Skip to main content

IT and Hollywood: The reality gap

Toni Bowers writes...

In the movies, all you need is access to the Internet to change someone’s bank account or to launch nuclear missiles. We know it’s all for effect, but how much is too much?

—————————————————————————————————————
I love movies. I love television. But if you knew only of the world what you saw in those two media, you’d be one delusional person.

For example, going by movie and TV alone, here’s what you would think you knew about the medical profession: Nobody ever comes into the ER with anything less than a rare condition brought on by the bite of a insect that is one of only six left on the planet. Writers write this way because an hour-long episode about a tetanus shot wouldn’t be worth watching.

And TV’s view of journalism is seriously flawed because it implies that newspaper reporters are always running around chasing down important stories that involve some secret government conspiracy. When in reality, most reporters make a living writing obituary copy or pieces about the local strawberry festival.

Yeah, I know they have to do these things to make movies exciting. But there’s nothing more aggravating than when a movie takes liberty with something you do for a living.

Let’s take technology, for instance. Why are the people who crack program codes always furiously typing and never having to wait for a screen to load? Why do words on the screen like IM messages or Access Denied messages always appear in 84-point type?

And what’s with the preponderance of voice-activated technology? Do you know of many actual offices that make use of it on a regular basis?

And, according to Hollywood, if you can access the Internet, you can access information on anyone’s desktop, look up that person’s criminal record, and edit your own dental records.

So do any particular pet peeves come to your mind of Hollywood taking liberties in regard to technology? Let’s hear ‘em! (cited from Techrepublic)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dhivehi to English translation with Microsoft translator

  The Dhivehi language translation feature included in Microsoft translator and Microsoft 365 lets you press a button and translate written Dhivehi into English. Though there are a few hiccups here and there, the service is great and provides an understanding of the overall document. This is more than what we see from any existing models. I was amazed to see a link in one of my outlook web emails, it says “translate message to: English” which could mean nothing usually, however, when I saw the next sentence which said “Never translate from: Divehi”, I thought why would it says Divehi specifically if it doesn’t understand that the entire email was written in Dhivehi? Out of curiosity, I pressed the button, and to my surprise, it was quite good. The essence of the message was retained very well. For example, something like އިޙްތިރާމް ޤަބޫލުކުރެއްވުން އެދެން could be translated as “ I would like to respect you ”, which is ok in terms of translation, but what it meant was greeti...

Why when shared, Windows XP cannot communicate with winodws Vista in the Same Local network?

Network Map in Microsoft® Windows Vista™ diagrams the connections between network devices to help you troubleshoot connectivity problems. Network Map uses a discovery protocol called Link-Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) in order to query the other devices on the network to determine how the network is organized. Computers running Windows Vista include the software components that implement the LLTD protocol. For other devices on the network to be placed on the map, they must have a discovery protocol enabled that can respond to the mapping computer's requests. This means in order to communicate windows Xp with Windows Vista we need to install a Portocol known as LLTD from microsoft website, unfortunately only licensed versions of widnows XP can download and install this protocol from microsoft website? "Too bad, Our poor, pirated copy users have to face the dificulties.... " but why most of the asians always use pirated copies of any software they USE? But if u crack wind...

Why Understanding Your Risks is Your Best Cyber Defence

  In today's digital age, headlines blare about "unprecedented data breaches" and "nation-state cyberattacks." It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape, where sophisticated zero-day exploits can bypass even the most fortified defences. But amidst this complexity, a fundamental truth remains: effective cybersecurity starts with understanding your risks. As Bruce Schneier stated, "Security is not a product, but a process." Just as a military commander wouldn't enter battle without understanding the terrain and potential threats, organizations must grasp the digital landscape in which they operate. Imagine a battlefield shrouded in thick fog. You wouldn't blindly charge ahead, would you? Risk assessment is akin to possessing a high-powered thermal sight, piercing the fog to reveal the hidden dangers lurking in the digital landscape. It's a systematic process of identifying your organization's critical a...