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movie request [message #113095] Mon, 16 September 2013 13:57 Go to next message
Anonymous
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Originally posted by: @RUTGERS.ARPA:redford%doctor.DEC@decwrl.ARPA
Message-ID: <299@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 17-Jan-85 09:02:26 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.299
Posted: Thu Jan 17 09:02:26 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Jan-85 06:10:43 EST
Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 8

From: redford%doctor.DEC@decwrl.ARPA  (John Redford)

I heard from a friend about a movie or TV version of "The Adolescence of P1".
Does anyone know anything about it?  The book was about a system cracking
program which gets loose in the net and eventually attains consciousness.
It was unusually accurate for this kind of thing, unlike, say, "Wargames".

John Redford
Re: movie request [message #113108 is a reply to message #113095] Mon, 16 September 2013 13:57 Go to previous messageGo to next message
avolio is currently offline  avolio
Messages: 42
Registered: May 2013
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Message-ID: <416@grendel.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Jan-85 08:44:53 EST
Article-I.D.: grendel.416
Posted: Fri Jan 18 08:44:53 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 21-Jan-85 03:05:54 EST
References: <299@topaz.ARPA>
Organization: DEC ULTRIX Applications Center, MD
Lines: 14

> From: redford%doctor.DEC@decwrl.ARPA  (John Redford)
> I heard from a friend about a movie or TV version of "The Adolescence of P1".
> Does anyone know anything about it?  The book was about a system cracking
> program which gets loose in the net and eventually attains consciousness.
> It was unusually accurate for this kind of thing, unlike, say, "Wargames".

Yes, I saw it last week on a local PBS station.  It was 60 minutes long.
It was a fun, low budget affair but by no means was it much more "accurate"
than "Wargames" was.
-- 
Fred Avolio
301/731-4100 x4227
UUCP:  {seismo,decvax}!grendel!avolio
ARPA:  grendel!avolio@seismo.ARPA
Re: movie request [message #113111 is a reply to message #113095] Mon, 16 September 2013 13:57 Go to previous messageGo to next message
jims is currently offline  jims
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Registered: May 2013
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Message-ID: <1636@hcrvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 21-Jan-85 17:26:21 EST
Article-I.D.: hcrvax.1636
Posted: Mon Jan 21 17:26:21 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 22-Jan-85 00:44:10 EST
References: <299@topaz.ARPA>
Organization: Human Computing Resources, Toronto
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Path hcrvax!jims (Jim Sullivan @ Human Computing Resources, Toronto, Ontario)


Yes, the adolesence of P1 was/is a T.V. short (1 hour) shown recently
on PBS' Wonderworks (Monday @ 8:00pm) (i think)

It's about a hack (called Hacker) who writes a Life program, and then
modifies the program to create new programs....actually an interesting
idea.  I enjoyed it, although my girlfriend thought it was silly.
By the way, it was filmed in Toronto.

Jim Sullivan ..!hcrvax!jims
Re: movie request [message #114218 is a reply to message #113095] Tue, 17 September 2013 15:20 Go to previous message
davidl is currently offline  davidl
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Message-ID: <1318@orca.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 21-Jan-85 16:42:15 EST
Article-I.D.: orca.1318
Posted: Mon Jan 21 16:42:15 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 23-Jan-85 07:26:39 EST
References: <299@topaz.ARPA> <416@grendel.UUCP>
Reply-To: davidl@orca.UUCP (David Levine)
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 42
Summary: 

In article <416@grendel.UUCP> avolio@grendel.UUCP (Frederick M. Avolio) writes:
>> From: redford%doctor.DEC@decwrl.ARPA  (John Redford)
>> I heard from a friend about a movie or TV version of "The Adolescence of P1".
>> Does anyone know anything about it?  The book was about a system cracking
>> program which gets loose in the net and eventually attains consciousness.
>> It was unusually accurate for this kind of thing, unlike, say, "Wargames".
>
>Yes, I saw it last week on a local PBS station.  It was 60 minutes long.
>It was a fun, low budget affair but by no means was it much more "accurate"
>than "Wargames" was.

The PBS children's anthology series "WonderWorks" has a program called "Hide
and Seek" which was based on "The Adolescence of P-1."  At least, that's what
it said in the credits.  Actually, the only thing the two have in common is 
P-1's first line, which is

	CALL GREGORY.  P-1

They've changed the locale from Silicon Valley to Canada (required by Canadian
content legislation, I guess).  They've changed the hero from a wiseass
computer professional to a socially immature high school student.  They've
changed P-1's origin from a deliberate system cracking program to an
accidental outgrowth of a version of Life on a Commodore Pet.  The entire plot
has been changed out of all recognition.

In the TV show, the hero first discovers that his creation has gotten out of 
hand while he's cracking the school computer to change his girlfriend's 
grades (sound familiar?).  There are supposed system professionals who do
nothing but spout nonsense peppered with phrases from the Hacker's Dicitonary.
The ending is incomprehensible.  Yet, it entertains.  Viewed as a juvenile, I
think it succeeds.

I can mildly recommend the book "The Adolescence of P-1", although it's dated.
I can also mildly recommend "Hide and Seek" to those under, say, 16.  However,
"Hide and Seek" is just another "War Games" cash-in that bears little if any 
resemblance to the book upon which it is supposedly based.  I suspect that the 
author of the book had no say whatsoever in the story of the TV show.

David D. Levine  (...decvax!tektronix!orca!davidl)          [UUCP]
                 (orca!davidl.tektronix@csnet-relay.csnet)  [ARPA]

(Gets nasty on Mondays, doesn't he?)
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