By your-nomad-soul — posted to Steemit Clock Time: 11:58 | 2 minutes to Midnight

A bunch of clever people in the United States of AAAAAAAAAAHHH NO PLEASE STOP SHOOTING PEOPLE, have taken it upon themselves to move us 30-son-of-a-mother-why-seconds closer to oblivion. Even if we're talking about the game, that's a step back. That's Fallout 3 era shit dude. I at least wanna build a base and have a chance at a sweet, sweet Nuka Cola collection. All the colours of the rainbow and all that.

In this edition of the soapbox, I'm gonna ramble like a crazy person on the street corner, about one of the Crazy Person Association's required subjects for all members (my certification application is still pending, so I'm trying to make a good show of it): THE END OF THE WORLD

(The Nomad deftly whips out a CRATE, with the word "SOAPPE" emblazoned on the broad sides, from beneath his summer robe — as wizzards are wont to do — and sets it down upon the pavement that is now in your mind. He steps atop it, clears his throat, and begins)

Ahem.

## WHY THE HELL DID THEY MOVE THE BLOODY CLOCK?

OR: Why Did They Have to Make the Bloody Thing in the First Place?

"What 'Bloody Clock' are you talking about?" you ask.

Excellent question, my friend. I'm glad we can have a conversation. The
(otherwise known as Scientists Trying to Tell the World-at-Large to CALM THE FUCK DOWN! or STTWLCTFD for the Tennials and AI among us) is not a clock — It is a symbol.

A very clever symbol.

Unfortunately, it's also a bit boring.

So, to spice it up a bit, let's pretend we're currently living at 00:05 on ol' Doomy McDoomface (as it's known in the year 2042)...

⚠ Decoder Active The story uses metaphorical language. Click the [ terms ] below to decode the history behind the fiction.

We are here: [the post-nuclear wasteland, naturally]

Imagine a campfire, just out of frame, with a pot of roach stew bubbling happily, the smell mingling with the smoke from the crematorium nearby

In the Days before Midnight, before ol'Doomy was even thought of, the Old Bossmen had a thing about
Decoded Term World Wars Specifically WWI (1914–1918) and WWII (1939–1945). The story's "Bang Fights" refer to industrial-scale warfare between great powers — the kind that kills tens of millions and reshapes borders. The "Bang Fight Bosses made it a family business" is a nod to how colonial powers cycled through cycles of conflict and managed their weapons industries. → Wikipedia: World war . It was one of those complicated things, where they all thought a Bang Fight was a good idea... Until they had one... And so realized that Bang Fights take a lot of lifestuff and make a lot of deathstuff — which their mumsies had always said was a bad idea but their papsies said was needly. Aye-em-el, it seemed like a bad deal, but they didn't want to lose so they carried on until they forgot why the Bang Fight happened, and then stayed in it for the sportsmanship and deathpaper, until they got tired of it and then stopped for a bit.... Uuuuuntil — they got bored and then found excuses to have another bang fight. Some of your mumsies still call it the Time of the Swinging Willies (everyone in 2042 defines a willy as: a hard manbit that goes BANG! and rips your guts out.)

They made Bang Fights a family business, you see... Until they had two
Decoded Term World War I & World War II The two "Big Bang Fights" are WWI (1914–1918) and WWII (1939–1945). WWI killed ~20 million people; WWII killed ~70–85 million — roughly 3% of the entire world population. The "family business" line refers to how the same colonial and industrial powers that built WWI's war machine went on to build WWII's, often profiting from both. The second Big Bang Fight ended with the Ultrabang — the atomic bomb. → Wikipedia: World War I → Wikipedia: World War II .

The second one ended with the first
Decoded Term The Atomic Bomb The "Ultrabanger" is the nuclear weapon — specifically the bombs dropped on Hiroshima ("Little Boy") and Nagasaki ("Fat Man") in August 1945. The Trinity Test on July 16, 1945 was the first detonation. The story notes there were two: "just in case the first one missed" — a bleak nod to the decision to drop a second bomb days after the first. → Wikipedia: Nuclear weapon → Wikipedia: Hiroshima & Nagasaki ... and then another one just in case the first one missed.

