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101090 discussions

by mhop＠snip.net

> 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

28 years, 6 months

movie computers - Outland

by mhop＠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

28 years, 6 months

Colmputers in Movies & T.V.

by foxnhare＠goldrush.com

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 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

28 years, 6 months

realistic movie computers

by kaikal＠MICROSOFT.com

(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

28 years, 6 months

Colmputers in Movies & T.V.

by kaikal＠MICROSOFT.com

| From: Larry Anderson & Diane Hare[SMTP:foxnhare@goldrush.com] | 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.) Try this: http://us.imdb.com/M/search_plots?for=computer Kai

28 years, 6 months

realistic movie computers

by groberts＠mitre.org

At 09:29 AM 5/7/97 -0700, Kai Kaltenbach wrote: >_Ferris Bueller's Day Off_ has Ferris breaking into his school's system >remotely and changing his grades ... while that sounds like something Ferris Bueller would do, i think you're thinking of the early part of War Games (before he started WW III) where he logs into the school computer (password: pencil). - glenn

28 years, 6 months

realistic movie computers

by kaikal＠MICROSOFT.com

| From: Greg Mast[SMTP:gmast@polymail.cpunix.calpoly.edu] | I'm sorry but I can't recall a scene in any movie that resembles a real | use of a computer. There was a pretty good, rather realistic scene in _Patriot Games_ where Harrison Ford has logged his nemesis' account and is grabbing files full of evidence, while the other guy frantically tries to delete them. _Ferris Bueller's Day Off_ has Ferris breaking into his school's system remotely and changing his grades in a fairly realistic manner. In _Under Siege 2: Dark Territory_, the hero wires into a broken pay phone with a Newton and sends an emergency fax. I had a Newton at the time, and loved this bit. And _Wargames_ was actually pretty realistic; he had the IMSAI with voice synth (probably a CompuTalker) and a demon dialer program, all of which were acceptable realism for me. Plus, at the time, we all thought Ally Sheedy was pretty cute. Kai

28 years, 6 months

movie computers (The List! )

by MPritchard＠ensemble.net

> -spc (And Lazlo's computer in "Real Genius" looked like a Sun) > > if I recall right, in real genuis, they broke into the "military" > computer using a 1200 baud modem and the follwing sequence: > > ATDT 555-1234 > CONNECT > > login: SYSTEM > password: AAAAAA > ** Incorrect Password ** > > login: SYSTEM > password: AAAAAB > ** Incorrect Password ** > > login: SYSTEM > password: AAAAAC > ** Incorrect Password ** > *DISCONNECT* > > ATDT 555-1234 > CONNECT > > login: SYSTEM > password: AAAAAD > ** Incorrect Password ** > > and so on....

28 years, 6 months

Wanted: Co-Proponent for RFD rec.collecting.computers.classic

by ekman＠lysator.liu.se

Bill, You should write a message to NEW-LIST(a)LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU announcing the birth of CLASSICCMP. That way, you will reach most of the people who maintain mailing list databases etc. Bill wrote: > I've been reasearching the possibility of putting old magazine articles > up on the ClassicCmp web site. What about Popular Computing? I have a note that I want to find #38, and I don't even remember why. Anyway, the idea is great! /Fredrik

28 years, 6 months

Victor Computer anyone?

by ekman＠lysator.liu.se

Good choice of subject, Sam! If you had just used "yo" again, I might have missed this one. :-) > One of the things I saw at the last swap meet I was at was a Victor PC. If it said "Victor PC" and nothing else it was almost certainly a PC clone. Victor was originally an American company (later moved to Sweden) and started out making their own PCs (ie not IBM clones). Their most successful early model must have been the Victor 9000, one of the biggest wants for my collection. It was one of the first pure 16-bit PCs and featured very nice monochrome graphics. The keyboard layout is similar to a PC and it has 2 5.25" floppy drives, so this might have been what you saw. It could run both CP/M and a ported version of MS-DOS. The 9000 was marketed in Britain with the name Sirius ACT-1 or Apricot 1 or something like that. If I remember correctly the 9000 had a dark case and black keys. Later, Victor started making IBM clones, which they continued doing until AST bought them one or two years ago. Anyway, even if what you saw was a 9000 it was probably not worth $40. /Fredrik

28 years, 6 months

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