Super Critical Podcast - Overthinking Nuclear Pop Culture

In this episode, we paid our respects to the late Roger Moore and all the times he stopped a nuclear war by watching the movie Octopussy. Could a rogue Soviet commander trick Europe into disarming its own nuclear weapons? Why did the United States have so many nukes in Europe? How easy is it for James Bond to disarm a nuke while wearing clown makeup? Tim, Gabe, and returning special guest Alex answer these questions and more. Thanks to our listeners for dealing with the November 2017 hiatus of episodes while Tim moved into a new place and barely survived holiday family visits. Before our M gives us another mission, we recommend checking out: -James Bonding Podcast, Earwolf, http://www.earwolf.com/show/james-bonding/ -Amy Woolf, “Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons,” CRS Report, February 21, 2017, https://fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RL32572.pdf -License to Kill (1989) Also check out the sources below to learn more about the subjects in this episode – you can also access these links on our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.

In this episode, we wandered into the wasteland and played the Fallout video game series. What does this particularly popular post-apocalypse tell us about life after nuclear war? Is the video game series realistic in how it portrays nuclear devastation? How much can you mix together comedy and utter bleakness before you go a little insane? Tim and special guest Lucy Steigerwald answer these questions and more. Follow Lucy on Twitter at @LucyStag and her Apocalypse Project at www.TheStagBlog.com. Before our Rad count gets too high, we recommend checking out: -Metro 2033 video game series -Lovely Umayam, “Why the Excitement Over Post-Nuclear-War Game Fallout 4?” The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, November 4, 2015 -Eileen Welsome, The Plutonium Files: America’s Secret Medical Experiments in the Cold War, 1999 -Walter M. Miller Jr, A Canticle for Liebowitz, 1960 -Neil Shute, On The Beach, 1957 -Robert McCammon, Swan Song, 1987 -Jericho, CBS, TV Show Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for mo

In this episode, we decide to break the ice and watch the Star Trek movie First Contact. Is global thermonuclear war a necessary prerequisite for realizing the utopian vision of Star Trek? How did a Titan II ICBM help humanity go where no man has gone before? Why did Zefram Cochrane get a statue before Lily Sloane? Tim, Gabe, and special guest Manu Saadia (author of Trekonomics: The Economics of Star Trek) answer these questions and more. You can follow Manu Saadia on Twitter @Trekonomics. We greatly enjoyed his book, Trekonomics: The Economics of Star Trek (May 2016). (Tim edit on 9/18: There was an encoding error in the original podcast file. It should be fixed now) Before we get noticed by some Vulcans, we recommend checking out: -F. White, The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, 1998 -Disaster at Silo 7, TV Movie,1988 -Command and Control, Documentary, 2016 -Peter Brannen, The Ends of the World: : Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Ex

In this episode, we sat down with North Korea to conduct a podcast about The Interview (2014). Is North Korea’s nuclear weapon program a laughing matter or something to worry about? How does the Kim family stay in power? How to do you show ‘em what your worth when fireworks are banned in your city? Tim Westmyer and special guest Gabe answer these questions and more. This is the seventh 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 look to see if our tourist trip to North Korea had refundable airfare, we recommend checking out: -Arms Control Wonk podcast and blog -Barbara Dimmick, “Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea,” 2009 -North Korea Economy Watch -Team America: World Police I'll put up more resources in the coming days here and on show's 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

In this episode, we went to the children’s section of the library to read The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss. Does this 1984 book have anything to tell us about the dangers of the Cold War arms race? What is the right age to start talking to your kids about nuclear war? Why wasn’t there a Goosebumps book about nuclear winter? Tim, his sister Diana, and his 7-year old nephew Jairus answer these questions and more. Before we fly/hop away in our Utterly Sputter, we recommend checking out: -Ellen Goodman, “Dr. Seuss and the Bomb,” New York Times, April 24, 1984 -“The Butter Battle Book,” Turner Network Television, YouTube, 1989 -Dr. Seuss, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go,” 1990 -Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, “Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb," 2012 -Patricia Brennan Demuth, “What Was D-Day,” 2015 (Thanks for the recommendation, Jairus!) Also check out the sources below to learn more about the subjects in this episode – you can also access these links on our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com. We aim to h