This was because the
Decoded Term Harry S. Truman 33rd President of the United States. Authorized the use of atomic bombs on Japan in August 1945, believing it would end WWII faster and avoid a land invasion. He later launched the Manhattan Project's successor programs, overseeing the first hydrogen bomb test in 1952. His logic: show force so overwhelming that no one would dare start another war. → Wikipedia: Harry S. Truman was in charge and he figured the Ultrabang was so ULTRA that no one would pick a Bang Fight ever again. But
Decoded Term Joseph Stalin General Secretary of the Soviet Union. "Little Mustache" (deaded before the Ultrabang) = Adolf Hitler. Stalin oversaw the USSR's own nuclear program, testing their first bomb (RDS-1) in August 1949 — far sooner than Western intelligence had expected. This launched the nuclear arms race in earnest: both superpowers now had the bomb. → Wikipedia: Joseph Stalin → Wikipedia: Soviet bomb project figured the same (
Decoded Term Adolf Hitler Chancellor and Führer of Nazi Germany. Led Germany into WWII in 1939. Died by suicide in Berlin on April 30, 1945 — before the first atomic bomb was tested at Trinity (July 16, 1945) or dropped on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945). Hence "deaded before the Ultrabang came." The Nazi regime's defeat was one major reason the Manhattan Project scientists later questioned whether the bombs had been necessary. → Wikipedia: Adolf Hitler → Wikipedia: Manhattan Project was deaded before the Ultrabang came). Bang Fights continued, and they made so many Ultrabangs that the clever ones who understood the Ultrabang went "Woah, Nessy! You could blow the whole place up, if you're not careful!"

The Bang Fight Bosses said — "That's the point. Now we have to be careful when we Bang Fight."

Fat Man and Little Boy. The bang so nice, we did it twice. — Hairy Trueish Man (Murican No Mustache the Second)

It didn't really work, but nobody knew how to make it stop not-working, so they just passed the
Decoded Term Mutually Assured Destruction MAD is the doctrine that any nuclear first strike would trigger a devastating retaliatory second strike — guaranteeing both sides' destruction. The "button passed to the next guy" captures how MAD was inherited rather than resolved: each US and Soviet leader kept the arsenal, kept the doctrine, and hoped the other side would blink first. No one ever figured out how to make it stop, so they called the standoff "stability" and moved on. → Wikipedia: MAD → Wikipedia: Nuclear deterrence on to the next guy, and kept telling everyone that it was working.

They kept doing that until all the Bossmen from Everywhere, couldn't remember what an Ultrabang was actually for.

The clever ones saw this coming, so they made a way to tell the Restovus when the Bossmen were being Ultrasilly.

They called him
.

He was a clock that didn't tell the time. Instead, ol'Doomy had one job: He would shout 'OH-OH-SHITPIPE-OH-OH' just before All-of-Everything exploded. The clever ones said the Shout, would be called Midnight.

They then gave a bunch of other clever ones the job of telling us how close we were to ol'Doomy's Big Day, and so every year they moved Doomy McDoomface's Timestache closer or further to his forehead, depending on how angry they thought Doomy would be when he heard about what the Old Bossmen had done the year before.

When they were still making
Decoded Term The Nuclear Arms Race At its peak, the US and USSR together held over 60,000 nuclear warheads. The concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) was the strategy: if either side launched, the other would retaliate, destroying both. The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink — the Clock was set to 7 minutes to midnight that year. → Wikipedia: Nuclear arms race → Wikipedia: MAD a thing, Doomy said it was
Historical Clock Setting 1953: 2 minutes to Midnight The closest the Clock had ever been set until 2018. Reason: the US tested its first thermonuclear (hydrogen) bomb in 1952 — a weapon hundreds of times more powerful than Hiroshima. The USSR followed nine months later. The Bulletin moved the Clock to 11:58 — two minutes to Midnight — the most dangerous setting since 1947. → Bulletin: Clock Timeline , and when the
Decoded Event The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 For 13 days in October 1962, Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba pointed at American cities while US nuclear weapons pointed back. The world came closest to nuclear war in recorded history. Soviet submarine B-59, surrounded by US forces and unable to communicate with Moscow, came within one officer's objection of launching a nuclear torpedo. That officer was Vasili Arkhipov. → Wikipedia: Cuban Missile Crisis → Wikipedia: Vasili Arkhipov they made Doomy say "We're thirty damned stinking seconds away Calm the Hellmaking Heck Down!."

