog in this fight, I'm just kind of skeptical.
- SolaceQuantum 7y ago
  They're not a single point of failure, they're one of a myriad of important analysis of weak points and areas to improve. Note that in the article the scientists are not defining the illness, merely were able to identify the source of the sound. I'm mostly skeptical at the skepticism. Why wouldn't one want to retain world class researching talent to be queried at a moment's notice regarding anything that could possibly threaten the country?
  - sverige 7y ago
    Why would a retainer be something we should put tax dollars toward? Why not pay them when they are needed, instead of paying them for who they are? Reminds me of Nixon trying to get rid of the Tea Tasting Board. https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/13/archives/nixon-drops-plan-to-abolish-tea-testing-board.html https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/13/archives/nixon-drops-plan...
    - SolaceQuantum 7y ago
      They are paid for when they're needed. They've been scheduled for 15 studies.
- addicted 7y ago
  I'm sure top scientists working on stuff for the military are just filling public research journals with all the work they are doing. And you don't think the people in charge of keeping nukes safe saying they are needed to keep the nukes safe justifies their position?
RandomInteger4 7y ago
How are missile defense systems not useful? The most obvious example of a useful missile defense system that comes to mind is the Iron Dome Defense System.
- cmiles74 7y ago
  In the article, the example was a "space-based missile defense system".
  - RandomInteger4 7y ago
    ... oh ... yeah, that's fucked.
- gumby 7y ago
  Strategic missile defence systems are destabilizing; game theory argues that if the other side builds such a defence your best bet is to attack before it's completed; failing that you need to build up your armory to a size where it can overwhelm the projected defense. This is why the US and UUSR signed a treaty in '72 specifically banning them (except for one city each; the US didn't even bother to deploy its).
  - selimthegrim 7y ago
    Wasn’t this abrogated?

One of the things pointed out that they identified when certain plans (eg. missile defense system) was not useful, and also that the sound heard during the 'sonic attack' were crickets.

leroy_masochist 7y ago

Right, but they're hardly a single point of failure with regard to internal oversight of missile defense systems; that alone is a multiple $Bn per year endeavor with several competing bureaucracies analyzing weak points and areas to improve. The cricket thing is just a hypothesis; the article itself says that, "No definitive cause of the illnesses has been determined". I don't have a dog in this fight, I'm just kind of skeptical.

SolaceQuantum 7y ago
They're not a single point of failure, they're one of a myriad of important analysis of weak points and areas to improve. Note that in the article the scientists are not defining the illness, merely were able to identify the source of the sound. I'm mostly skeptical at the skepticism. Why wouldn't one want to retain world class researching talent to be queried at a moment's notice regarding anything that could possibly threaten the country?
- sverige 7y ago
  Why would a retainer be something we should put tax dollars toward? Why not pay them when they are needed, instead of paying them for who they are? Reminds me of Nixon trying to get rid of the Tea Tasting Board. https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/13/archives/nixon-drops-plan-to-abolish-tea-testing-board.html https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/13/archives/nixon-drops-plan...
  - SolaceQuantum 7y ago
    They are paid for when they're needed. They've been scheduled for 15 studies.
addicted 7y ago
I'm sure top scientists working on stuff for the military are just filling public research journals with all the work they are doing. And you don't think the people in charge of keeping nukes safe saying they are needed to keep the nukes safe justifies their position?

RandomInteger4 7y ago

How are missile defense systems not useful? The most obvious example of a useful missile defense system that comes to mind is the Iron Dome Defense System.

cmiles74 7y ago
In the article, the example was a "space-based missile defense system".
- RandomInteger4 7y ago
  ... oh ... yeah, that's fucked.
gumby 7y ago
Strategic missile defence systems are destabilizing; game theory argues that if the other side builds such a defence your best bet is to attack before it's completed; failing that you need to build up your armory to a size where it can overwhelm the projected defense. This is why the US and UUSR signed a treaty in '72 specifically banning them (except for one city each; the US didn't even bother to deploy its).
- selimthegrim 7y ago
  Wasn’t this abrogated?