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From: Laws@SRI-AI.ARPA@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.ai
Subject: Re: A.I. in Sci Fi
Message-ID: <3606@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 28-Jul-83 15:24:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.3606
Posted: Thu Jul 28 15:24:12 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 1-Aug-83 08:53:49 EDT
Lines: 37

From:  Ken Laws 

Gripes?  You mean things like:

  Hawaii 5-0 always using the card sorter as the epitome
  of computer readout?

  Stepford Wives portraying androids so realistic that no one
  notices, and executives/scientists who prefer them to true
  companions?

  Demon Seed showing impregnation of a woman by a computer?

  Telephon slowing down CRT typeout to 150 baud and adding
  Teletype sound effects?

  War Games similarly slowing the CRT typeout; using
  natural language communication; using voice synthesis
  on a home terminal connected by modem to a military computer;
  postulating that our national defense is in the hands of
  unsecured computers with dial-up ports, faulty password
  systems, games directories, and big panels of flashing lights;
  and portraying scientists and generals as nerds?

  Star Wars suggesting that computerized targeting mechanisms
  will always be inferior to human reflexes?

  Tron's premise that a computer can suck you into its internal
  conceptual world?

  Star Trek and War Games preaching that any computer can be
  disabled, even melted, by a logical contradiction or an
  unsatisfiable task?

Nah, I don't mind.

                                        -- Ken Laws