But the the Old Bossmen found a trick. They distracted ol'Doomy, the Restovus and even the clever ones with deathpaper, pictureboxes and goodygoodstuff... So much of it that even ol'Doomy couldn't keep track for realsies anymore.

And so it went that when Midnight came, all we heard was a soft whimper from ol'Doomy, who croaked, "oh-oh-shitpipe-oh-oh" before All-of-Everything went COMPLETELY BATSHIT INSANE.

Don't you just love the smell of radiation in the morning?

Yes, dear audience, gathered on the street in my mind... That is our possible future if we keep letting Power think it will win with a BANG! That is what we're in for if we don't keep the Bossmen in check. That is what will sneak up on us if we let the Stupid Rise.

It's two minutes to Midnight again — are we all still okay with that?

(The Nomad takes a bow and disappears in a puff of glitter — as wizzards are wont to do — leaving the CRATE marked "SOAPPE" there on the pavement for the next Crazy Person to use. The street, of course, has disappeared from your mind... The glitter sticks around for a while)
✦ ✦ ✦

THE END

it's nigh biches.

This was written while listening to @crimsonclad doing her thang on FULL FORCE THURSDAY. It's on MSPWaves radio and it's always epic and brutal, like all good metal should be.

As always... Peace, Love and a Little Madness — Nomad

11:58 pm
2 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT — 2018 SETTING

The Doomsday Clock is a symbol created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 1947. Its hands represent how close humanity is to self-annihilation — with "Midnight" representing global catastrophe.

As of January 2023, the Clock was moved to 90 seconds to midnight — the closest it has ever been set.
Clock History: Timestache Movements
1947
11:53
The Clock's inaugural setting. The US had the bomb; the Cold War was just beginning. Designed by Martyl Langsdorf, wife of a Manhattan Project scientist.
1949
11:57
The USSR tests its first nuclear weapon (RDS-1). The atomic monopoly is over. The arms race begins in earnest.
1953
11:58
Both US and USSR test hydrogen bombs. Two minutes to Midnight — the closest setting until 2018. This is the moment the story references.
1963
11:48
The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is signed by US, UK and USSR. Clock moved back — further from midnight.
1991
11:43
The START I treaty is signed and the Cold War ends. The Clock is moved back to its safest ever point — 17 minutes to Midnight.
2018
11:58
Back to 2 minutes — matching 1953. Reasons: nuclear tensions, climate change, disruptive technologies, and erosion of international norms.
2023
11:58:30
90 seconds to Midnight — the closest ever. Reasons include: Russia's invasion of Ukraine, nuclear rhetoric, climate tipping points, and AI-enabled disinformation.

"The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe."

— Albert Einstein, 1946
Nuclear Arsenals

Nine countries hold approximately 12,500 nuclear warheads. About 2,000 are kept on high alert — launch-ready within minutes. The US and Russia hold over 90% of all weapons.

→ FAS: Current status
Near Misses

History has recorded dozens of accidental near-launches due to equipment failures, human error, and misidentifications. Each was stopped by luck, protocol, or one person's judgment call.

→ Wikipedia: Close calls list
Nuclear Winter

A regional nuclear war using even 1% of existing weapons could inject enough soot into the stratosphere to cause global cooling, crop failure, and famine affecting billions.

