Favorite electronics movies

[Richard Henry]

One of my favorites was on tv tonight - Enemy of the State.

Does anyone here think it was subversive of ABC to schedule this movie
during this time of arguments pitting national security against human
rights?

 

[Pooh Bear]

One of my favorites was on tv tonight - Enemy of the State.

Does anyone here think it was subversive of ABC to schedule this movie
during this time of arguments pitting national security against human
rights?

Is it ever *subversive* to simply show a movie ! Maybe Jim would like to
report ABC to the comittee for unAmerican activities ?

I'll vote for The Conversation btw.

Graham

 

[Bob Monsen]

Is it ever *subversive* to simply show a movie ! Maybe Jim would like to
report ABC to the comittee for unAmerican activities ?

I'll vote for The Conversation btw.

Yes. One of my all time favorites. The final scene is simply a classic.

--
Regards,
Bob Monsen

"doing what little one can to increase the general stock of knowledge
is as respectable an object of life, as one can in any likelihood
pursue"
-- Charles Darwin

 

[Ian Stirling]

One of my favorites was on tv tonight - Enemy of the State.

Frankenstein.

 

[Fred Bloggs]

One of my favorites was on tv tonight - Enemy of the State.

Does anyone here think it was subversive of ABC to schedule this movie
during this time of arguments pitting national security against human
rights?

I don't know what the proper word is for that kind of "film" but to me
it is childish garbage. While channel roaming I caught the scene with
Will Smith and Gene Hackman on the roof of a building, some idiotic
dialogue, and the flash and dazzle of helicopters and control rooms- not
one of Hackman's better roles. A waste of time watching that crap so I
time multiplexed between 2x Law and Order's and a PBS special about
endurance limit measurement of mountain climbers. That pos has nothing
to do with electronics.

 

[Mac]

One of my favorites was on tv tonight - Enemy of the State.

Does anyone here think it was subversive of ABC to schedule this movie
during this time of arguments pitting national security against human
rights?

I don't think I have ever seen an electronics movie, Per Se. Or maybe I'm
just forgetting?

Enemy of the State is more of a political/action comedy. The electronics
and so forth is just a plot device.

--Mac

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

I don't think I have ever seen an electronics movie, Per Se. Or maybe I'm
just forgetting?

Unfortunately, any kind of electronics content in movies is usually
most notable for the hilarity it invokes. Such as the movie that cut
to a quick take of a computer screen- a PCB autorouter was operating.
The dialog: "Amazing! A computer searching for a bomb!".

Or, take this dialog (please) from the original "sci-fi" Star Trek
("Court Martial"):

----
Ready, Mr. Spock?
Affirmative, Captain.
Gentlemen, this computer
has an auditory sensor.
It can, in effect, hear sounds.
By installing a booster,
we can increase that capability
on the order of 1 to the 4th power.
The computer should bring us every sound
occurring on the ship.
All personnel have left the ship as ordered, sir.
Dr. McCoy?
All right, Mr. Spock.
[Loud Beating]
Turn it down a little.
[Volume Decreases]
Gentlemen, that sound is caused by the heartbeats
of all the people on board the ship.
Dr. McCoy will use this white sound device
to mask out each person's heartbeat
-----

How do you design a booster with a gain of 1 to the 4th power anyway?



Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[John Popelish]

How do you design a booster with a gain of 1 to the 4th power anyway?

Doesn't sound so hard. And it will run on very little power. ;-)

 

[Rich Webb]

Frankenstein.

Uh uh. Gotta be "YOUNG Frankenstein." Woof!

WRT the OP's question. Hadn't seen the flick before, just happened to
surf by it and watched the rest (so I never did figure out what Will
Smith's character did that started the whole mess).

I was rocking along with it okay until the part where (paraphrasing):

[team is looking at satellite images]
agent 1: Dang, I wish we could see his face.
agent 2: Dude! These are satellite photos from 150 miles up. They can
only look straight down.
agent 1: D'oh!

Ooooookay ...

WRT the OP's question: not subversive at all. And besides, it's already
too late. King George has (i) a "war" on an emotion that will last as
long as he wants it to last, and (ii) claimed "authority as Commander In
Chief" during time of "war" to ignore any laws that he chooses,
irrespective of the legislature or the courts.

 

[PaulCsouls]

I don't think I have ever seen an electronics movie, Per Se. Or maybe I'm
just forgetting?

Unfortunately, any kind of electronics content in movies is usually
most notable for the hilarity it invokes. Such as the movie that cut
to a quick take of a computer screen- a PCB autorouter was operating.
The dialog: "Amazing! A computer searching for a bomb!".

