Super Critical Podcast - Overthinking Nuclear Pop Culture

We want to share with Super Critical Podcast listeners an episode of the Authors of Mass Destruction podcast run by Dr. Natasha Bajema. Her awesome new podcast helps writers and authors tell compelling fiction about nukes while getting the details right. Tim Westmyer was a guest on the podcast – along with Dr. Justin Anderson – to talk about the movie Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. We will still try to release a regular episode of the Super Critical Podcast in April 2019. We hope you enjoy this episode, which you can also find on the Authors of Mass Destruction podcast feed. Follow Natasha’s show on Twitter at @WMDgirl and @authorsmass. Enjoy!

In this episode, we wanted to learn more about the mobile infantry, so we talked about Starship Troopers, both the 1997 movie and 1959 book. How does the story deploy tactical nuclear weapons in the war against the bugs? Why was the book’s author inspired to write a protest against the campaign to end nuclear testing? Who would Herman Kahn enjoy talking to more: Carl or the brain bug? Tim Westmyer (@nuclearpodcast), Will Saetren (@WillSaetren), and Geoff Wilson (@nuclearwilson) answer these questions and more. This is the 12th in our Mini-Nuke episode series, where we overthink pop culture with a smaller slice of nukes than our usual full-sized episodes. Before we take a walk down washout lane, we recommend checking out: -John Scalzi, Old Man’s War, 2005 -Joe Halderman, The Forever War, 1974 -Robocop (1987 movie) -Helldivers (video game) -The Day After (1983 movie) -Robert A. Heinlein, Expanded Universe, 1980 Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. We aim to

In this episode, we convened a team of nuke nerd to play an Escape Room with a nuclear weapon scenario. Did it help (or hurt) to have a background in nuclear weapons policy? How accurate can an Escape Room capture the complexities of nuclear war? How many red buttons were pushed to the limit in the making of this episode? Tim Westmyer and special guest Will Saetren (@willsaetren) answer these questions and more. Before we look for more clues, we recommend checking out: -BGNlab YouTube series by Scott Nicholson -Spin Master Games - Escape Room The Game - “Nuclear Countdown” -Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes - VR game Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. 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, Spotify, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Stitcher Radio, Facebook, SuperCriticalPodcast@gmail.com, and Y

In this episode, we tuned the radio to the song 99 Luftballons (or 99 Red Balloons) by the band Nena and talked about its connections to nuclear weapons, the Cold War arms race, and anti-nuclear protests. How did the threat of intermediate range nuclear missiles in Europe inspire Nena to write this catchy dirge? What happens when early warning systems confuse 99 balloons for UFOs and nukes? What artist will win their Grammy with a song about the dangers of Gamma Rays? Tim Westmyer and returning special guest Will Saetren (@WillSaetren) answer these questions and more. This is the 11th in our Mini-Nuke episode series, where we overthink pop culture with a smaller slice of nukes than our usual full-sized episodes. Playlist of nuke songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frAEmhqdLFs&list=PLXh-L52NGj3wWH92cBVAjeW-7giQ2B4vW Before we hit shuffle on our nuke war mix to lament the death of the INF Treaty, we recommend checking out: -The Man Who Saved the World (2014 documentary) -Rush, “Distant Early Warning,” Gr

In this episode, we did the math about what happens when you add a missing nuclear weapon together with neo-fascists and an unassuming CIA desk analyst in the Sum of All Fears (2002). How can terrorists get their hands on a plutonium core? Why did Russia allow the United States so many inspections of its nukes? Why won’t America just let Jack Ryan finish writing his memo. Tim Westmyer, Gabe, and special guest Jon Duke (@VortexAeroMedia) answer these questions and more. Before we nuke more insects to see what happens, we recommend checking out: -Peter Feaver, Guarding the Guardians: Civilian Control of Nuclear Weapons in the United States, 1992 -Cresson H. Kearney, “Chapter 13: Surviving Without Doctors,” Nuclear War Survival Guide, 1987, http://www.madisoncountyema.com/nwss.pdf -The Fourth Protocol (1987 movie) -Peter Hennessey, The Secret State: Whitehall and the Cold War, 2002 -War Book (2014 movie) -The Letter of Last Resort, BBC Radio 4, 2013, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0210spc Check out our web

