msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader) (03/18/85)
> When we saw the Colossus machine room, the "willing > suspension of disbelief" was dissolved in a pool of laughter. The > console for Colossus was made up of several (identical) front panels > from IBM 1620's. Actually, this sounds more realistic than a lot of Hollywood computers. (I wonder if the designers ever look at the studios' own computers...) I was rather amused while watching WarGames to notice the design of the "WOPR" CPU. I mean, this was supposed to be a big, powerful computer... a "whopper", in fact. And they even resisted the temptation to hang flashing lights all over it (probably because they would have distracted from the pretty graphic displays). So how did they convey the idea that it was big and powerful? Why, they simply shaped it like a diesel locomotive body. Mark Brader
demillo@uwmacc.UUCP (Rob DeMillo) (03/28/85)
> > I was rather amused while watching WarGames to notice the design of the > "WOPR" CPU. I mean, this was supposed to be a big, powerful computer... > a "whopper", in fact. And they even resisted the temptation to hang > flashing lights all over it (probably because they would have distracted > from the pretty graphic displays). So how did they convey the idea that > it was big and powerful? > > Why, they simply shaped it like a diesel locomotive body. > > Mark Brader I'm glad you brought this up...when watching WARGAMES (which I originally went to with a group of co-workers) we all started guffawing at about the same time when we saw the name "WOPR" (whopper) on the computer... You see, we work for a place called the Madison Academic Computer Center (MACC) which has among its mainframes a Sperry 1100....we were tempted to wander down to the computer room and put a sign on the Sperry that reads: "Big MACC" ...well, we thought it was interesting at the time... -- --- Rob DeMillo Madison Academic Computer Center ...seismo!uwvax!uwmacc!demillo / =|-- = \ = [][][] "...I don't know what this thing does, but it's pointing in your direction."