Funny or dumb technology references/depictions in movies and TV

[PokerGuy]

Every show seems to have some nerdy super-expert in their field. Sometimes its funny how the super-duper PC guru can do stuff, sometimes its idiotic. Every movie with a computer guru has the guru hacking into stuff in seconds, breaking encryption in minutes, and doing full searches of all databases on the planet for pictures and scans in mere seconds.

I was watching an old episode of Criminal Minds last night. Garcia (the computer super-guru) has a workstation from which she breaks into every system around the world. Encrypted databases are no match for her etc etc. When she's in the hospital, some other (lesser) "guru" takes over her station and says "Oh wow, she's really awesome, her GUI is in linnux and she has open source software!". I just had to :laugh:

What are some of the funny/crazy/stupid etc depictions you've seen?

 

[2Xtreme21]

Chloe O'Brian.

/thread

 

[PokerGuy]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Chloe O'Brian.

/thread

She's definitely one of the afore-mentioned super gurus that shows seem to have. "Jack, this data is encrypted using a super strong cipher. I'm going to need at least 17 minutes to hack it!" :laugh:

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

This is without a doubt the worst computer-related scene ever aired on TV. Ever.

 

[Arcadio]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Chloe O'Brian.

/thread

leave Chloe alone....



I don't like the fact that all computer programs on TV shows and movies make dozens of sounds every time they are processing information or displaying messages. Computers barely make any sound when you're working with them...

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Originally posted by: Arcadio

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Chloe O'Brian.

/thread

leave Chloe alone....



I don't like the fact that all computer programs on TV shows and movies make dozens of sounds every time they are processing information or displaying messages. Computers barely make any sound when you're working with them...

Yeah that really annoys me too :|

 

[Apathetic]

How about any of the movies where there is an "evil computer" trying to crack a code and they slowly whittle down the remaining list of "uncracked" digits completely ignoring two little math facts of a) it's all or nothing and b) even if it did work that way, removing a single digit would make it 10x easier to crack. *sigh*

Dave

 

[ra1nman]

Every episode of CSI.

Lets magically turn this crappy pic into stunning HD quality.......:roll:

 

[Arcadio]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
This is without a doubt the worst computer-related scene ever aired on TV. Ever.

That's from a comedy, right?

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
This is without a doubt the worst computer-related scene ever aired on TV. Ever.

Holy crap, that is the lamest thing I've seen. :laugh:

 

[vi edit]

On a TV commercial that's been running lately it show's a Mac laptop BSOD.

*technically* I guess it's possible...but I doubt they are bootcamping it.

Oh...and requisite....*haaX0r$@z the gibson!"

 

[Bill Brasky]

Swordfish. Since when does a computer hack look like a rubix cube?

 

[ggnl]

Almost done with level 3, and need to tighten up the graphics a little bit!

 

[Delita]

I'm pretty sure I saw an episode of NCIS when the "hacker" of the show couldn't type fast enough to break into some database, so her friend came over and typed on the same keyboard at the same time so they could "hack" it faster.

I stopped watching the show right then.

 

[Pacemaker]

I always find it strange that when a computer is hit with a single bullet (sometimes to the monitor) the data on the hard drive is lost and unrecoverable. Even if it was the luckiest shot in the world and actually hit the hard drive you could probably still get the data off of it.

 

[Insomniator]

Whatever that movie was with jodie foster where the preview had her or someone saying "They're breaking into our wireless network!"

Sounded retarded to me in the commercial at least..

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
This is without a doubt the worst computer-related scene ever aired on TV. Ever.

Holy crap, that is the lamest thing I've seen. :laugh:

Lol, I remember that. I stopped watching Life, though.

My personal favorite is scene in Sleeper Cell (season 1), when Farik is giving some kid (I think he's in an internet cafe or something) advice while he's playing Halo.

Now that I think about it, it would have been funnier if it were Resident Evil (Oded Fehr was in the second and third Resident Evil movies), or if the kid were fighting the zombie-like Flood on screen.

 

[Joemonkey]

I remember on an episode of Jericho where they were trying to get on the internet after they got power back and the daughter of the black dude that had the bomb said to someone "if typing the name doesn't work, try typing the ip address, it is 571 dot blah blah blah"

I started laughing and my wife said "what's so funny?" and I explained no one would know an IP address for a random web page off the top of their head, and 571 isn't even a valid octet to start an IP address out with

yes, i'm a geek

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Well for movies. Jurassic Park. "This is Unix, I know this."
But basically 99% of computer use in TV and movies is pure bullshit.
The one the gets me the most is cop shows where they can take the reflection of a reflection and contruct a face and then run that face through a database and find out who it is in 2 minutes.

 

[PokerGuy]

Originally posted by: ra1nman
Every episode of CSI.

Lets magically turn this crappy pic into stunning HD quality.......:roll:

That's another pet peeve of mine as well. All those shows pull the old "zoom in on that part", and they can take the picture and zoom in on some incredible detail. Good luck with that in the real world

 

[lokiju]

The whole movie start to finish of the first Hackers and also Lawn Mower Man.

 

[lokiju]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
This is without a doubt the worst computer-related scene ever aired on TV. Ever.

Wow :laugh:

 

[purbeast0]

How about the "super 6 monitor computer" in Swordfish that Hugh Jackman has to crack some code on? That is pretty laughable.

Oh yea, and the way the guy "programs a game" in Grandmas Boy is pretty laughable too.

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
Well for movies. Jurassic Park. "This is Unix, I know this."
But basically 99% of computer use in TV and movies is pure bullshit.
The one the gets me the most is cop shows where they can take the reflection of a reflection and contruct a face and then run that face through a database and find out who it is in 2 minutes.

you know, i too thought that unix part in JP was BS, but then in a thread justl ike this, I called that same scene out, and someone told me that is actually a real OS and that is how it looks, and linked me to it too heh. so in JP it's legit, as lame as it looks.

 

[PottedMeat]

Terminator almost gets away with this because it looks like real technical data but once you think about it...

Why would looking through a terminator's ( created by machines ) eyes show a human readable display?

But by far the worst is 24's technobabble in terms of inaccuracy and density.

 

[Beev]

I agree with a lot of the babble being completely stupid (enhance... ENHANCE!) but a lot of times the speed at which they do things is for the sake of the viewer. No one wants to watch the tech geek on a tv show hack a computer for an hour