In this episode, we followed chirping sounds in the desert and discovered GIANT RADIOACTIVE ANTS in the movie THEM! (1954). What happens to insects exposed to radiation in the real world? How did nuclear testing and atomic monster movies change public opinion on nuclear weapons? Where was Ant-man when the people Alamogordo needed him to calm these killer atomic ants? Tim Westmyer and returning special guest Tim Collins (@WarAndCake), PhD candidate studying British nuclear history, answer these questions and more. Before we nuke more insects to see what happens, we recommend checking out: -Jonathan Schell, The Fate of the Earth, 1982 -Barry Atkinson, Atomic Age Cinema: The Offbeat, the Classic and the Obscure, 2018 -Spencer Weart, The Rise of Nuclear Fear, 2012 --Richa Malhotra, “Ants Trapped in Nuclear Bunker are Developing Their Own Society,” NewScientist, September 5, 2016 -Gerard J. DeGroot, The Bomb: A Life, 2006 -Richard Rhodes, Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb, 1996 -Godzilla (1954 movie) Ch

In this episode, we worked out our plutonium cores while watching the movie Mission: Impossible –Fallout. How easy is it for a rogue scientist – Norwegian or otherwise – to build a nuclear bomb if they got access to a plutonium core? Why do apocalyptic terrorist organizations seek nuclear weapons? When does Wolf Blitzer find time to report the news between all his movie shoots? Tim Westmyer, Gabe, and special guest James Finnegan answer these questions and more. Before we nuke more insects to see what happens, we recommend checking out: -Ronin (1998 movie) -Fatman and Littleboy (1989 movie) -Matthew Gault, “Mission Impossible Fallout Missed its Chance to Tell a Good Story,” The National Interest, July 30, 2018 -C'était un Rendezvous (1976 movie) -Mythbusters, Episode 160 about Mission: Impossible Masks Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. 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

In this episode, we place bets on the biggest fight in the cinematic universe: nuclear weapons vs. asteroids. What do the movies Armageddon, Deep Impact, and Meteor tell us about how planet Earth will defend itself against space rocks? How effective would nukes in these doomsday scenarios? How can we thank the dinosaurs for becoming oil so that the drill team in Armageddon learned the skills necessary to save us from another asteroid extinction event? Tim Westmyer and returning special guest Boris (@bmelnikov) answer these questions and more. Before we decide to violate the Outer Space Treaty, we recommend checking out: -“Chicxulub crater,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicxulub_crater -Vladimir Rubtsov, “The Tunguska Mystery,” 2009, https://www.amazon.com/Tunguska-Mystery-Astronomers-Universe/dp/0387765735 -“Space Weapons Earth Wars,” Rand Corporation, 2002, https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/2011/RAND_MR1209.pdf -Force Majeure (2014 movie) -Meteor Man (1993 movie) T

In this episode, we took a break from studying our nuclear attack plans binder to watch an episode from the TV show Madam Secretary called Night Watch (Season 4, Episode 22). What happens when the President gets the call that nuclear missiles are incoming to the United States? What systems are in place to prevent mistakes and accidents from signaling false reports? Why don’t they rename the Presidential Emergency Satchel to the Nuclear Skeeball? Tim Westmyer and special guest Jamie Withorne (@JamieWithorne) answer these questions and more. Before we receive our text message notifying us about our all expenses paid trip to Mount Weather, we recommend checking out: -Women of Mass Destruction at https://www.womenofmassdestruction.org/ -Fail-Safe (1964), Ladybug Ladybug (1963), WarGames (1983) -Matt Stevens and Christopher Mele, “Causes of False Missile Alerts: The Sun, the Moon, and a 46-cent Chip,” New York Times, January 13, 2018 -Terry L. Deibel, “The Death of a Treaty,” Foreign Affairs 81 no. 5, September

In this episode, we stepped up to the bar and ordered a couple rounds of Atomic Alcohol. The podcast collected ten examples of nuclear themed wine, cocktails, and beer with names, history, or other interesting connections to nukes. Why do breweries and wineries go to the nuclear well so many times? Could a beverage change how you think about the atom? How many drinks can the podcast team have and still sound reasonably intelligent? Tim Westmyer, Gabe, and special guests Will Saetren (@WillSaetren) and Eric Gascho (@EricGascho) answer these questions and more. Before the bartender announces last call for atomic alcohol, we recommend checking out: -Alex Wellerstein, “Beer and the Apocalypse,” Restricted Data, 2012 -Frank Kelly Rich, “Boozing with the Bomb: Alcohol in the Atomic Age,” Drunkard Magazine -Charlie Papazian, The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Special thanks to: -Tori Mason at Forbidden Root for the cans of Atomic Child -Tony Fitzpatrick and Robert Finkel at Forbidden Root for the interview -@VortexA

