realistic movie computers

From: Sam Ismail <dastar_at_crl.com>
Date: Wed May 7 14:42:05 1997

On Wed, 7 May 1997, Kai Kaltenbach wrote:

> | From: Greg
> Mast[SMTP:gmast_at_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.

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.

> _Ferris Bueller's Day Off_ has Ferris breaking into his school's system
> remotely and changing his grades in a fairly realistic manner.

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.

> 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.

Hardly...er uh, wait a second. I didn't even see this, and it actually
is very plausible and in fact real.

> 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.

Yeah. 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).

Sam
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Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
Received on Wed May 07 1997 - 14:42:05 BST