Mars Attacked, 65 Years Ago Today 294
Jodrell writes "Forget solar flares, and the upcoming Halloween festivities - tonight marks the 65th anniversary of the broadcast of Orson Welles' radioplay version on The War Of The Worlds."
An authority is a person who can tell you more about something than you really care to know.
Terrorists! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Terrorists! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Terrorists! (Score:2, Funny)
Among the things they tried:
Starting a nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union with their own homemade weapons.
Poisoning major sources of food with biological weapons.
Brewing illegal drugs to turn addicts into their willing slaves.
and so
Re:Terrorists! (Score:2, Funny)
Alien #1: Hey, I thought of this great idea on how to DESTROY ALL HU-MANS!
Alien #2: Yeah?
Alien #1: Yeah! I know this Columbian guy from when I was in the joint, right, and...
Brain the size of a planet and this is the best you come up with? No wonder you get smoked by fucking e-coli.
Re:Terrorists! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Terrorists! (Score:2)
That is a definite possibility, but at least it isn't crap from a "Mad Cow".
Re:Terrorists! (Score:2)
The Martian Government has determined that the people of Earth are harboring biological weapons. Prepare to be liberated.
Please. There is no centralized "Martian" government, and please use the correct name, Barsoom. Everyone should remain calm. I have word from Captain Carter that everything is under control, and we have nothing to fear . . . except maybe from those *red* Barsoomians.
Re:Terrorists! (Score:2)
Panic (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Panic (Score:2)
I doubt it (Score:5, Insightful)
Even with good editing and falsified television footage, I still doubt such a thing would fool us. We've seen way too many alien movies and such to be fooled. Something more believable and fear-inducing, such as falsified terrorist threats and terrorist attacks might do it.
I would also point out that it would make it even more difficult to pull such a hoax now due to the fact that we have so many more media sources now. Back then there were only a few radio stations. Now we have the Internet, radio, television, etc. It would certainly look strange if one channel/station was covering it and everyone else seemed oblivious to it.
Re:I doubt it (Score:5, Funny)
People believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, didn't they?
Re:I doubt it (Score:2)
Re:I doubt it (Score:2, Insightful)
We're so used to the medias ability to lie with ease, I expect we'd probably need to be hit by the Heat-Ray before we'd accept such a thing these days.
Some people still believe we've never landed on the Moon, after all.
Re:I doubt it (Score:2)
Something more believable and fear-inducing, such as falsified terrorist threats and terrorist attacks might do it.
Yeah, like today's romp through DC security by two staff halloweenists that had all the channels screaming for hours about a terrorist attack. We are just as gullible now as people were then.
Re:I doubt it (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Panic (Score:2, Funny)
About the only effect that would have would be Democrats blaming Republicans for it, and Republicans blaming Democrats for it.
And terrorists claiming it was God's way of punishing the infidels.
Etc.
Regards,
Fredrick
Re:Panic (Score:2)
If you broadcast it on FoxNews, I'm sure you'd catch quite a few people.
As an Australian, I watch FoxNews for the comedy value.
O'Reilly is much, much funnier than Letterman these days.
Re:Panic (Score:2)
The house was supposedly haunted by a ghost called "Pipes", so called because it rattled the pipes a lot, and the show starts off exactly the way you'd expect a live documentary about a
Re:Panic (Score:2)
Such a shame... (Score:5, Funny)
Mars Attacked? (Score:3, Funny)
WOTW Audio (Score:5, Informative)
Re:WOTW Audio (Score:2)
You were wanting CD-quality? Or maybe cassette quality?
Re:WOTW Audio (Score:2)
Re:WOTW Audio (Score:2)
Yeah, if you want to pay for the download.
I wonder when the copyright ran out on this.
Re:WOTW Audio (Score:2)
Re:WOTW Audio (Score:3, Informative)
Huh? They have it for free, in both streaming [earthstation1.com] or downloadable [earthstation1.com] real audio.
- Peter
Re:WOTW Audio (Score:2)
Now, after a painless 10 minute dowmload of RealPlayer (my mouse index finger is sore from clicking the "don't send me spam" button) I can now hear the file!
Paul
Mars Attacked! (Score:2)
Maybe if an updated modern-day equivalent reading (perhaps, special effects on the news) were to happen today, we could scare the current administration into launching a manned Mars mission
Re:Mars Attacked! (Score:2)
I used to own an incomplete set of those cards, how happy I was to find them all here [essex1.com]. Thanks Zelda [marsattacksfan.com]
Lord John Whorfin officially states: (Score:5, Funny)
John Bigboote points out:
"It's not my goddamn planet, understand, monkey boy?"
