Re: Query: Computers on film

From: "Maiershofer, Erik C" <[email protected]>

Erik C. Maiershofer
Hope International University
[email protected]

Two come to mind initially, though both are more specialized
applications of computing.  The description and "use" of UNIX in
"Jurassic Park" was interesting, to say the least (I would add to this
just about any depiction of hacking shown in television and film).  In
television, crime dramas such as CSI, Criminal Minds, NCIS, and a number
of others have developed a mythology of the database in which a
fingerprint or sample of DNA can be entered into a computer (the method
of input is often vague) and a rapid search turns up a suspect complete
with photo, last known address, and complete criminal history.  My own
impression is that both producers and consumers of entertainment seem to
have transferred their understanding of a search engine (going back to
Yahoo and Altavista, or even a public library terminal) to criminal
investigation.  My understanding is that the actual process in law
enforcement at any level is not so neat.  This impression produces, in
my opinion, a corollary to the CSI Effect.

em 

-----Original Message-----
> From: H-NET List for Scholarly Studies and Uses of Media
> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Darryl Wiggers
> Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2012 2:39 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Query: Computers on film
> 
> From: Steve Anderson <[email protected]>
> 
> Dear H-Net,
> 
> I am working on a project about computers on film and television and am
> specifically interested in finding examples of "incorrect" or naive uses
> of computers or peripherals, perhaps reflecting the newness of the
> technology or needing to educate audiences about how computers work
> (whether correctly or incorrectly). One urban legend claims, for
> example, that users encountering a PC mouse for the first time were
> prone to picking it up and aiming it at the monitor like it was a TV
> remote; on Mannix, the punch cards used to program 1970s mainframes were
> read like telegrams. Any suggestions or leads would be most appreciated!
> 
> Thank you, 
> 
> -Steve Anderson, USC