barmar@mit-eddie.UUCP (Barry Margolin) (12/16/83)
I watched the pilot episode of a new ABC series tonight: Automan. Any computer professionals (and anyone else with any intelligence) will find this incredibly silly. It is a clone of the movie "Tron", only in reverse: it is about a video man in the real world. Desi Arnaz, Jr. plays a police detective computer hacker (he makes the kids in "Whiz Kids" look normal) who writes the "Automan" program, which generates a living hologram that looks like a normal head on top of a glowing, sparkling, blue body (sort of like a permanent "Star Trek" transporter effect). He is accompanied by a glowing blue star called "Cursor" (the cursor on the computer terminal he uses is star-shaped!); he likes to chase women and he also draws three-dimensional objects which become real (e.g. Automan's car which goes at amazing speeds and makes non-inertial starts, stops, and 90-degree turns). Automan has one problem: it takes so much energy to keep him going (he somehow draws on the energy in the local power grid) that he can only stay alive at night, when people aren't running too many electrical appliances. Anyway, if you enjoyed "Tron" you can probably stand "Automan". -- Barry Margolin ARPA: barmar@MIT-Multics UUCP: ..!genrad!mit-eddie!barmar
halle1@houxz.UUCP (J.HALLE) (12/16/83)
I thought that "Wizz Kids Meet the Greatest American Hero" was just plain silly. However, it is so ludicrous as to be funny enough to watch. By the way, any GH fans recognize Automan?
bbanerje@sjuvax.UUCP (12/17/83)
Why is it that shows involving Computers in any way, shape or form
are invariably so asinine. It must take special genius on the part of
the script writers to come up with undying prose such as
" I am perfect since you programmed me to differentiate
between good and evil" ( or words to that effect)
... and why do the speech synthesis units on these marvelous machines
talk like wimps ... and why do the graphic display screens whistle,
beep, flash etc. before coming out with a picture that looks like it
was produced by a TRasH-80 Model I.
I seem to recall the statement at the beginning of 'Automan' that
this was a TRUE story. Maybe we can take the joker responsible
to court on that one.
Does anyone recall the episode of Knight Rider (with KITT the
incredible wheeled wimp) where the car was up against an evil
version of itself? The episode ended with the two cars playing
chicken on a winding road above sheer cliffs. The evil car chickened
out first, flinging itself to destruction over the cliff. The
explanation on that one was something like this :
"The evil car was programmed solely for self-preservation
whereas KITT was programmed to preserve human life. This
is why the evil car chickened out"
Shades of "I Robot". I'm still trying to figure out the logic on
that one.
Is anyone on the net connected with the entertainment industry?
Perhaps they can clarify how they come up with such idiotic plots,
and why they don't just fire the whole parcel of idiots responsible.
Looking for Answers
--
Binayak Banerjee
{allegra | astrovax | bpa | burdvax}!sjuvax!bbanerjemac@allegra.UUCP (12/19/83)
Hey, give the show a break. Computer professionals should not be surprised that Hollywood fills their computer shows with technical boo-boos; cops have always said that about police dramas, mountain climbers have always said that about adventure shows, etc. Personally, I thought the show was harmlessly whimsical. Just like TRON. Jim McParland AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ allegra!mac