Where are we going?
Planet 10!
When?
Real soon!
Listen to it here (Score:5, Interesting)
Or... (Score:4, Interesting)
The dark side of the Moon (Score:3, Interesting)
The documentary gets sillier and sillier until in the final credits, the interviewees start asking to see the script again etc. etc. Had me going for a while too.
Re:The dark side of the Moon (Score:3, Informative)
Opration Lune AKA Dark Side of the Moon [imdb.com]
Well... (Score:5, Funny)
I am sick of living on a planet so full of peaace lovers.
YoYoDyne today? (Score:3, Interesting)
then again, it was probably Enron, which is why it still has no value today...stupid monkeyboys...
Re:YoYoDyne today? (Score:3, Informative)
Registrant:
Yoyodyne Software Systems (YOYODYNE-DOM)
19772 Rawhide Road
Sonora, CA 95370-8002
US
Domain Name: YOYODYNE.COM
Administrative Contact:
Bigboote, John (JSB) jbigboote@yoyodyne.com
Yoyodyne Software Systems
19772 Lizardo Road
Sonora, CA 95370-8002
US
(209) 532-6030 fax: (209) 532-0541
Technical Contact:
McMahon, John J (jm757) fuzzface@I
Re: (Score:2)
Re:would it be even possible today??? (Score:2)
Hello! WMDs anyone??? Immintent attack by Iraq???
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
An interesting antecdote (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:An interesting antecdote (Score:3, Funny)
the best part.... (Score:4, Funny)
I think this could happen again... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:I think this could happen again... (Score:2)
Re:I think this could happen again... (Score:2)
Yes, that was the one. A fairly well-done treatment of domestic terrorism. The movie was liberally sprinkled with brief announcements that it was fictional, so anyone watching for more than about 15 minutes would have figured it out.
Re:I think this could happen again... (Score:2)
IIRC, the creator of that did several other "news story" movies made for TV. They were quite good (for a made for TV movie), and starred real news anchors.
--
Evan "It's been bugging me all day".
Nothing makes me smile... (Score:2)
It just makes me giddy.
Re:Nothing makes me smile... (Score:2)
Re:Nothing makes me smile... (Score:2)
From the hysterical rantings that a university doing genetic research on viruses is a black ops military program to conquer the world for American Imperialism(TM) to the wholesale shouting that there never were WMD in Iraq, slashdot is home to some of the most gullible people on the planet.
---
The nice thing about positive karma is you can troll and flamebait...
Re:Nothing makes me smile... (Score:2)
What can I say? I'm always on a natural high.
The hardest part is when people ask me why I'm so happy. The fact that I lie to them, and they believe it, almost doubles me over in laughter.
And in other news... (Score:2)
Stay tuned to this program for more details.
It happens today too (Score:5, Insightful)
Instead today, the public is often manipulated not by what they see/hear through the media, but what they are kept from seeing/hearing. Through censorship or spin, you are told what you need to be told so that your opinions and beliefs about what is "true" match what the teller has in mind, and you are not told things that will counter those goal beliefs.
ONe has only to compare the major U.S. news outlets with news reporting throughout the world to see examples. Not that news reporting in other countries is any less censored/spun to advance THEIR goals.....
Re:It happens today too (Score:2)
The truth is out there Sculley.
Uh - huh. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Uh - huh. (Score:2)
Oh well, off to metamoderate.
HH
--
Re:Uh - huh. (Score:2)
Again? (Score:2)
I'm starting to think there might be a cover-up going on.
And another thing (Score:3, Funny)
65 sounds like one of the years used for sales at a furniture store.
How far has it gone? (Score:2)
Re:How far has it gone? (Score:2)
Technically, 65 radio-years.
But what's that in dog-star years?
Re:How far has it gone? (Score:2)
Re:How far has it gone? (Score:2)
Orson Wells: America's First Troll (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Orson Wells: America's First Troll (Score:2)
Mars first attacked in 1898 (Score:2)
Re:Mars first attacked in 1898 (Score:2)
Martian invasion (Score:2, Funny)
Crop Circling (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: Crop Circling (Score:2)
In one sense, at least, the original impact point was several thousand miles away, in Horsell Common in Surrey...
Re:Crop Circling (Score:2)
We walk our dog in the sandpit where the first cylinder landed in the book; Horsel Common is just up the road from where we live and there's a nice statue of a war-machine in the town centre [cix.co.uk] too.
