1 post tagged “software”
As I queued at the supermarket checkout this evening the podcast I was listening finished and I began playing some
music. I started with Nena's 1983 and 1984 hit, 99 Red Balloons. As I waited for the checkout I noticed - again - the worry the song discusses.
It's a 1980s Cold War era song about the definite possibility that there would be a nuclear war. I suppose the Germans were especially scared as they hosted short range nuclear weapons that were intended for use within (the other bit of) Germany. And it all ends so sadly:Panic bells, it's red alert.
There's something here from somewhere else.
The war machine springs to life.
Opens up one eager eye.
Focusing it on the sky.
Where 99 red balloons go by.
It's all over and I'm standing pretty.
In this dust that was a city.
And it was so different today in the rather nice supermarket. The country may be about to split into two, leaving a rump Brussels to... well I'm not sure what it would do. But it doesn't compare to worrying about some buggy software triggering our mutually assured destruction. So I had some vegetables, bread and a bottle of wine in my basket while
I expect we're not really worried about a death raining down on us from Russian ICBMs we're worried about Chinese and Indian carbon warming us up. Well I'm sure that the vegetables and vodka in our baskets acted as carbon sinks. We're doing our bit for the planet. At least I think we are.
