DragnFly Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 If you have watched any television or films, there is a good chance you've seen somebody on them using a computer. Frequently, the potrayals of computer usage in these shows and films is so far removed from reality, that they are often cringe worthy. Even if you have never touched a computer in your life, you would still likely think to yourself "Theres no way it could possibly happen that way". Now I am not saying that these shows and films are bad, but in many of cases the use of computers is highly unrealistic. They are sometimes used in means similar to magic, where a scene with a computer can be used in almost any method to advance the plot. This is a post for these sorts of moments. Inspired by an article on cracked, which I highly recommend reading first. Heres the link. Now I will not repeat the examples in that article, given that they are discussed in far more detail than I plan on delving into in this initial post. However, I will expand upon it by providing additional examples: Buffy the Vampire Slayer:There was an episode where a demon got sucked into a computer, simply because a book in which the demon was already trapped in was scanned into it. This made him without form, where he was able to reach any computer on the planet seemingly that was connected to the internet. Son in Law: First off I have trouble believing Pauly Shore could use a computer, especially back in 1993. That said though, all one needs to hear is a quote from his character in the film. "Your PC got harshed, right? Cause your system heaps at the wrong parameter. So l toasted the dated directory, tweaked the P-RAM...and reglazed your subroutine." General Hospital: The character of Damian Spinelli often assist his mobster friends by "hacking" into computers. Whether it be the police department, a hotel, or a hospital... He seems to be able to hack his way into any computer and do whatever the situation at hand calls for him to do. He refers to himself as "The Jackal", and tends to nickname everybody he knows (such as "Stone Cold", "The Valkyrie", etc...) You can basically some more details about him here: http://www.angelfire.com/tv/curlyqgrl/gh/other/spinelli.html Weird Science:Lets see, they basically used their computer to create what amounts to an attractive genie while wearing bras on their heads. What else needs to be said? I'm also not even going to go into detail on either TRON or Wargames, as the entire premise of both movies is entirely unrealistic as well. Not unlike hackers, which was mentioned in the cracked.com article. D's guide to 1 Item objects Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K4ylan Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Digimon - The entire series + movies ~~~The Harpy List~~~Harpy Facts~~~It's Super Effective~~~The Beginning~~~Harpy Therapy Center~~~Alg~~~Jedi Harpy~~~Rohirrim~~~Attenuation~~~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_Squab Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Sorry, but your first example is Buffy the Vampire. You're complaining about urban fantasy unrealistically portraying a demon-possessed computer being used in a highly unrealistic way that is almost similar to magic. You know what else is highly unrealistic and similar to magic? A demon possessed computer. Also, my first thought was that you must have read cracked... GOOD JOB!@ Anyways, as best as I can tell, when Hollywood deals with computers they're basically hoping that they can come up with something using complicated enough terms that people don't immediately recognize it as [cabbage]. And, altho most hacking seems to involve a hacking program of some sort, you do occasionally wind up with the occasional autistic kid who hacks the CIA or something. Squab unleashes Megiddo! Completed all quests and hard diaries. 75+ Skiller. (At one point.) 2000+ total. 99 Magic.[spoiler=The rest of my sig. You know you wanna see it.]my difinition of noob is i dont like u, either u are better then me or u are worst them meBuying spins make you a bad person...don't do it. It's like buying nukes for North Korea.Well if it bothers you that the game is more fun now, then you can go cry in a corner. :shame:your article was the equivalent of a circumcized porcupineThe only thing wrong with it is the lack of a percentage for when you need to stroke it. Poignant Purple to Lokie's Ravishing Red and Alg's Brilliant Blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimberly Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 What? No mention for Hackers? At all?!?!?! No surfing through giant towers of binary towers and 'super awesome 80s laptops'? C'mon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragnFly Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 Sorry, but your first example is Buffy the Vampire. You're complaining about urban fantasy unrealistically portraying a demon-possessed computer being used in a highly unrealistic way that is almost similar to magic. First off, I am quite a fan of Buffy. I never claimed the show itself was intended to be realistic, its a show about vampires. That said, it was mentioned as its an example of unrealistic computer usage. I never said the show itself had to be realistic in order to qualify as an example. What? No mention for Hackers? At all?!?!?! No surfing through giant towers of binary towers and 'super awesome 80s laptops'? C'mon! The only reason I omitted hackers was because it was already covered in the article itself, which I felt sufficiently covered it with more detail than I intended on delving into with the initial post. It was one of the 8 examples mentioned in the article that inspired the post. The ones I listed where further examples, that where not listed in the article. But yes, it is among the first examples I think in regards to this subject, along with Wargames and TRON. D's guide to 1 Item objects Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJoe Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I don't know how to explain it, but in a lot of films and tv-shows, they use programs (mostly police) where there are several different windows just floating around, maybe someone knows what i mean, bit difficult to explain, but it looks kinda stupid. Also, i suppose CSI with their magnification of images is pretty funny. J'adore aussi le sexe et les snuff moviesJe trouve que ce sont des purs moments de vieJe ne me reconnais plus dans les gensJe suis juste un cas désespérantEt comme personne ne viendra me réclamerJe terminerai comme un objet retrouvé Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_Squab Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Sorry, but your first example is Buffy the Vampire. You're complaining about urban fantasy unrealistically portraying a demon-possessed computer being used in a highly unrealistic way that is almost similar to magic. First off, I am quite a fan of Buffy. I never claimed the show itself was intended to be realistic, its a show about vampires. That said, it was mentioned as its an example of unrealistic computer usage. I never said the show itself had to be realistic in order to qualify as an example. In my opinion, a show has to be realistic in order for you to complain about how unrealistic certain aspects are. Until such a time occurs as demons are actually able to possess computers, thus enabling man-kind to study the actual effects of such an occurrence, a demon possessed computer can pull almost whatever crap it wants. It can fly. It can shoot lasers. It can hack into any internet connected computer. Hell, it can hack into a computer near an internet connection, because, [bleep] you, it's a demon, that's why. Sorry to sound all negative. TV does often really, really screws up when it comes to computers. It's just, I don't think the Buffy example is a good one. Squab unleashes Megiddo! Completed all quests and hard diaries. 