TWW
Nothing happened? (Score:2)
As a former radio broadcaster, I can call BS on that -- one of the FCC's No No's includes things that would incite a panic falsely.
If you want more info on it, the FCC [fcc.gov] giveth.
You mean? (Score:2)
Special Bulletin (Score:2)
For those wondering about non sequitor comments (Score:2)
And remember. Wherever you go
Reminds me... (Score:2)
ONE FINE DAY
MARS ATTACKS
THE ENGLISH PATIENT
Wow, I misinterpreted that headline (Score:2)
Official website (with complete download) (Score:2, Informative)
They're offering a transcript [waroftheworlds.org], MP3 files [waroftheworlds.org] and a Real Audio stream [waroftheworlds.org] as well as in-depth background [waroftheworlds.org] information.
Re:You know? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:You know? (Score:5, Informative)
This night of the week was popular on the radio for a couple of shows on competing networks. People would listen to the begining of the program, which was nearly always entertaining, decide the next part was dull, and retune to another station.
If you have not listened to the radio drama, there are a few segments where there is some so-so ballroom dance music being played, that apparently was just good enough that people decided to listen. This got interupted with what sounded at the time like a very reasonable public service anouncement that got them.
Personally I think this would be the equivalent of tuning in to the latest episode on Survivor, deciding watching the first segment, deciding to see what else is on, see that a couple of well known stars are being interviewed, and seeing the interview be pre-empted by what appears to be a news story about the Golden Gate Bridge, Hoover Dam, and the George Washington Bridge's all being hit by simultaneous terrorist strikes. If your first move isn't to check CNN, or HNN to see if they are covering these stories, you might be forgiven for believing that you were seeing real events.
-Rusty
Re:You know? (Score:3, Funny)
And anyone who thinks the public would have to be pretty stupid to fall for the "alien invasion" should remember that this took place in a time when one of the most popular entertainment shows in the country was a ventriloquist perfo
Re:You know? (Score:2, Informative)
Also, most people missed not only the disclaimer at the beginning, but also the opening monologue, tuning in at the fake weather report or later when people turned the dial away from Charlie McCarthy. It is the first documented incident of channel switching. Listeners were so gripped that they nev
Nonsense! (Score:2, Insightful)
The originating news service is fake, the prestigious hotel in New York from which the show was supposedly broadcast didn't exist, the famous band leader at said hotel was also fictitious. There are many references to non-existent broadcastin
Re:You know? (Score:2)
I think sarcasm has more to do with the tone of your voice than anything else. We had a woman from Finland that came to work at my organization for a while, and sarcasm was lost on her too. Even if everybody speaks English (or any other language) fluently, differing accents coming from your nation of origin could mask the subtle tone of your voice and make it difficult to discern sarcasm. My opinion
Re:You know? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
Oh, ye poor child of the news headline generation (Score:4, Informative)
What the headline said was:
Mars attacked [Earth], 65 years ago today.
What you thought it said (and what it actually might have said if Slashdot were a newspaper) was:
Mars attacked [by] Earth, 65 years ago today.
Bloody hell..and they call this a language?
Paws at the end of his claws? (Score:2)
We don't get much done where I'm from, but nobody ever accused us of talking too fast.
Seriously -- thanks for cracking down on my lax puncutation. Even if I was forced to insert the ole foot a few inches into the mouth, on account of practicing sloppy English in a com
Re:Huh? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Huh? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Huh? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Errm. (Score:2)
I don't think you were the only one confused...but maybe now that we're thinking of it we should attack mars
Re:Errm. (Score:2)
What they don't live there anymore? Then we must colonize the planet so the don't come back!
Re:Golden Age of Sci Fi (Score:3, Insightful)
The problem with dreams and idealism is that the idealists often dream of gulags or gas chambers.
Re:Aesop (Score:2)
Re:Aesop (Score:2)
What do you call 20-ton meteorite hitting Buffalo, NY?
An improvement.
Thanks, I'll be here all week.
(God, I can still hear Irv Weinstein talking about the three-alarm blazes in Lackawana and North Tonowanda)
Re:Right! Hoax my eye! (Score:2, Informative)
But then so did the TV series War of the Worlds ( transcribed script [war-of-the-worlds.org]). The series attempted to establish that the 1938 broadcast was an actual invasion, but was a scout force sent in advance of the 1953 invasion depicted in the movie. They suggested that Orson Welles and men from the government came by following that attempted invasion and concocted a panic-inducing script to cover up what really happened.
Except the