In this extra long episode, we ruined all our sweaters by pulling at the 1984 TV movie, Threads. What would nuclear war look like to average people in an average city in the United Kingdom? How did the British plan to survive a nuclear attack? How do you mind the gap when the gap is a 100-meter crater at a radioactive ground zero? Tim and his special guest co-host Tim Collins (@WarAndCake) answer these questions and more. Before we the news anchors switched to local sports and the weather, we recommend: -When the Wind Blows, 1986 -The books of Jonathan Schell, including Fate of the Earth, The Abolition, and The Gift of Time -Nate Jones, Able Archer 83 : The Secret History of the NATO Exercise That Almost Triggered Nuclear War, 2016 -Peter Hennessey, The Secret State: Preparing for the Worst 1945-2001, 2010 -The Letter of Last Resort, BBC Radio 4 Saturday Drama Also check out the sources below to learn more about the subjects in this episode – you can also access these links on our website, SuperCriticalPod

In this episode, we tuned our TV dial to watch the 1983 TV movie, Special Bulletin. How would local broadcast news cover a nuclear terrorism incident? How would the federal government and the news media handle this crisis? WWWBD (What Would Wolf Blitzer Do)? Tim and Joel answer these questions and more. Before the news anchors switched to local sports and the weather, we recommend: -Countdown to Looking Glass, TV movie,1984 -Peter Kuran, How to Photograph an Atomic Bomb (VCE, 2006) -One Day in September, documentary, 1999 Also check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources related to the topic of this episode. 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 iTunes, Twitter @NuclearPodcast, GooglePlay Music, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Stitcher Radio, Facebook, SuperCriticalPodcast@gmail.com, and YouTube. Enjoy!

In this episode, we sought shelter in the Twilight Zone and watched the 1962 episode, “The Shelter.” What was the deal with everyone building fallout shelters in the 1960s? Would you share a cozy shelter with friends and neighbors who neglected to build one? What should you prioritize in your shelter: food, water, medicine, a surround sound system, or a Jacuzzi? Tim and Joel answer these questions and more. Before we double lock our fallout shelter door, we recommend: -Nukes of Hazard, Hosted by Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation -“Bart’s Comet,” The Simpsons (February 5, 1995) -Twilight Zone Podcast, Hosted by Tom Elliot For more resources on the topics in this episode, you visit our website at SuperCriticalPodcast.com. 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 iTunes, Twitter @NuclearPodcast, GooglePlay Music, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Stitcher Radio, Facebook, Su

In this episode, we explored the history of nuclear weapons as told by the movie Jaws (1975). What happened to the USS Indianapolis after it delivered parts for the Little Boy atomic bomb? Could Jaws actually be the Godzilla of the sea? Tim and special guest Mike answer these questions and more. This is the sixth in our Mini-Nuke episode series, where we overthink movies with a smaller slice of nuclear weapons plot than our usual full-sized episodes. For the short nuke scene discussed in the movie, watch it on YouTube here: https://goo.gl/les03N Before we start looking for a bigger boat, we recommend checking out: -“Nuclear Shark,” Shark Week, Discovery Channel, 2016 -“USS Indianapolis,” Atomic Heritage Foundation, http://www.atomicheritage.org/history/uss-indianapolis -“Open Water,” Lionsgate, 2003 -“Open Water 2: Adrift,” Lionsgate, 2006 -“Deep Blue Sea,” Warner Bros, 1999 Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. We aim to have at least one new episode ever

In this episode, we teamed up to discuss the portrayal of nuclear weapons in the 2016 superhero movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Just how easy is it to nuke a moving target in space? Do nukes still pack a punch for today’s movie audiences? Why can’t Superman and Batman just talk about their feelings? Tim and Joel answer these questions and more. This is the fifth in our Mini-Nuke episode series, where we overthink movies with not enough nuclear nonsense for a full-sized episode but nonetheless demand over thinking. For the short nuke scene discussed in the movie, watch it on YouTube here: https://goo.gl/wKDQnt Before we recharged our alien cells using solar radiation and/or sunflowers, we recommended checking out: -Frank Miller, The Dark Knight Returns, 1986 -Matthew Gault, “How the U.S. Military Could Kill Superman Kryptonite… and Lots of Nukes,” WarIsBoring.com, May 31, 2016 -300, Legendary Pictures, 2007 Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. We

