January 25, 2023

UA 1417.

I am on United flight 1417 from Denver to Raleigh-Durham. I’m visiting our friends Jeff and Mark for a few days; working from their home and then hanging out this weekend. Flights were more affordable if I did it this way. My husband said, “go and have a good time”.

This flight is at about 60% capacity. i’m comfortable if just slightly cramped in seat 14A. It’s an economy seat but not a basic economy seat because I don’t do that.

The flight from Tucson to denver was interesting; the mother and young child in my row didn’t speak English and didn’t understand how the seat numbering system works, so I ended up sitting in the aisle, which made me a little cranky. These things happen and I shouldn’t let them bother me but they do. Luckily, the flight was only 90 minutes so it wasn’t awful. I just like being next to the window and things going the way they planned.

This flight to RDU is quiet. I’ll probably take a nap.

End?

The Doomsday Clock was recently updated based on current events. For those not familiar with the clock, it is a symbolic representation of how close we currently are to man-made global catastrophe.

We are now “90 seconds to midnight”. It is the closest we’ve ever been to the end. Curious, I documented the clock settings during my lifetime.

  • 1968: 7 minutes to midnight
  • 1969: 10 minutes
  • 1972: 12 minutes
  • 1974: 9 minutes
  • 1980: 7 minutes
  • 1984: 3 minutes
  • 1988: 6 minutes
  • 1990: 10 minutes
  • 1991: 17 minutes
  • 1995: 14 minutes
  • 1998: 9 minutes
  • 2002: 7 minutes
  • 2007: 5 minutes
  • 2010: 6 minutes
  • 2012: 5 minutes
  • 2015: 3 minutes
  • 2017: 2 1/2 minutes
  • 2018: 2 minutes
  • 2020: 100 seconds
  • 2023: 90 seconds to midnight

Global climate change and associated in action, the war in Ukraine with threats of nuclear-based attacks, and other strife in the world are bringing us closer than ever before to global catastrophe.

Not to sound too grim, but I would not be surprised to see a globally catastrophic event in my lifetime.