In the movie _Sneakers_, Ben Kingsley plays an ex-hacker who is now the
financial data processing administrator for the Mob. He has a large
complex of systems including a very Cray-like central processor and all
sorts of fancy accessories. He's extolling the virtues of mob money to
Robert Redford's character, and to illustrate his point he turns on the
Cray's terminal... lo and behold, the Cray runs Microsoft Excel!
Since we were in a theater about 6 blocks from Microsoft corporate
campus, that scene was the biggest laugh of the film.
Kai
> ----------
> From: Brian L. Stuart[SMTP:stuart@colossus.mathcs.rhodes.edu]
> Reply To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu
> Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 1997 3:32 PM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: Re: The List!
>
> Doug Spencer asks:
> >Actually, the III was visible for a second or so in Tron, wasn't it?
>
> I don't remember seeing an Apple III, but there was a glimps of
> a Cray 1. It wasn't in focus though )-:
>
> Brian L. Stuart
> Math/CS Dept, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN
> stuartb(a)acm.org
> http://www.mathcs.rhodes.edu/~stuart/
>
Due to massive amounts of caffeine & sleep deprivation, Mr. Self Destruct
said:
>Hi, I saw the post on the old calculator so here's mine:
>A buddy of mine used to work at a Salvation Army so I got
>a lot of stuff that they threw out. One was an old TI
>calculator that had these strips you fed in one side and
>a motor pulled them through (almost like a credit card reader)
>
>What is it? How old is it?
>
>Les
Sounds like you might be talking about the TI-59 (? did the TI-58 have this
capability also? I've never seen a 58). I used one in high school... really
neato once you got used to TI's programming practices. It also had a 32 or
40 column thermal printer that the calculator mounted to, and then the
printer served as the base.
The mag strip was mainly for data storage or user-created programs, as it
also had the capability to use pre-programmed ROM cartridges. They even had
a cartridge of games! ISTR a football game that printed out all the team
stats on the printer.
A very interesting piece of hardware. Hope this helps,
"Merch"
--
Roger Merchberger | If at first you don't succeed,
Programmer, NorthernWay | nuclear warhead disarmament should
zmerch(a)northernway.net | *not* be your first career choice.
Bill, it looks like I will have to unsubscribe then re-subscribe again.
I have not received any digest since May 1st.
Can you please reply with instructions?
Thanks!
Jeff R.
Hi Les,
In a message dated 97-05-08 07:54:21 EDT, you write:
<<
Hi, I saw the post on the old calculator so here's mine:
A buddy of mine used to work at a Salvation Army so I got
a lot of stuff that they threw out. One was an old TI
calculator that had these strips you fed in one side and
a motor pulled them through (almost like a credit card reader)
What is it? How old is it?
>>
It was either a SR-52 (1975) or TI-59 (1977). The first had a 100 step
memory, the latter a 960 step memory. You could store programs and data on
those tiny magnetic strips (guess they were like tiny floppies - except you
turned the card around to read the second track)!
Really great "micro-micro" computers. A terrific way to learn the thought
process of efficient programming (once wrote a Social Security retirement
program on the TI-59). What one could do when the bytes were few!
John Hamilton
hamijohn(a)aol.com
"Life would be much easier if I had the source code ..."
Hi, I saw the post on the old calculator so here's mine:
A buddy of mine used to work at a Salvation Army so I got
a lot of stuff that they threw out. One was an old TI
calculator that had these strips you fed in one side and
a motor pulled them through (almost like a credit card reader)
What is it? How old is it?
Les
Should be a simple one, but lets see... (and 'cause I can't get to that
section of my archives!)
Card from an Apple II, wondering if it might be the interface for a ProFile
HD.
Markings on card:
Xebec (now you know why I suspect a HD ctrlr)
FCC ID CF77KL103916APPLE
Assy 103916-04
Rev H-04
S/N 9-0733
What says the council?
-jim
---
jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com
The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
> What about Popular Computing? I have a note that I want to find #38, and I
> don't even remember why.
You mean vol 3, number 8? June of 84?
(I have been cleaning up my apt and am find lots of old stuff)
mhop(a)snip.net
> I'm sorry but I can't recall a scene in any movie that resembles a real
> use of a computer. Face it computers on film are boring. That's why
> every movie computer has animated graphics and makes noises every time
> you do something.
What about the movie Outland? The Doc used a computer to analyze a dead man's
blood for drugs, and the graphics were reasonably occilloscopic-like to seem
realistic.
Don't forget "Mother" in Alien. No graphics, just reporting the facts.
mhop(a)snip.net
Since I am a real fan of computers in movies and books let me try to
clarify some of this stuff...
Doug Spencer:
>Actually, the (Apple) III was visible for a second or so in Tron, wasn't it?
That's the machine in Flynn's place, he was hacking into the Encomm
system with it. Later they show Flynn and Laura Sneaking through a data
processing center on their way to to a terminal in Laser Bay 2. I don't
know minis from mainframes, so I'll leave it at that.
From: "Starling" <starling(a)umr.edu>
> I recently found out that _Weird Science_ possibly has an Apple Lisa in
> it and that some chick is named Lisa because she was designed on the
> computer. Never seen the flick, but I think I might have to now...