→ Wikipedia: Nuclear winter
Nuclear disarmament is hampered by a collective action problem: no state wants to disarm while others retain weapons. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) obligates nuclear states to pursue disarmament, but enforcement mechanisms are weak. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), adopted in 2017, bans nuclear weapons entirely — but none of the nuclear-armed states have signed it. Meanwhile, modernization programs by the US, Russia, China and others continue to expand capabilities rather than reduce them.
In the US, sole launch authority rests with the President. There is no legal requirement for congressional approval, and no single person can veto a presidential launch order — though military officers could theoretically refuse an order they deemed unlawful. The "nuclear football" is a briefcase carried by a military aide containing launch authentication materials. Similar systems exist in Russia, the UK, France and China, with varying oversight mechanisms. Pakistan and India maintain their own command systems. Israel neither confirms nor denies possessing nuclear weapons.
On September 26, 1983, Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov received reports that the US had launched five ICBMs at the USSR. His duty was to report it up the chain — which would have triggered a retaliatory launch. He judged it a false alarm (correctly — it was a satellite malfunction) and did not report it. He was reprimanded for improper record-keeping. He died in 2017. Similarly, Soviet naval officer Vasili Arkhipov refused to authorize a nuclear torpedo launch during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, requiring unanimous consent from three officers — he alone said no.
The Bulletin now considers three primary threat categories: nuclear weapons, climate change, and disruptive technologies (including AI and biological weapons). As of 2024, concerns include: Russia's suspension of the New START treaty, expanding Chinese nuclear capabilities, North Korea's growing arsenal, increasing AI integration into military decision-making, and the erosion of arms control agreements that had previously provided stability. The current setting remains at 90 seconds to Midnight.
Primary Sources
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists — Doomsday Clock
The official source. Current setting, historical context, and the full reasoning behind each annual announcement.
Official
→
Doomsday Clock: Full Timeline 1947–Present
Every setting change with the Bulletin's reasoning. Essential context for understanding the Clock's history.
History
→
Wikipedia — The Basics
Doomsday Clock — Wikipedia
Origins, methodology, controversies, and all historical settings.
Wiki
→
Nuclear Weapons and the United States — Wikipedia
History of the US nuclear program from the Manhattan Project to present day.
Wiki
→
The Cold War — Wikipedia
The geopolitical context behind nearly every Clock movement from 1947 to 1991.
Wiki
→
List of Nuclear Close Calls — Wikipedia
Documented incidents where nuclear war nearly occurred due to error, miscommunication, or equipment failure.
Wiki
→
Deeper Reading
Status of World Nuclear Forces — Federation of American Scientists
Updated annual data on every nuclear-armed state's warhead count and deployment status.
Data
→
Stanislav Petrov — The Man Who Saved The World
The Soviet officer who refused to trigger a retaliatory nuclear strike based on a satellite false alarm in 1983.
Wiki
→
Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What — Arms Control Association
Comprehensive fact sheet on global nuclear arsenals and arms control agreements.
Policy
→
What Is The Doomsday Clock?

### The Doomsday Clock

The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists — a group originally founded by Manhattan Project scientists who wanted to warn the public about the dangers of the weapons they had helped create.

The Clock is not a prediction. It is a communication device — a way of conveying complex geopolitical risk to non-specialist audiences. "Midnight" represents global catastrophe (nuclear war being the original threat; climate change and AI have since been added).

Each year, a board of scientists and security experts (including members of the Bulletin's Board of Sponsors, which has included over a dozen Nobel laureates) reviews global conditions and sets the Clock. Their decision is announced in January.

The Clock was originally drawn by artist Martyl Langsdorf, whose husband Alexander Langsdorf worked on the Manhattan Project. She set it at 7 minutes to midnight — choosing the time because "it looked good to my eye."

As of January 2023, the Clock stands at 90 seconds to Midnight — the closest it has ever been.

→ Wikipedia: Doomsday Clock → Bulletin.org
Who Are The "Clever Ones"?

### The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

In the story, "Doomy McDoomface" was created by the "clever ones" — those who understood the Ultrabang (nuclear weapon). In reality, the Doomsday Clock was created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

The Bulletin was founded in December 1945 — just months after Hiroshima — by many of the scientists who had worked on the Manhattan Project. They were haunted by what they had built. Their founding logic: scientists who create dangerous technologies have a responsibility to warn society about their consequences.

Early contributors included J. Robert Oppenheimer (scientific director of the Manhattan Project), Albert Einstein, and Niels Bohr. The Bulletin originally published as a mimeographed newsletter; it became a proper magazine in 1947 — the same year the Clock was created.

Today the Bulletin is an independent, nonprofit organization. Its Board of Sponsors includes Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry, medicine and economics. They assess nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies.

→ About the Bulletin → Wikipedia