Or, take this dialog (please) from the original "sci-fi" Star Trek
("Court Martial"):

----
Ready, Mr. Spock?
Affirmative, Captain.
Gentlemen, this computer
has an auditory sensor.
It can, in effect, hear sounds.
By installing a booster,
we can increase that capability
on the order of 1 to the 4th power.
The computer should bring us every sound
occurring on the ship.
All personnel have left the ship as ordered, sir.
Dr. McCoy?
All right, Mr. Spock.
[Loud Beating]
Turn it down a little.
[Volume Decreases]
Gentlemen, that sound is caused by the heartbeats
of all the people on board the ship.
Dr. McCoy will use this white sound device
to mask out each person's heartbeat
-----

How do you design a booster with a gain of 1 to the 4th power anyway?



Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

The best electronics bit in Star Trek is in the one with the evil
alternate universe (Spock with the beard). They need to take some
files from the computer and they put it on an orange 3.5" floppy disk.
Where did the prop department get one of those in 1967? They were
using punch cards back then.

Paul C

 

[Richard Henry]

Uh uh. Gotta be "YOUNG Frankenstein." Woof!

WRT the OP's question. Hadn't seen the flick before, just happened to
surf by it and watched the rest (so I never did figure out what Will
Smith's character did that started the whole mess).

--Spoiler--

The Jon Voigt character arranged the murder of a Congressman who was opposed
toa bill giving more power to NSA. The murder was captured on a
motion-sensitive wildlife study camera. The biologist saw the tape, and
then called a friend who published a left-wing paper. The NSA intercepted
the call, and agents (on a Standard Training Op) chased him down. He
dropped a copy of the tape on a flash card, hidden in a hand-held game, into
Will Smith's shopping bag. The NSA then started chasing Smith, but he
didn't know what they were after.

I was rocking along with it okay until the part where (paraphrasing):

[team is looking at satellite images]
agent 1: Dang, I wish we could see his face.
agent 2: Dude! These are satellite photos from 150 miles up. They can
only look straight down.
agent 1: D'oh!

Ooooookay ...

Well, earlier they were able to take the film from a store security camera
and turn the image of a shopping back through 360° looking for suspicious
bulges.

 

[Jim Thompson]

Uh uh. Gotta be "YOUNG Frankenstein." Woof!

WRT the OP's question. Hadn't seen the flick before, just happened to
surf by it and watched the rest (so I never did figure out what Will
Smith's character did that started the whole mess).

--Spoiler--

The Jon Voigt character arranged the murder of a Congressman who was opposed
toa bill giving more power to NSA. The murder was captured on a
motion-sensitive wildlife study camera. The biologist saw the tape, and
then called a friend who published a left-wing paper. The NSA intercepted
the call, and agents (on a Standard Training Op) chased him down. He
dropped a copy of the tape on a flash card, hidden in a hand-held game, into
Will Smith's shopping bag. The NSA then started chasing Smith, but he
didn't know what they were after.

I was rocking along with it okay until the part where (paraphrasing):

[team is looking at satellite images]
agent 1: Dang, I wish we could see his face.
agent 2: Dude! These are satellite photos from 150 miles up. They can
only look straight down.
agent 1: D'oh!

Ooooookay ...

Well, earlier they were able to take the film from a store security camera
and turn the image of a shopping back through 360° looking for suspicious
bulges.

WRT the OP's question: not subversive at all. And besides, it's already
too late. King George has (i) a "war" on an emotion that will last as
long as he wants it to last, and (ii) claimed "authority as Commander In
Chief" during time of "war" to ignore any laws that he chooses,
irrespective of the legislature or the courts.

I thought it was a fun movie, something that could get the leftist
weenie's panties all in a knot. Can't you just see Teddy (or Hillary)
screaming, "See what they're doing?" ;-)

...Jim Thompson

 

[Dirk Bruere at Neopax]

On 22 Jan 2006 11:36:42 GMT, Ian Stirling <[email protected]>
wrote:



One of my favorites was on tv tonight - Enemy of the State.

Frankenstein.

Uh uh. Gotta be "YOUNG Frankenstein." Woof!

WRT the OP's question. Hadn't seen the flick before, just happened to
surf by it and watched the rest (so I never did figure out what Will
Smith's character did that started the whole mess).

--Spoiler--

The Jon Voigt character arranged the murder of a Congressman who was opposed
toa bill giving more power to NSA. The murder was captured on a
motion-sensitive wildlife study camera. The biologist saw the tape, and
then called a friend who published a left-wing paper. The NSA intercepted
the call, and agents (on a Standard Training Op) chased him down. He
dropped a copy of the tape on a flash card, hidden in a hand-held game, into
Will Smith's shopping bag. The NSA then started chasing Smith, but he
didn't know what they were after.

I was rocking along with it okay until the part where (paraphrasing):

[team is looking at satellite images]
agent 1: Dang, I wish we could see his face.
agent 2: Dude! These are satellite photos from 150 miles up. They can
only look straight down.
agent 1: D'oh!

Ooooookay ...

Well, earlier they were able to take the film from a store security camera
and turn the image of a shopping back through 360° looking for suspicious
bulges.

WRT the OP's question: not subversive at all. And besides, it's already
too late. King George has (i) a "war" on an emotion that will last as
long as he wants it to last, and (ii) claimed "authority as Commander In
Chief" during time of "war" to ignore any laws that he chooses,
irrespective of the legislature or the courts.