In this episode, we built a Death Star and made Alderaan pay for it! While waiting for the check to clear, we overanalyzed the Death Star as a stand-in for nuclear weapons throughout the Star Wars movies but especially in Rogue One (2016). How much did the franchise borrow nuclear weapon imagery? What similarities are there in the strategies for using either nuclear weapons or Death Stars? Will the Empire ever consider investing its resources more into galactic poverty reduction and less into overly vulnerable battle stations? Tim and Joel answer these questions and more. We also play a round of the classic game: Is This a Star Wars Name or Someone Who Invented Nuclear Weapons? (Trademark pending…) Before we go rogue, we recommend reading: -Tim Westmyer, “Death Star: Ultimate Weapon of Mass Destruction,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, January 4, 2017 -Cass Sunstein, The World According to Star Wars (2016) -Chris Taylor, How Star Wars Conquered the Universe (2015) Check out our website, SuperCriticalP

In this episode, we prepared for Judgment Day by watching all of the Terminator movies (1984-2015/forever). How did the franchise end up with some of the most iconic imagery of nuclear weapon use? Should we be worried about artificial intelligence taking over our nuclear command and control systems? Why does Skynet seem to put out more models of terminator than Apple does iPhones? Tim, Joel, and special guest Alex answer these questions and more. Before we say “hasta la vista… baby,” we recommend reading: -Ben Shapiro, Atomic Bomb Cinema, 2001 -Bruce Blair, Strategic Command and Control, 1985 and The Logic of Accidental Nuclear War, 1993 -Joe McGovern, “‘The Terminator’ at 30: An Oral History,” Entertainment Weekly, July 17, 2014 Check out these resources and more on our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com. Special thanks to Alicia Dressman (@thedelphivision) for suggesting the episode hook with the quote by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Rogozin. We aim to have at least one new episode every month. Let us

In this episode, we had a lot of time on our hand after being marooned on another planet, so we watched the 2015 science fiction/comedy The Martian. How dangerous are plutonium fueled Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators? Does cosmic radiation doom Matt Damon life on Mars? Why does every Mars movie need an impossible sandstorm? Tim and special guest host Gabe answer these questions and more. We also hear from Chris Marisola who breaks down the maritime/space law in the movie for us. This is the fourth in our Mini-Nuke episode series, where we find movies that do not have enough nuclear nonsense for a full-sized episode but nonetheless demand over thinking. Before we fulfill our Iron Man fantasies, we recommend checking out: - Timothy Jorgensen, Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation (Princeton Press, 2016) -the documentary “To Mars by A-Bomb: The Secret History of Project Orion,” BBC, 2003, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYoLcJuBtOw -George Dyson, Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship (He

In this episode, we got political and watched the infamous “Daisy” commercial run by the Lyndon Johnson for President campaign against Sen. Barry Goldwater in 1964. What was it like before political ads went so negative? Why was this ad so creepy and yet so effective in portraying the country’s nuclear anxieties? Why didn’t this child actor win an Oscar? Tim and Joel answer these questions and more. Before we pick off the last petal on our flower, we recommend reading -Robert Mann, Daisy Petals and Mushroom Clouds: LBJ, Barry Goldwater, and the Ad that Changed Politics Forever (LSU Press, 2011) -Bombs Away, documentary by University of Virginia Center for Politics, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChDe9XmbglE Also, go vote! Find out where here: https://www.rockthevote.com/get-informed/elections/find-your-polling-place/ Also check out the sources below to learn more (you can also access these links on our SoundCloud page): -Clinton Campaign, “Silo,” October 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lha5Gk

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)