In this episode, we took the midnight train going anywhere... far away from the bad TV mini-series, Atomic Train (1999). Could a dangerous Russian nuke end up on a runaway U.S. train? What would a major city like Denver do to evacuate after a nuclear detonation? How can a movie with a runaway train, nukes, hazardous chemicals, Rob Lowe, and 50+ helicopters be so boring? Tim Westmyer, Gabe, and special guest Elliot answer these questions and more. Before the atomic train conductor yelled “all aboard,” we recommend checking out: -Threads (1984 TV movie) and Special Bulletin (1983 TV movie) -The Stand (1994 TV mini-series) -Michael Krepon, “Moving from MAD to Cooperative Threat Reduction,” Stimson Center, December 2001, https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/93680/Report41.pdf -Unstoppable (2010 movie) Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. 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

In this episode, we did a deep dive on the nuclear plot of The Hunt for Red October (1990). Is bigger necessarily better for the Red October? Just how bad would it be if the United States could no longer tracker Russian submarines? How easy is it for a cook to hotwire a submarine launched ballistic missile? Tim Westmyer and special guest Boris take a break from their vacation in Las Vegas to answer these questions and more. Before we listened for the pings of a slot machine (hopefully more than just a single ping), we recommend checking out: -Douglas Waller, Big Red: Three Months On Board a Trident Nuclear Submarine, 2001 -Pavel Podvig, Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces, 2004 -Run Silent, Run Deep, (1958 movie) -Russian Naval Blog, “Even The Russians Know They Suck, Part I,” February 7, 2010 -Tom Clancy, The Bear and the Dragon, 2000 Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. We aim to have at least one new episode every month. Let us know what you think about t

In this episode, we loaded up our DeLorean with plutonium and popcorn so we could talk about the heavy nuclear plot of the movie Back to the Future. How safe was the nuclear time machine? Why was Doc Brown cavorting with Libyan terrorists? Does the Mr. Fusion come in as many colors as a Kitchen-Aid mixer? Tim Westmyer and returning special guest Kevin answer these questions and more. This is the tenth in our Mini-Nuke episode series, where we overthink movies with a smaller slice of nuclear weapons plot than our usual full-sized episodes. Before we activated our time circuits, we recommend checking out: -Back in Time (documentary), 2015 -Malfrid Braut-Hegghammer, Unclear Physics: Why Iraq and Libya Failed to Build Nuclear Weapons, 2016 -Rich Handley, A Matter of Time: The Unauthorized Back to the Future Lexicon, 2012 -Back to the Future: The Game (2010), Tell Tale Games -DeLorean (documentary), 1981 Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. We aim to have at le

In this episode, we did some atomic tourism, first to the Nuclear Test Site and then on the emotional journey that is the 1994 melodrama, Blue Sky. How does a mild mannered nuclear test site scientist navigate radioactive cover-ups and family crises? What was it like visiting the former nuclear test site in Nevada? How do you convince your friends it would be more fun to record a podcast in a hotel room than to wander the Las Vegas Strip? Tim Westmyer and special guest Clark answer these questions and more. Before we get on our horses and ride off into the mushroom cloud, we recommend checking out: -Radio Bikini, Documentary (1998), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVwzhGtzDuI -Michael Harris, The Atomic Times: My H-Bomb Year at the Pacific Proving Ground (2010) -Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV) -Raphael Honigstein, Das Reboot: How German Soccer Reinvented Itself and Conquered the World (2015) Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. We aim to have at least one new episo

In this April 1st edition of the Nuke Cage Podcast, we rage about the multitude of movies where Nic Cage takes on nuclear, chemical, biological, and conventional weapons in a post-Cold War security environment. How accurate are the movies Face/Off, The Rock, Next, and Lord of War? Why has Nic Cage done so many of these films? Can we make Nic Cage an honorary NEST member already? Tim Westmyer and Tristan Volpe answer these questions and more. Follow the podcast @NukeCage and Tristan @ TeeAndersVolpe. Before we go looking for some VX rockets, we recommend checking out: -Super Critical Podcast, www.supercriticalpodcast.com -Jonathan Tucker, War of Nerves: Chemical Warfare from World War I to Al-Qaeda (2007) -In Time, movie, 2011 -Gregory Koblentz, Living Weapons: Biological Warfare and International Security (2011) -Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Barriers to Bioweapons: The Challenges of Expertise and Organization for Weapons Development (2014) -W. Seth Carus, Bioterrorism and Biocrimes: The Illicit Use of Biolog

