[Rictor]

23 years ago, the world almost ended. And the fact that it didn't is solely because of this man's actions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov

Stanislav Yefgrafovich Petrov (Russian: Станислав Евграфович Петров) (born c. 1939) is a retired Russian Strategic Rocket Forces colonel who, on September 26, 1983, averted a potential nuclear war by refusing to believe that the United States had launched missiles against the USSR, despite the indications given by his computerized early warning systems. The Soviet computer reports were later shown to have been in error, and Petrov is credited with preventing World War III and the devastation of much of the Earth by nuclear weapons. Because of military secrecy and international policy, Petrov's actions were kept secret until 1998.

Thanks comrade!

[achtung]

Seen it, but it's definately interesting.

Props to that guy for saving the world from nuclear holocaust.

[Flipside]

Yup, I heard about this guy, apparently he simply picked up a bottle of vodka sat in the corner and got pissed instead of launching ze missiles.

If only more people took that approach, the world would be a happier, if more inebriated place

[Taristin]

Is he still alive?

[Rictor]

Yup, and apparently living in relative poverty. What is it with Russia and compltely failing to honour and provide for its heroes? This guy, Grisha Perelman the mathematician guy (posted about him a few week ago), and who knows how many others.

[Ford Prefect]

Props to that guy for saving the world from nuclear holocaust.

Yeah, whatever. I do that every day.

[achtung]

Props to that guy for saving the world from nuclear holocaust.

Yeah, whatever. I do that every day.

No, no.  You're thinking of saving the world from Richard Simmons' ambiguous homosexuality.  It's so easy to get those confused you know?

[Ford Prefect]

It is, but only because my task is no less important.

[Nuke]

i gotta go back in time and shoot this guy, thus creating a paradox and imploding the universe

[achtung]

It is, but only because my task is no less important.

You speak the truth friend.  You do have aid in a man named David Letterman.  He shall aid you by providing fire extinguishers, should you need them.

[NGTM-1R]

Yup, and apparently living in relative poverty. What is it with Russia and compltely failing to honour and provide for its heroes? This guy, Grisha Perelman the mathematician guy (posted about him a few week ago), and who knows how many others.

I think it might have to do with their being nearly bankrupt...

[Flipside]

Oddly enough, one of Russia's biggest Superstars not only got arrogant and died in a plane crash, but it ended up turning out that he hadn't actually done what he was famous for.... Maybe they developed an allergy

[Rictor]

Yup, and apparently living in relative poverty. What is it with Russia and compltely failing to honour and provide for its heroes? This guy, Grisha Perelman the mathematician guy (posted about him a few week ago), and who knows how many others.

I think it might have to do with their being nearly bankrupt...

Bull****. It isn't '93 anymore, they've got plenty of money to buy Mercs and hookers for beaurocrats and government officials. Ungrateful as they are, somehow cool people just continue being born there.

[IceFire]

This guy is one of the few reasons why I still have faith in the human race and feel that we may actually pull through after all.  I read about what happened and his thoughts.  Complete, total, and utter respect for him.

[WMCoolmon]

I was reading about this a few months back. Pretty cool stuff...

IIRC, the guy had a pretty big hand in actually designing and getting the warning system set up. So it wasn't just some kind of distrust of technology; it was an honest appraisal that he himself could have made a mistake.

OTOH, maybe people just suddenly get very virtuous when the existence of humanity is at stake.

[Flipside]

I think the problem for Russia is that whilst he is an exceptional advert for humanity, as for as the military goes, he's not what they'd consider 'Role Model' material. How do you explain to kids that this man was a Hero by refusing to respond to what appeared to be an attack, regardless of his own feelings. The Army much prefers to make Heroes out of the people who 'Do their Duty' rather than 'Didn't trust the Equipment'.

[NGTM-1R]

Bull****. It isn't '93 anymore, they've got plenty of money to buy Mercs and hookers for beaurocrats and government officials. Ungrateful as they are, somehow cool people just continue being born there.

You're confusing money in the hands of individuals and money in the hands of the government. They've got whole classes of nuclear-powered ships with live fuel in their reactors sitting up on blocks gathering rust, literally, because they can't even find the funds to scrap them. Polyarny ain't what it used to be.

[Roanoke]

humanity being destroyed 'cos of a computer glitch.

the irony...

[Mefustae]

humanity being destroyed 'cos of a computer glitch.

Also known as 'the day Microsoft crashed civilisation'.

[Kosh]

humanity being destroyed 'cos of a computer glitch.

the irony...

I'm just waiting for someone to make something like Skynet, then have a glitch occur that wipes out half the population on this miserable little rock.