In this episode, we flipped over the Monopoly board to make room to play the dark comedy Nuclear War Card Game from 1965. Does having a background in nuclear policy help win a card game about nuclear war? Will the horrors and intensity of nuclear weapons translate to a card game? Can three loving couples survive three hours of pretending to nuke each other? Tim and his elite team of board game competitors answer these questions and more. Before we decided this game was too dark and switched to playing Candy Land, we recommend checking out the sources below about the unique and fun history of the Nuclear War Card Game (you can also access these links on our SoundCloud page). -Photos of the game and the cards at “Nuclear War,” Flying Buffalo, http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/nucwar.htm -“Nuclear War Card Game,” BoardGameGeek.com, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/713/nuclear-war -Dennis McLellan, “Nuclear War Game Bombs Its Way to Success: Fantasy Card Competition Breeds Some Fallout From the Controversial Topi

In this special episode, we venture out of our cozy fallout bunker to watch the 1999 romantic comedy, Blast from the Past. This is the second in our new series within the podcast -- Mini-Nuke episodes -- where we find movies that do not have enough nuclear nonsense for a full-sized episode but nonetheless demand over analyzation. Tim and a special guest -- his sister, Diana -- delve into the history and use fallout shelters. Ranging from the overkill shelter in the movie to the more modest versions you'd find in backyards during the Cold War, this episode tells you everything you need to know to protect yourself from radioactive fallout -- just not what to do if you get stuck in one for decades. Photos of Tim's trip down into a fallout shelter are up on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.545103975696196.1073741829.437574689782459&type=1&l=be98d22e4f Before your fallout shelter doors automatically lock for 35 years, be sure to check out these sources: -James Daniel, "Survive the

In this special episode, we suppress our emotional sides and explore the logic behind the 2016 science fiction adventure movie, Star Trek Beyond. This is the first in our new series within the podcast -- Mini-Nuke episodes -- where we find movies that do not have enough nuclear nonsense for a full-sized episode but nonetheless warrant some over analyzation. We go into needless detail about Spock's radioactive jewelry gift to Uhura, which also doubles as a handy tracking device. This plot device has real life inspiration in Trinitite or atomsite glass, a glass byproduct of nuclear detonations in the desert that were the latest fashion trend before they started giving people nasty burns. Before we jump on ebay looking for our own atomic jewelry, be sure to check out these sources: -Dan Carlson, "The Story of Vokaya: Beyond a Fan’s Wildest Dreams," Star Trek Minutiae, July 29, 2016, http://www.st-minutiae.com/cafe/archives/2016/07/vokaya.html -Vokaya, Memory Alpha, http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Vokaya -

In this episode, we maxed out our conference call lines while debating the 1964 drama-thriller movie, Fail-Safe. What happens when you can't recall your own nuclear bombers en route to Moscow? How many air planes can you knock out of the sky with a nuclear bomb? How do you convince your enemy that accidents -- even nuclear ones -- do happen? The podcast hosts and special guest/TCM guru Victoria answer these questions and more. Before our podcast's phone line melted in a fireball, we recommended reading L. Douglas Keeney, 15 Minutes: General Curtis Lemay and the Countdown to Nuclear Annihilation (St. Martin's Griffin, 2012) and two articles at the National Security Archive (see links below). Other sources to check out include -- you can also access these links on our SoundCloud page: -William Burr, "The Air Force versus Hollywood," National Security Archive, January 15, 2010, http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb304/index.htm -Christopher Bright, "Cold War Air Defense Relied on Widespread Dispersal of Nucl

In this episode, we leave our boring jobs and become Jason Borne Bureaucrats, because we watch the 1997 action-thriller, The Peacemaker. How easy is it to steal a Russian nuclear warhead? What the heck does SS-18 mean? Is it really a good idea to try and stab a plutonium core and smash it with a gun? We answer these questions and more. Apologies for the audio issues in this episode. We went mobile from our usual podcast studio and we think some of the wires got frayed in the process. The problem was identified and vaporized. There is some great content in this one so hopefully everyone will enjoy it. Before we jump in the pool to wash off our radioactive debris, we recommend reading Leslie and Andrew Cockburn's One Point Safe (Doubleday, 1997) and John McPhee's The Curve of Binding Energy: A Journey into the Awesome and Alarming World of Theodore B. Taylor (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1994). And have fun on NukeMap (http://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/)! Other sources to check out include: -Ben Travers, "Is '