Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bomb

A romantic nuclear bomb couple movie?

Phyltre — Wed, 27 May 2009 05:04:54 -0800

Identifilter: A modern-day east-asian movie about a girl who was apparently built as some kind of bomb or war weapon? Roughly 3 years ago, I saw a commercial spot on television for a movie involving a girl in a romantic relationship, but apparently she wasn't entirely human because she was changing into some kind of war weapon or bomb or something. I think the promo might have run on G4. It was live action, and was NOT Machine Girl. I originally assumed the movie was Japanese, but it could have been Korean I suppose. The two images I most strongly remember from the promo are the asian couple sitting on a park bench, with lots of city skyline scenery, and a large explosion (possibly nuclear.) Maybe the girl was some kind of nuclear bomb?

Around once a month I google the odd keywords but always come up empty. Does anyone know of any movies that sound similar to this?

It's probably a pretty good movie

Countess Elena — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:37:40 -0800

IdentifyThisMovie: In a shop, a little girl sees a briefcase that she thinks a man has forgotten, picks it up, and runs to return it to its owner. It explodes. When I was a kid, I started watching a movie with my parents on TV or VHS. It began in a small, crowded American shop in the 1930s or so, in some large city. A sharply dressed man comes in, sets down a briefcase, looks around, and hurries out. A young girl in the store notices him and says, "Hey, Mister, is that your briefcase? You forgot your briefcase!" He doesn't stop. She grabs the briefcase and runs out of the store after him: "Hey, Mister, you forgot your briefcase! Hey, Mist --" BOOM.

The next scenes had to do with the funeral, and then with some kind of law enforcement; men in fedoras and all. Being that girl's age, I was totally traumatized and fled the den.

Can you name this movie? I haven't seen the whole Godfather trilogy, but I'm pretty sure this wasn't in it. Recently something appallingly similar happened in Pakistan, and I remembered this scene.

Mexican bomb hammer party

tylerfulltilt — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:15:50 -0800

What the hell is going on in this video? What is it, where is it, why is it, what are they putting on the end of those hammers?

I'm trying to recreate a nuclear apocalypse

ictow — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:22:35 -0800

I need an audio clip of a nuclear attack warning. Double points go to 50s-style announcer versus EAS computer voice. Triple points go to clips that are free and easy to get. I've got the explosion part, I just need that foreboding warning before it happens. Thanks!

Nukes… in… space…

Artw — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:25:33 -0800

To what extent would the lack of an atmosphere reduce the effectiveness of nuclear weapons?

Starland Vocal Band vs. Billy Squier

wittgenstein — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:16:55 -0800

Lost Song Filter: I swear I remember hearing a song called Time Bomb in late 70s early 80s. The lyrics I recall go like this:
"I feel like I'm sitting on a time bomb baby. And it's going to explode. Yes I'm sitting on a time bomb baby.

(chorus) Time bomb (time bomb), gonna blow me up,
Time bomb (time bomb), into the sky (?)
Time Bomb (time bomb), gonna blow me up."

In a Yahoo Answers question, Mr. Disco, who is also looking for what sounds like the same song, is convinced that the missing song was by Billy Squier, but in listening to the 30 second clip of that song on Amazon.com, it doesn't sound at all like the song I am thinking of. My song sounded more Starland Vocal Band than Billy Squier.
Does anyone have any idea what song I am talking about?

Complimentary service.

Meatbomb — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:16:48 -0800

What are we bombing them with, exactly? A question for weapons geeks. As a part of an art project, I need a list of full technical names of some of the common munitions / bombs / rockets / missles that are currently being used in Afghanistan by US forces, and the name of the company that makes them. As I don't know much about the US millitary / industrial complex, I am at a loss as to how to find this information.

What I need is something like this (made up examples): J-DAM bunker busting laser guided bomb, Raytheon Corporation; hollow point DU 5.56mm small arms round, Smith and Wesson. Websites / resources where I can get this detailed level of information would be great, too.

Thanks in advance for any assistance in this matter.

Help Me Identify a Story About A Pool Party Bomb

burnmp3s — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:08:18 -0800

TeenAngstFilter: Can you help me identify a short story about a student who blows up a pool? When I was in 6th or 7th grade (somewhere between 1995 and 1997), a mean librarian from New York came to work at my school in the Midwest. The first day, she read a fairly disturbing short story about a violent high school student, which she described as her "favorite story". I have never heard of the story before or since then, and I remember most of the plot but not the title or author. I think she read it out of a book of short stories, but I'm not sure.

