Colmputers in Movies & T.V. - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

7 May 1997

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" &lt;starling(a)umr.edu&gt;
...
  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" &lt;scott(a)saskatoon.com&gt;
...
  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 &lt;dastar(a)crl.com&gt;
...
  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" &lt;more(a)camlaw.rutgers.edu&gt;
...
  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 &lt;dastar(a)crl.com&gt;
...
  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 &lt;shoppa(a)alph02.triumf.ca&gt;
...
   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" &lt;transit(a)primenet.com&gt;
...
  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 &lt;dastar(a)crl.com&gt;
...
  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

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