Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!vortex!lauren@LBL-CSAM From: lauren%LBL-CSAM@vortex.UUCP Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Wargames Message-ID: <2541@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Fri, 24-Jun-83 04:18:33 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.2541 Posted: Fri Jun 24 04:18:33 1983 Date-Received: Mon, 27-Jun-83 04:47:05 EDT Lines: 39 From: Lauren WeinsteinSaying that "Wargames" presents "no worse" a view of computers than most other television programs/films is no excuse. As you implied (and as we all know) the typical view is terribly inaccurate, to put it very, very mildly. It's even worse with Wargames, since this particular film pretends it is "almost accurate". The generic mass media review I've seen of the film runs like: Wargames: An exciting, action-packed film that really knows its computers. That is virtually an exact quote. Dandy. As for the payphones -- hey, I don't make statements unless I have some reasonable basis for backing them up. Before I made my "1966" statement, I checked with someone who has been in the vicinity of "The Mountain", who informed me that, yes, the paystations in the area are of the modern type which could not be subjected to the sort of attack shown in the film. In point of fact, virtually all new (and many old) payphone mouthpieces have been either glued (or "wrenched" using a special tool) into position for years. Obviously they had to show an "old-style" payphone in the film, since they probably tried (and failed) to get the mouthpiece off of any of the "real" payphones at their location. I repeat... Fantasy is one thing. A film that pretends to be something it's not is something else again. --Lauren-- P.S. The director of the film, at a local screening here in L.A., was asked about the unscrewing of mouthpieces during a question and answer period. He replied that "... since the film's release, the phone company has begun gluing on the mouthpieces." This is simply untrue, since such security measures have been taking place for years. However, this is typical of the sort of lies the production staff is making to protect their film's "integrity". --LW--