Summary: In this episode, we took advantage of the new world-wide federal holiday to watch the sci-fi action blockbuster Independence Day (the good one from 1996). How effective are nuclear weapons against 15 mile wide spaceships? Are aliens keeping tabs on Earth’s nuclear stockpiles? How did Jeff Goldblum write a computer virus that works on alien technology? Tim and Joel answer these questions and more. Before Elvis left the building, we recommend reading -Michael Rogin, Independence Day, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Enola Gay, (British Film Institute, 1998) http://www.worldcat.org/title/independence-day-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-enola-gay/oclc/39547508 -James Harris, “The Oral History of the President’s Speech in ‘Independence Day,’” Complex Media, June 23, 2016, http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2016/06/presidents-speech-in-independence-day-oral-history -Kim Zetter, Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon (Crown publishers, 2014) Also check out the sources below to learn more (you can also access these links on our SoundCloud page): -Robert Kennedy, “A Rocket Scientist’s Reaction to Independence Day,” The Ultimax Group White Paper, 1996 http://www.ultimax.com/whitepapers/1996_3.html -Kelly Fonda, ““You Want to Blow Up the White House?”: An Oral History of the Film Independence Day, We Minored in Film, April 28, 2015, https://weminoredinfilm.com/2015/04/28/you-want-to-blow-up-the-white-house-an-oral-history-of-the-film-independence-day/ -Janet Burns, “16 Earth-Shattering Facts About ‘Independence Day,’” MentalFloss, July 3, 2016, http://mentalfloss.com/article/76231/16-earth-shattering-facts-about-independence-day -Joe Skrebels, “Independence Day Director Roland Emmerich Mocks Marvel Movies,” IGN, June 28, 2016, http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/06/20/independence-day-director-roland-emmerich-mocks-marvel-movies -ID4 Deleted Scenes, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rf3eB5bFe4 -U.S. Air Force Capt. Robert Salas - UFO's Are Real, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjbhq4P_sZI -Eric Julien, The Iron Skeptic, http://www.theironskeptic.com/articles/julien/julien.htm -Kim Zetter, “An Unprecedented Look at Stuxnet, the World’s First Digital Weapon,” Wired, November 3, 2014, https://www.wired.com/2014/11/countdown-to-zero-day-stuxnet/ -Andrew Futter, “The Dangers of Using Cyberattacks to Counter Nuclear Threats,” Arms Control Today, July/August 2016, https://www.armscontrol.org/ACT/2016_07/Features/The-Dangers-of-Using-Cyberattacks-to-Counter-Nuclear-Threats -“'Independence Day' Producer Finally Explains Infamously Inept Hacking Scene,” Yahoo Movies, December 8, 2014, https://www.yahoo.com/movies/independence-day-producer-explains-hacking-scene-104676447332.html -Jakob Nielson, “Excessive Interoperability in Independence Day,” NN Group, December 18, 2006, https://www.nngroup.com/articles/independence-day-interoperability/ -Russ Wellen, “Alienating Aliens: Do Nukes Make Them Go Ballistic?,” HuffingtonPost, May 25, 2011, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/russ-wellen/alienating-aliens-do-nuke_b_414394.html -Atomic Bomb Test – Survival Towns, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr76hNngqts -Teapot Apple 2 Nuclear Test, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztJXZjIp8OA We aim to have at least one new episode every month. Let us know what you think about the podcast and any ideas you may have about future episodes and guests by reaching out at on Twitter @NuclearPodcast, GooglePlay, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Stitcher Radio, Facebook, SuperCriticalPodcast@gmail.com, and YouTube. Thanks to bensound.com for some of the background music used in this episode. Enjoy!