Plot Description:
A nerdy high school student is picked on mercilessly by bullies. The story starts with the nerdy student getting a "swirlie". In order to get revenge, the nerdy student invites everyone from his class to go to a pool party in a high-rise building. He invites the girl he has a crush on, but does not tell her that it's a pool party. He secretly sets up a time bomb at the bottom of the pool. During the pool party, he and the girl he has a crush on do not wear swimsuits, so they are not in the pool at all. The nerdy student, the girl, or both are thrown into the pool as a joke, just as the bomb goes off. It blows a hole in the side of the building, and creates a giant whirlpool. The nerdy student manages to save the girl, but he himself is sucked out through the hole and out the side of the building. The story ends with him falling to his death.

Other details:
- I think the story takes place in New York City.
- The nerdy student makes the bomb using fireworks that he buys from some kid on the street. I think the kid is described as having a mustache.
- The girl he has a crush on wears a dress, and when she is in the pool it floats around her in a big circle.
- I think other people besides the nerdy student are sucked out of the pool, but I'm not sure.

Can anyone find any more details on this story, and possibly direct me to where I can find it?

Atomic Bomb Filter: Help Me Find A Specific Atomic Test Picture

gnash — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:44:57 -0800

I am looking for a picture of a an exploded nuclear weapon test with soldiers standing silohuetted looking at the mushroom cloud, watching it with no special protective clothing. It was a great picture between 1945 and 1950 (I think). Not sure the date of the test, but obviously 1944 or later. Let me know if you have any ideas on how to find it.

The movie that got it's plot "stolen" by SPEED writers :)

zouhair — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 09:39:18 -0800

I can't recall the name of this "SPEED"-like Japanese movie. Actually it's a movie of the '80 , and it's like "SPEED", a bomb was set to explode if the speed goes under a certain limit, but instead of a Bus, in the Japanese version it's a Train.

Any ideas?

Customs and laptops

ASM — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 12:57:30 -0800

Are customs officials allowed to search you laptop's hard drive? After reading THIS post by the man who unknowingly caused the iPod bomb scare on an Ottowa bound plane the other day, I have a question.

The post basically retells the story from his perspective, all the way from his realization that he had lost his iPod to being released by the authorities.

At one point a customs offical actually searches the hard drive of his computer:

"[The customs offical] then asked me to turn on my laptop. I did, and he began using it. I saw him open Spotlight and begin searching.

"Do you connect to the Internet on this laptop?"
"Yes."
"Have you downloaded and images?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Do you have any pornography?"
"No."

I waited in total silence for about 10 minutes as he kept searching and searching, until I finally asked him, "What are you looking for?"

"Contraband," he said without looking up at me."

Is this legal in the US, Canada or the UK?

Even if you don't have an answer to this question, the linked post is worth a read...

Duck and Cover

interrobang — Wed, 03 May 2006 11:53:37 -0800

Did children actually believe that "Duck and Cover" would work? Was the program met with any cynicism, or did Americans simply not know enough about the bomb to know any better? Did it make the atom bomb less scary?

I know this was all before the Kennedy assassination and Watergate, but did the public really believe the things the government was saying about the dangers of the atom bomb?

What would a real bomb squad do?

Kololo — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 14:26:10 -0800

Last Sunday's Grey's Anatomy episode is bothering me. At the end of the episode, Dylan (the bomb squad guy) takes the bazooka shell from Meredith and slowly walks out of the room. This seems illogical/silly/non-bomb-squady to me. In reality, wouldn't/shouldn't he have placed the shell into some sort of explosion-proof box (or something) that was waiting right next to him? What would a real bomb squad do? Would he really have been trained to walk away with it in his hands?

As it stands, Dylan's training on the show indicates that bomb squad members are just good at keeping people calm and telling them to keep the bomb 'level'. (Rather than, say, containing bomb explosions.)

Detonating packages "as a precaution"

Saucy Intruder — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 18:57:57 -0800

What does it mean to detonate a suspicious package "as a precaution?" If for some reason the bomb threat is not a hoax, wouldn't the detonation set off the real bomb that's inside? Shouldn't they do this sort of thing, y'know, far away from the Capitol building?

Bomb Threat Plans

longbaugh — Wed, 17 Nov 2004 03:57:45 -0800

My workplace (in the UK) has recently decided that every desk must have a laminated card with "Action To Be Taken In The Event Of A Bomb Threat". This strikes me as somewhat bizarre in that although I work for a communications company there is no infrastructure here to damage (barring remote switch access). Should the fact that these have been posted around the building out of the blue trigger a paranoia alert or is it just the company being a tad silly? Does anyone out there have any experience with this sort of thing?

Moderately Concerned of Yorkshire