Deep Dive: Graceland, Julia Child, and the Hidden Cables That Connect the World - August 16, 2025
Hosts Jessica Palmer and Natalie Quinn reflect on the cultural aftermath of Elvis’s death at Graceland, celebrate Julia Child’s impact on food and travel culture, and reveal the surprising reality of submarine fiber‑optic cables powering global connections.
In this Deep Dive episode, our hosts discuss the intimate cultural ripples of Elvis’s death at Graceland, Julia Child’s role in translating French cuisine for America, and the unseen submarine cables that carry most of the world’s internet.
- 📜 The hosts paint a vivid scene of Elvis’s 1977 death at Graceland—fans gathering with flowers and vigils, the house becoming an instant pilgrimage site, and how Memphis’s food and music culture absorbed and reflected public grief.
- 🎂 For birthdays, they focus on Julia Child—her late start in the kitchen, wartime OSS background, training at Le Cordon Bleu, technical rigor made accessible on TV, and how she brought the lived experience of French cooking into American homes with the support of Paul Child.
- 💡 Fact of the day: Over 95% of international internet traffic travels via submarine fiber‑optic cables on the ocean floor; the hosts discuss the geography of those routes and how they quietly enable travel, food, and cultural connections like live food tours and cross‑border communication.
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Creators and Guests
Producer
Chad Thompson
Chad Thompson is the producer of Neural Newscast, bringing his expertise in technology, cybersecurity, media production, DJing, music production, and radio broadcasting to deliver high-quality, engaging news content. A futurist and early adopter, Chad has a deep passion for innovation, storytelling, and automation, ensuring that Neural Newscast stays at the forefront of modern news delivery. With a background in security operations and a career leading cyber defense teams, he combines technical acumen with creative vision to produce informative and compelling broadcasts. In addition to producing the podcast, Chad creates its original music, blending his technical expertise with his creative talents to enhance the show's unique sound. Outside of Neural Newscast, Chad is a dedicated father, electronic music enthusiast, and builder of creative projects, always exploring new ways to merge technology with storytelling.
