What have we learned?

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

We also learned that invading aliens would rather destroy random non-combative targets in their first attack than go after installations that can actually fight back.  Those can wait for much later (giving them time to come up with a defense).

(a plan which it's stupidity is only matched by the aliens in the latest War of the Worlds...where the aliens immediately start frying people who are no threat to them and yet who they could need later to fertilize their weed)

Wait...unless I missed it, wasn't there a giant ship where all the other ships came from?

What happened to that?

That was the one Goldblum and Smith blew up.  And if it wasn't, let's hope they don't write a sequel and we never find out.

[Tony Farms AKA Puma Man]

I just realized we had Robert Loggia and Harvey Fierstein in the same movie.

I think that set the record for people asking 'how does he talk like that?' for one film.

[Bob]

I just realized we had Robert Loggia and Harvey Fierstein in the same movie.

I think that set the record for people asking 'how does he talk like that?' for one film.

Hey, shut up you non-tan pussy!

[Principal_Skin-trade]

Oh yes, even if we have to wait until the very last minute, some stupid drunk washed-up hick will always be the one to defeat the aliens.

[Tony Farms AKA Puma Man]

I just realized we had Robert Loggia and Harvey Fierstein in the same movie.

I think that set the record for people asking 'how does he talk like that?' for one film.

Hey, shut up you non-tan pussy!

You can't talk to me like that!  I'm not Hawk or Hawks depending on the situation!

[Principal_Skin-trade]

I think the aliens could have been defeated by a tanning bed.

[Trekker4747]

That cable companies have a giant wall on which they can watch all tv-stations at once and has a nifty built-in AI that can dramaticly re-arrange the pictures on them to give the President a large picture on this wall during addresses.  That or people can only watch part of the president's body on certain channels.

[Just Some Guy]

We also learned that invading aliens would rather destroy random non-combative targets in their first attack than go after installations that can actually fight back.  Those can wait for much later (giving them time to come up with a defense).

Actually, given the tech differences, the fact that they don't really care about civilian casualties, and the impact of the shock attack going after the largest population centers first does make sense.  It's all about the destruction of the infrastructure.  And since presumably aliens wouldn't speak English or have access to AAA guides they might not be able to pick out military targets in which case attacking the major population centers is more likely to catch one of those.  Once those are wiped you start hunting down any major source of heat or radio.

[bettertomorrowamy]

Airforce One can out fly an alien explosion's shock wave with no damage due to electromagnetism or heat.

[Moose]

We also learned that invading aliens would rather destroy random non-combative targets in their first attack than go after installations that can actually fight back.  Those can wait for much later (giving them time to come up with a defense).

Actually, given the tech differences, the fact that they don't really care about civilian casualties, and the impact of the shock attack going after the largest population centers first does make sense.  It's all about the destruction of the infrastructure.  And since presumably aliens wouldn't speak English or have access to AAA guides they might not be able to pick out military targets in which case attacking the major population centers is more likely to catch one of those.  Once those are wiped you start hunting down any major source of heat or radio.

But they obviously did have a tourist guide, because they attacked sightseeing hotspots like the Empire State Building and the Whitehouse.
The aliens obviously knew that these otherwise completely unremarkable buildings would have a great symbolic effect on the American audience.

Clever people, those aliens.

[Moose]

Airforce One can out fly an alien explosion's shock wave with no damage due to electromagnetism or heat.

Ah, but that's because - as we learned from this film - shockwaves and fireballs and various aftermaths caused by aliens travel at 1/10th the speed they normally would.

[Bob]

We also learned that invading aliens would rather destroy random non-combative targets in their first attack than go after installations that can actually fight back.  Those can wait for much later (giving them time to come up with a defense).

Actually, given the tech differences, the fact that they don't really care about civilian casualties, and the impact of the shock attack going after the largest population centers first does make sense.  It's all about the destruction of the infrastructure.  And since presumably aliens wouldn't speak English or have access to AAA guides they might not be able to pick out military targets in which case attacking the major population centers is more likely to catch one of those.  Once those are wiped you start hunting down any major source of heat or radio.

But they obviously did have a tourist guide, because they attacked sightseeing hotspots like the Empire State Building and the Whitehouse.
The aliens obviously knew that these otherwise completely unremarkable buildings would have a great symbolic effect on the American audience.

Clever people, those aliens.

Fracking ZAGATS.............

[Pak-Man]

I learned that figuring out a patern in how often a signal is broadcast grants you immediate access to everything about the intricate computer language being transmitted, to the point where, without working on it for more than a day, you can invent a crippling computer virus that will bypass any of their firewalls.

[kodiakthejuggler]

I learned that figuring out a patern in how often a signal is broadcast grants you immediate access to everything about the intricate computer language being transmitted, to the point where, without working on it for more than a day, you can invent a crippling computer virus that will bypass any of their firewalls.

All cable repairmen can, Pops.

[Tony Farms AKA Puma Man]

I learned that figuring out a patern in how often a signal is broadcast grants you immediate access to everything about the intricate computer language being transmitted, to the point where, without working on it for more than a day, you can invent a crippling computer virus that will bypass any of their firewalls.

To be fair, Goldblum did hire the Geek Squad from Best Buy to help him out.