Geek Out: Minecraft, How To Reform The NSA, A Photographic History Of Vietnam

Air Date:
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Veronica Rueckert and Rob Ferrett talk to an expert about why the videogame Minecraft is so popular now. Then they’ll talk to a legal expert about how he thinks the NSA should be reformed, and they’ll talk to the author of a photographic history of the war in Vietnam.

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  • Photo Director Discusses Images' Role In Defining Vietnam War

    Photography, particularly photojournalism that documents a pivotal period in history, has often been able to redefine that moment and give the public a front-row seat to unfolding events.

    Hal Buell was the director of photography at the Associated Press for 25 years and ran photo operations during the Vietnam War years. Many of the most powerful images to come out of Vietnam and into the public eye passed through his hands.

    During the Vietnam War, reports and photographers were allowed unprecedented access by the U.S. military, and the pictures they snapped are credited today with changing the public perception of the war.

    Buell said the images that came out of Vietnam were different than the images to come from any other war before or since.

    “You could see the difference early on,” said Buell. “You could see some of the horrible things in the (Vietnam) war that you didn’t see in Korea.”

    Pointing to some of the most well-known images to come out of the AP’s coverage of Vietnam, Buell said the photographers focused on a particular facet of the conflict.

    “They were so close to the humanity that was involved in the war,” he said.

    One famous image that even made its way to President John F. Kennedy’s desk was a photo from 1963, which depicted a Vietnam monk practicing self-immolation in protest. The monk squats calmly in the street while flames consume his body.

    “Until that picture appeared, the war in Vietnam was on page 10 or 12 (in the newspapers), but that picture put it on the front page, and it stayed there for 10 years,” he said.

    Today, people have access to instant videos that can capture the movement of the scene, but Buell said photographs are singular.

    “I always compare photos to history’s notebook,” he said.

  • The Minecraft Video Game Craze

    The online, independent world-building game Minecraft is a huge hit. Our guest today calls it the one of the most creative video games of all times and tells us why it’s going strong.

  • How To Reform The NSA

    The latest news in the National Security Administration spying scandal is that former supporters of U.S. surveillance are now publicly coming out against it–mostly notably House Representative Jim Sensenbrenner and Senator Patrick Leahy, the authors of the Patriot Act after September 11th, 2001. We’ll talk to a legal expert from the Electronic Frontier Foundation about how he thinks the NSA should be reformed.

  • Vietnam: A Photographic History

    The former director of photography at the Associate Press discuss the agency’s work during the war in Vietnam.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Interviewer
  • Hal Buell Guest
  • Aaron Yonda Guest
  • Kurt Opsahl Guest
  • Amanda Magnus Producer
  • Galen Druke Producer

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