In this episode, who watches the Watchmen? Spoiler alert: we did and got super critical about the nuclear war plots of the Watchmen comics and movie. What will keep us from moving the Doomsday Clock to midnight? How would the Cold War play out if Nixon had a walking nuclear superhero? Does Dr. Manhattan make house calls? Tim Westmyer and special guest Luis Navarro answer these questions and more. Before we meditate our way through the multiverse, we recommend checking out: -Doomsday Clock Timeline, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, https://thebulletin.org/timeline -Richard Bensam (editor), Minutes to Midnight: Twelve Essays on Watchmen (2011) -H. Bruce Franklin (editor), Countdown to Midnight: Twelve Memorial Stories about Nuclear Warfare (1984) -Atomic Café, documentary, 1982 -Command and Control, documentary, 2016 -Zero Days, documentary, 2016 -Captain America: Nomad, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomad_(comics) Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. We ai

In this episode, we stormed The Man in the High Castle television show to explore nukes in a world where Germany and Japan won World War II. What difference would a Nazi nuclear bomb have made in the war? How would Japan go about getting their own nuclear weapon in secret? Who is Joe Blake and why should we care? Tim Westmyer and special guest Tim Collins answer these questions and more. Follow Tim Collins, PhD candidate studying British nuclear history, on Twitter @WarAndCake. Before we meditate our way through the multiverse, we recommend checking out: -Superman: Red Son (2003) -Wolfenstein video game series (especially the reboots) -Lawrence Freedman, The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy (1981) -Transcript of Surreptitiously Taped Conversations among German Nuclear Physicists at Farm Hall (August 6-7, 1945), http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/pdf/eng/English101.pdf -That Mitchell and Webb Look, “Are We the Baddies?,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JOpPNra4bw Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.

In this episode, we compared the Hawaii ballistic missile threat false alarm in real life and the 1963 film, Ladybug Ladybug. What does an elementary school do when the nuclear attack warning bell goes off? How did Americans respond to similar false alarms during the Cold War? What happens when it is North Korea’s turn to experience an IT problem? Tim Westmyer and Gabe answer these questions and more. Before we start our long walk uphill to home after school, we recommend checking out: -Episode #14: Twilight Zone – The Shelter, Super Critical Podcast -Alice L. George, Awaiting Armageddon: How Americans Faced the Cuban Missile Crisis (2004) -Force Majeure, 2014 movie -“Bart’s Comet,” The Simpsons, Season 6, Episode 14 (February 5, 1995) Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. 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

In this episode, we passed the nuclear test of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. How did Indiana Jones end up facing down a nuclear mushroom cloud? Can a lead-lined fridge serve as a decent fallout shelter? Is Indiana Jones an immortal superbeing? Tim Westmyer, Gabe, and special guest Alex answer these questions and more. This is the ninth in our Mini-Nuke episode series, where we overthink movies with a smaller slice of nuclear weapons plot than our usual full-sized episodes. Before we locked the fridge door, we recommend checking out: -Nightbreaker (1989 TV movie) -Doom Towns: The People and Landscapes of Nuclear Testing, A Graphic History (2016) -Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory YouTube page on nuclear tests -The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (TV Show) Credit to Karl Golden on YouTube for his awesome metal cover of the Indiana Jones theme. Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. We aim to have at least one new episode every month

In this episode, we pondered the nuke plot mysteries of HBO's The Leftovers, especially season 3. How easy is it for a random French sailor to launch a nuclear missile? Can forcing the president to kill one person make them think twice about starting nuclear war? What the heck was the departure anyway? Tim Westmyer and Joel answer these questions and more in Joel’s last episode as a regular co-host. This is the eighth in our Mini-Nuke episode series, where we overthink movies with a smaller slice of nuclear weapons plot than our usual full-sized episodes. Before we departed, we recommend checking out: -“Buttons, Not Buttons,” Radiolab Podcast, December 12, 2014, www.radiolab.org/story/buttons-not-buttons/ -Bruno Tertrais, “The Last Nation to Disarm? The Future of France’s Nuclear Weapons,” The Nonproliferation Review 14 no 2, 2007, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10736700701379344 -LOST -Nash Bridges Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. We aim