# Computers and TV (Why can't they get anything right?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 29, 2003, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983 "2003-03-29T05:35:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/21 "2003-03-30T11:34:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*Computers that belong to covert ops soldiers that go **BEEP** \*\* Worst case of this: Timothy Dalton (as James Bond) plants a bomb aboard a Soviet cargo plane in _The Living Daylights_. After the usual mayhem, there is a scene of him frantically searching for it through all the scattered cargo _as he listens to it beeping_. If those beeps are loud enough to be heard over the four engines of the plane, how could you possibly use such a device covertly? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/22 "2003-03-30T17:49:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sleestak \* > \*\*. The bartender guy works on the computer for like 5 minutes \*\* They are trying to establish some mysterious background for Digger. He is familiar with weapons and sneaking about, for instance. That said, John Doe is really starting to suck. The sign language isn’t very well done. Diamond mines in Arkansas are moved across the state and changed from a park to a commercial concern. Using Direct TV to find the dog using GPS satellites. I think they make it all up as they go along. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/23 "2003-03-30T19:24:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BraheSilver \* > \*\*A woman (apparently lonely for lack of love) starts playing “You Don’t Know Jack.” When it makes fun of her for having only one player, she turns off the monitor and walks away. The computer is very clearly not an IMac, so she has left the game running and gone off to do whatever else she did. Her electricity bill must be through the roof. \*\* And she’s obviously never played _You Don’t Know Jack_ before. You have to expect to be insulted by the host. (and it’s funny) ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/24 "2003-03-30T20:46:05Z")
Only this weekend did I realise how they get away with this stuff. I think a LOT of people have NO idea about computers, I mean at all. I visited with some thirtysomething relatives, and they asked me to take a look at their computer. They can go to websites, and check their email, which was apparantly set up for them by somone else. They do not know of the existance of search engines. They did not know that the colours were out of whack on their monitor (overdose of red, white is bright pink, and all other colours similarly distorted, the windows logo looks insane), they did not know that they could download files that were sent to them via email, but logged on with their dial-up to show me the pictures they had recieved in their mail. They themselves were in the dark as to how one might attach files. It was completely insane. In a related incedent, mrsIteki was happily showing my flashy little laptop to the family, and each and every one of them, held it by the screen (you know that feeling when your belly flips so that you almost vomit? I had that). They really just didn’t know that that is not what you do. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/25 "2003-03-30T20:55:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Iteki \* > \*\* each and every one of them, held it by the screen \*\* Now _that_ is weird. ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/26 "2003-03-30T21:01:54Z")
Nice strong grip, thumbs placed firmly on the delicate LCD at either side, and give the whole thing a good wiggle to experice the hinged effect of a laptop. This is including the people who actually own their own laptops, or have laptops through work. Did I mention we were eating cream buns? _dies a little_ [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/27 "2003-03-31T16:33:10Z")
[continue hijack] > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Iteki \* > snip… > **Did I mention we were eating cream buns? > [/hijack]** > …snip Hey, what ARE “cream buns”? [/hijack] On the original question: a) Most people know nothing about how computers work, even people who work with them. b) Most people don’t pay that much attention to the plot of TV shows–they’re watching for “mindless” entertainment. c) Why would the writers care that the details don’t make sense? In support of a) I submit the following: When I was working in tech support, our product crashed on a customer computer and left a core file. I asked the customer to send me the file so our developers could analyze it and discover what happened. He didn’t know how to attach the file to email, so used “cat” to get the file on screen, then printed it and faxed it to me. (Non-Unix folks: this guy printed a binary file and faxed it to me. Worthless.) I don’t want to start a “well here’s how dumb my customer was” thread (I’m sure it’s out there in many places), but this is just one example of how little people know about the tools they use. Don’t expect a “make computers in movies realistic” movement to gain momentum any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/28 "2003-03-31T17:06:05Z")
