Numbers stations are interesting and cool little peculiarities that the conspiracy theorists, likely, actually got right. These mysterious short wave radio stations, supposedly still broadcast today, feature automated voices (typically women) reading off codes. The broadcasts, though unconfirmed, are believed to be a method of providing data to spies in the field. Numbers stations began popping up during World War II (supposedly to transmit weather data) and have been mysteriously popping up ever since. Here, have a listen:
Kind of creepy, right? And that’s one of the simpler codes. These broadcasts include anything from info on whether it’s going to rain today to target coordinates and beyond, so governments likely frown upon people paying too much attention to the complex codes being broadcast via shortwave radios.
Fans of Fringe might remember the show tackling numbers stations on an episode as well. Now it’s Hollywood’s turn by way of The Numbers Station starring John Cussack and Malin Ackerman. Looks decent, though I certainly think there’s a more complex, paranoia-feeding film to be mined from the subject matter. This looks more like straight-up action fare, though it’s interesting seeing Ackerman tackling heavier dramatic material:
What do you think? Does this one have potential?