I thought it was a fun movie, something that could get the leftist
weenie's panties all in a knot. Can't you just see Teddy (or Hillary)
screaming, "See what they're doing?" ;-)

I mean, it's not as if the US intel services would do anything illegal to their
own citizens, is it?

--
Dirk

The Consensus:-
The political party for the new millenium
http://www.theconsensus.org

 

[Bob]

One of my favorites was on tv tonight - Enemy of the State.

Does anyone here think it was subversive of ABC to schedule this movie
during this time of arguments pitting national security against human
rights?

I don't think that many people have seen this one, but my favorite is:

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

Here's the plot summary, from IMDB --

"A documentary about the amazing life of Leon Theremin, inventor of the
theremin, the electronic musical instrument so beloved of 50s sci-fi movie
music. Theremin amazed America with his instrument until his kidnapping by
Soviet agents in the mid-30s. Upon his release from a labor camp, he worked
on surveillance devices for the KGB. Almost 60 years later , he is brought
back to America for a touching reunion with his friends and colleagues."

I love this movie. It also shows the talents of thereminist Clara Rockmore
(Theremin's long-time girlfriend). She is amazing. As I recall, she was
trained as a violinist. What an amazing talent. Leon's reunion with Clara
may bring tears to your eyes.

Bob

 

[Tim Shoppa]

The best electronics bit in Star Trek is in the one with the evil
alternate universe (Spock with the beard). They need to take some
files from the computer and they put it on an orange 3.5" floppy disk.
Where did the prop department get one of those in 1967? They were
using punch cards back then.

My favorite Trek electronics: The City on the Edge of Forever, where
Spock (back in 1930's era US) constructs a "crude mnemonic memory
device" using "stone knives and bearskins" (actually a bunch of octal
tubes on metal chassis and breadboards, and a Jacob's Ladder on the end
too). I think this is also the episode where he and Kirk are working as
janitors, and Spock makes some comment about only needing a cubic foot
of platinum to complete his device

Otherwise, like you note, the electronics tends to be random colored
and shaped plastic blocks.

Dr. Strangelove has some realistic looking shots of mil-spec looking
radio and encryption equipment. (Legend is that Kubrick's original
props looked too much like the real thing, and the military made him
change them.)

2001 has some electronics circuitry in the plot (the antenna module)
and of course the innards of HAL.

A Clockwork Orange (made in early 70's) has some CD-like music media
(not quite, but close).

There was a Gene Hackman movie from the early 70's where he played a
suveillance electronics expert. The electronics aren't really in touch
with reality but the convention he goes to and some of his moral
dilemnas still ring true.

Its kind of funny to watch the Bond movies from the early 70's and the
electronics there. Ooh, 007 has a digital watch!

Three Days of the Condor has a PDP-8 doing literature analysis and some
telephone switching equipment.

Tim.

 

[Dirk Bruere at Neopax]

My favorite Trek electronics: The City on the Edge of Forever, where
Spock (back in 1930's era US) constructs a "crude mnemonic memory
device" using "stone knives and bearskins" (actually a bunch of octal
tubes on metal chassis and breadboards, and a Jacob's Ladder on the end
too). I think this is also the episode where he and Kirk are working as
janitors, and Spock makes some comment about only needing a cubic foot
of platinum to complete his device

I'd like to see someone interface to a USB port using 1930s tech.
Would it be possible?

Otherwise, like you note, the electronics tends to be random colored
and shaped plastic blocks.

Electronics is getting more like that every day.

 

[John B]

One of my favorites was on tv tonight - Enemy of the State.

Does anyone here think it was subversive of ABC to schedule this movie
during this time of arguments pitting national security against human
rights?

My favourite is "Dark Star". The story of a spaceship which is destroying dead planets with
'intelligent' bombs. Unfortunately for the crew, the last bomb develops a conscience and decides it
doesn't want to self-destruct.

One in the eye for AI methinks.

 

[Richard Henry]

I'd like to see someone interface to a USB port using 1930s tech.
Would it be possible?

Low-speed, maybe, if they can get enough tubes together to do the logic and
memory.

 

[Rich Webb]

--Spoiler--

The Jon Voigt character arranged the murder of a Congressman who was opposed
toa bill giving more power to NSA. The murder was captured on a
motion-sensitive wildlife study camera. The biologist saw the tape, and
then called a friend who published a left-wing paper. The NSA intercepted
the call, and agents (on a Standard Training Op) chased him down. He
dropped a copy of the tape on a flash card, hidden in a hand-held game, into
Will Smith's shopping bag. The NSA then started chasing Smith, but he
didn't know what they were after.

Ahhh... got it. Thanks!

 

[Dirk Bruere at Neopax]

Low-speed, maybe, if they can get enough tubes together to do the logic and
memory.

I suppose it cost about a cubic foot of platinum

--
Dirk

The Consensus:-
The political party for the new millenium
http://www.theconsensus.org