**NoCoolUserName** sweet sticky buns with whipped cream in them. In this case also including a mix of marzipan and cream. So, marzipan, cream, whipped cream, icing sugar. Yummy for me, not for my laptop. ---
**Author:** ![ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ed)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/29 "2003-03-31T18:44:31Z")
My problem is with shows that seem to know better, and get things _almost_ but not quite correct. An example is CSI… they manage to make things look real enough when someone uses a computer (Windows-style login boxes, etc), but the thing **beeps incessantly** as they type. Uh, what? Does the beeping add something to the show? Of course, the other side to CSI and computers is the mysterious nature of the computer interfaces… for example, a login box might look kind of like an NT/2000 login screen, but it’s clear they created one from scratch to mimic it. Is there a copyright thing going on that prevents them from just filming the screen of a common workstation? I see this a lot on various shows, but it happens repeatedly on CSI. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/30 "2003-03-31T19:41:20Z")
Some other observations I have made about computers on TV or in the movies: The screen is incredibly _bright!_ It’s bright enough to project the image onto the user’s face. This would be bright enough to blind a person. On older shows computer monitors sometimes used that “computer” font (kind of like the MICR numbers used on checks). I have never seen a computer that, by default, uses this kind of font on the screen. Any time a password is typed in and it’s wrong the screen will flash \*\*\* ACCESS DENIED \*\*\* and it will beep loudly and incessantly. What kind of operating system are they using? I swear Hollywood has its own made-up OS for use in movies since I have never seen such user interfaces IRL. Nobody ever properly powers down a computer (except in _Office Space_, and perhaps for Peter’s situation there he should have just shut the damn machine off.) As a side note, has anyone noticed in _The Ring_ how the “URL” on the computer screen towards the beginning of the movie is just referencing a local file that was made on that machine? It says “C:\WIN98\Desktop…” ([IMDB reference](http://us.imdb.com/Goofs?0298130)). ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/31 "2003-03-31T20:01:27Z")
I used to say ‘why do people accept someone hacking a secure computer remotely in 5 min when they would balk if someone started flying?’ But people don’t always balk. Occasionally you’re watching a show, and half way through, you find someone’s psychic, or they meet a mermaid or something. WHY?? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/32 "2003-03-31T20:09:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Lex says, “It’s a UNIX system! I know this!” while looking at a graphical display. While the display in question was not typical of UNIX systems of that era, it was indeed a commercial UNIX system. Although how _she_ knew this is another story… I think that True Lies had a reasonably good instace of computor break in. I mean, it happened way too fast, but it looked like they kew the pasword already, so its not atrociously bad. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/33 "2003-03-31T20:19:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dwc1970 \* > **Any time a password is typed in and it’s wrong the screen will flash \*\*\* ACCESS DENIED \*\*\* and it will beep loudly and incessantly. What kind of operating system are they using? I swear Hollywood has its own made-up OS for use in movies since I have never seen such user interfaces IRL.** Of course, Denis Nedry designed a security system of his own. “Uh, uh, uh! You didn’t say the magic words!” ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/34 "2003-03-31T20:47:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sleestak \* > JD: OK, want a BigMac? > HG: Sure, you buying? My God, man! You can’t say “BigMac”. You’d get sued. You have to make up a name like “Wally Burger” or something. > [@](#): > > Other plot points happen until HG and JD come back. Shoot outs or whatever. Car chases are good. Or stuff getting blowed up. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983/35 "2003-03-31T21:03:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dwc1970 \* > On older shows computer monitors sometimes used that “computer” font (kind of like the MICR numbers used on checks). I have never seen a computer that, by default, uses this kind of font on the screen. That one cracks me up. They used it because they thought it looked “futuristic”, when it was actually developed to make it easier for scanners to read the numbers on checks. It would serve no purpose as a monitor font. > [@](#): > > Nobody ever properly powers down a computer (except in _Office Space_, and perhaps for Peter’s situation there he should have just shut the damn machine off.) I think that’s just an example of the larger trend of never finishing _anything_ because it would seem monotonous. Like: Nobody ever rinses the shaving cream off their face after shaving Nobody locks the front door when they leave the house Nobody sets the parking brake when they park the car People constantly pour drinks but don’t drink them When making phone calls, nobody ever has to wait for the person on the other end to pick up the phone [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-and-tv-why-cant-they-get-anything-right/164983.md?page=1)