When the computer created girl asked for a name, Gary suggested Lisa, a
girl he met in school who he had a crush on.
They show what looks like an IBM clone (modular Franklin unit?) at
Wyatt's house, (I like that RETURN key with the flashing lights,
probably even if you had it and instructed the user to press it they
still would press the wrong one.) Also shows a terminal and bank of
large reel-to-reel tape units in the 'military center' they hacked into.
From: "Scott Walde" <scott(a)saskatoon.com>
> And wasn't there an IMSAI in War Games? (It's been a long time, though.)
Yes, pretty blue and red switches, lights, with 8 inch drives.
From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)crl.com>
> I thought it was simply amazing how that blind guy could figure out what
> an electronic device did by simply rubbing his fingers over the
> components. THAT'S INCREDIBLE! But I digress.
First he ran his fingers over the box and then had the kid power it up
and interface it to his braille reader, then he scanned the output
through the reader. I thought that movie had good merit behind it's
ideas...
> I thought the most realistic computer scenes in terms of relevance to
> reality were in War Games.
I consider parts of it a documentary. Was a great boon for the BBS
community. War dialing was well explained (and also given that name) in
the film.
From: "Mr. Self Destruct" <more(a)camlaw.rutgers.edu>
> MST3k... that had a requisite mad scientist with his super
> computer which consisted of a giant steel box with a rectangular hole in
> the top of it from which peeked a VIC-20!
Well at least someone knows a 'Super' Computer when they see one. *grin*
From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)crl.com>
> This is almost the same as asking why the new alien species which they
> just came into contact with speaks english.
Ship's computer translates alien tongues via crew's communicators, Deep
Space Nine and Voyager have been clearing that up in recent episodes.
Sighting for you classic fans:
Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan: In Kirk's place, in front of the
window, an original PET computer (BASIC startup screen showing)
From: Tim Shoppa <shoppa(a)alph02.triumf.ca>
>> I thought the most realistic computer scenes in terms of relevance to
>> reality were in War Games.
> A voice-activated IMSAI?
The IMSAI wasn't voice activated, it had a voice sythesiser (must be a
standard issue, even the 'crystal palace' had them), which at times
failed to narrate all the text being displayed on the screen.
> The horrible corruption of the term "hacker"
> to mean "cracker", all due to the cluelessness of the screenplay
> writers? War Games is/was an incredible insult to the true
> switch-flipping hacker community.
I don't think the term 'hacker' was used.. They just said 'someone' or
'that kid' broke into the WOPR. No, "Hackers" was the bad press film,
yuck!
From: "Charles P. Hobbs" <transit(a)primenet.com>
> Speaking of computers in movies, anyone remember a late-1981(?) flick
> called "Evilspeak" where the nerdy kid uses his computer to cast
> Satanic spells (the commercial showed an Apple II with a pentagram on
> the screen!)
That Apple II was in the movie too. Coopersmith used it to translate
the evil texts.
From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)crl.com>
> Actually, one of the best (in terms of sillyness) was this movie called
> DemonSeed where this super-computer becomes sentient, kills its creator,
Nope, Proteus kills a technician who came by to see why the creator's
soon to be ex-wife's home automation system was malfunctioning.
> [Proteus] then creates a metallic penis (I am NOT making this up) that it uses to
> impregnant the creator's wife, whom he is holding captive.
Sorry, the egg is removed via robot (the hand on the wheelchair),
altered and then replaced.
> She has a 30 day (or so) gestation period and gives birth to the computer's child who
> grows up to around age 8 or so in about 3 days. I forget what happens
> after that.
Proteus is shut down and the incubator starts to fail, the creator helps
the then 'thing' out of it, (at that point the wife freaks, as she
thinks she has been majorly used by Proteous and wants to kill the
'thing'), they discover there is a shell covering the child (who has the
likeness of their recently deceased daughter) They wash and carress the
child as their own.
> I think the kid just babbles about some philosophical crap
"I live!" she says in Proteus' voice. (philosophical alright)
> and the movie ends. I recommend it.
So do I. "Demon Seed" along with "Colossus: the Forbin Project" and
"Tron", 3 movies about computers that aren't actaully as bad as they
were portrayed. All of them had noble goals in mind but the reluctance
of 'change for the betterment of all' and fear of their creators lead to
their eventual downfall.
If any of you are into reading books or watching movies where
computers play a key role (or character) check out the list I'm
compiling on my web site (address below.)
Larry Anderson
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Visit our web page at: http://www.goldrush.com/~foxnhare
Call our BBS (Silicon Realms BBS 300-2400 baud) at: (209) 754-1363
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
(Patriot Games)
| Hardly. I don't know of an operating system that yanks the
file contents off
| of your screen when someone else on the network deletes them.
Windows?
(Ferris Bueller)
| Hardly. Unless he was using some sort of remote control
software (like
| PCAnywhere) or the principal was running a BBS, I don't know
of a program
| that shows someone editing database fields in realtime.
Well, the bit about seeing the cursor move was dramatic license, but
certainly there are numerous databases that will show dynamic updates in
real time.
| Actually I still think she's cute. I wish I had a cute chick
| interested in me when I was a total teenage computer geek
(yeah right).
Well... there was the english professor's daughter, Becka... but she
wasn't interested in my computer, she liked my... er... poetry.
Kai