75+ Skiller. (At one point.) 2000+ total. 99 Magic.[spoiler=The rest of my sig. You know you wanna see it.]my difinition of noob is i dont like u, either u are better then me or u are worst them meBuying spins make you a bad person...don't do it. It's like buying nukes for North Korea.Well if it bothers you that the game is more fun now, then you can go cry in a corner. :shame:your article was the equivalent of a circumcized porcupineThe only thing wrong with it is the lack of a percentage for when you need to stroke it. Poignant Purple to Lokie's Ravishing Red and Alg's Brilliant Blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obfuscator Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Moved to MM&T as I think it's more appropriate. I remember Mickey rourkes "hacking" in iron man two was viewing the source of an html page..which isn't even bad as far as the portrayals go. "It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donkeykong23 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDD03yeLnU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_love_burritos Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 yeah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donkeykong23 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 yeah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giordano Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 CSI...sucks at that. Also in every show where they use a computer. "Look at this awesome website." *uses nothing but the keyboard* :huh: Ever heard of a mouse? "The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you never hear it you'll never know what justice is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homer205 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Also from cracked http://www.cracked.com/article_15229_5-things-hollywood-thinks-computers-can-do.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crocefisso Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Thanks for that, brilliant article. The CSI "GUI/IP" thing and the Xbox Prince of Perisa hidden MS Office File were my favourites. Hollywood is so [developmentally delayed]ed. "Imagine yourself surrounded by the most horrible cripples and maniacs it is possible to conceive, and you may understand a little of my feelings with these grotesque caricatures of humanity about me." - H.G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamykazee Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I checked out those 2 links - very funny. I have to give most props to CSI, though. Especially in the GUI scene:p I always noticed that hackers are portrayed as super-cool people who are smart but geeky. That kind of stuff. There are also ofcourse more accurate Hollywood films on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assume Nothing Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Heh, this is why perhaps even the cheesier martial arts movies are better than some of these CSI movies, mainly because they're horrible inaccurate and often wrong. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXW-HnRSrbQ That's a good example of how wrong film makers can be. EDIT - It gets worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assume Nothing Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I wanted to edit this in my previous post but it'll make it too long to read. http://www.adequacy.org/stories/2001.12.2.42056.2147.html <- My god people are stupid. There's more logical fallacies in there than there is bots on RuneScape. Perhaps the worst troll article I've seen thus far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alg Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 CSI...sucks at that. Also in every show where they use a computer. "Look at this awesome website." *uses nothing but the keyboard* :huh: Ever heard of a mouse?Similarly, the writers of both NCISes must have never seen a computer, and presumably write out their scripts either by hand or on a typewriter. I painted some stuff and put it on tumblr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eias Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Wargames, CSI, numb3rs, the list goes on.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danqazmlp Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 It is annoyingly ridiculous when serious programs, CSI etc try to do computer usage and fail miserably. The same goes for programs in which actors try to 'act' playing a game with a control pad, they usually end up just pressing buttons repeatedly. Films like TRON imo are fine as they know that isn't real, they know their interpretation isn't realistic, they are just making a fantasy of it, as much as die hard does fantasy police officers. Want to be my friend? Look under my name to the left<<< and click the 'Add as friend' button!Big thanks to Stevepole for the signature!^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nomrombom Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 They do what sells, and a disheveled nerd staring at his Gentoo desktop with lines of code on it does not sell. I don't think they actually believe this is how it all takes place. Well, I hope not. PM me for fitocracy invite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crocefisso Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 ^ Some of it is just so absurd, but simultaneously completely unexciting, that stupidity and ineptitude must also factor in there somewhere. "Imagine yourself surrounded by the most horrible cripples and maniacs it is possible to conceive, and you may understand a little of my feelings with these grotesque caricatures of humanity about me." - H.G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alg Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 ^ Some of it is just so absurd, but simultaneously completely unexciting, that stupidity and ineptitude must also factor in there somewhere.Or it's just the way they push the story forward. As Nom pointed out, magical computers are a lot more exciting than realistic computers for the average viewer. It's just that a lot of times they go far beyond suspension of disbelief. Something like "Zoom and enhance", that can move the story, because they've got a ~45 minute episode to catch the killer in and real forensics is far less exciting to people who aren't forensic scientists or don't work with computer science for a living (Read: Most of the world). Something like two people typing at once o out-hack a hacker, though... You have to wonder where the writers get their drugs. I painted some stuff and put it on tumblr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piscis_Rex Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 One thing that's always annoyed me is when characters are playing a game and they just swing the controller around and mindlessly mash the shoulder buttons, in real life I probably move around more when I'm reading than when I'm gaming 99.99999998465% of the world's population is not me, if you are the 0.00000001535% that is me, put this in you signature -"being famous is like being a woman, if you have to tell people you are, you aren't" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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