25 interesting things that you learn about computers in the movies...
 
 1.  Word processors never display a cursor.
 2.  You never have to use the spacebar when typing long sentences.
 3.  All monitors display 2 inch high letters.
 4.  High-tech computers, such as those used by NASA, the CIA, or
 some such governmental institution, have easy-to-understand
 graphical interfaces.
 5.  Those that don't will have incredibly powerful text-based
 command shells that can correctly understand and execute
 commands typed in plain English.
 6.  Corollary: You can gain access to any information you want by
 simply typing "ACCESS ALL OF THE SECRET FILES" on any keyboard.
 7.  Likewise, you can infect a computer with a destructive virus
 by simply typing "UPLOAD VIRUS."  Viruses cause temperatures in
 computers, just like they do in humans.  After a while, smoke
 billows out of disk drives and monitors.
 8.  All computers are connected. You can access the information on
 the villain's desktop computer, even if it's turned off.
 9.  Powerful computers beep whenever you press a key or whenever
 the screen changes. Some computers also slow down the output on
 the screen so that it doesn't go faster than you can read. The
 *really* advanced ones also emulate the sound of a dot-matrix
 printer as the characters come across the screen.
 10.  All computer panels have thousands of volts and flash pots
 just underneath the surface. Malfunctions are indicated by a
 bright flash, a puff of smoke, a shower of sparks, and an
 explosion that forces you backward. See #7, above)
 11.  People typing away on a computer will turn it off without
 saving the data.
 12.  A hacker can get into the most sensitive computer in the
 world before intermission and guess the secret password in
 two tries.
 13.  Any PERMISSION DENIED has an OVERRIDE function.
 14.  Complex calculations and loading of huge amounts of data will
 be accomplished in under three seconds. In the movies,
 modems transmit data at two gigabytes per second.
 15.  When the power plant/missile site/whatever overheats, all the
 control panels will explode, as will the entire building.
 16.  If you display a file on the screen and someone deletes the
 file,it also disappears from the screen.  There are no ways
 to copy a backup file-and there are no undelete utilities.
 17.  If a disk has got encrypted files, you are automatically
 asked for a password when you try to access it.
 18.  No matter what kind of computer disk it is, it'll be readable
 by any system you put it into.  All application software is
 usable by all computer platforms.
 19.  The more high-tech the equipment, the more buttons it has.
 However, everyone must have been highly trained, because
 the buttons aren't labelled.
 20.  Most computers, no matter how small, have reality-defying
 three-dimensional, real-time, photo-realistic animated graphics
 capability.
 21.  Laptops, for some strange reason, always seem to have amazing
 real-time video phone capabilities and the performance of a
 CRAY- MP.
 22.  Whenever a character looks at a VDU, the image is so bright
 that it projects itself onto his/her face.
 23.  Computers never crash during key, high-intensity activities.
 Humans operating computers never make mistakes under stress.
 24.  Programs are fiendishly perfect and never have bugs that slow
 down users.
 25.  Any photograph can have minute details pulled out of it.
 You can zoom into any picture as far as you want to.  For
 example:
 "What's that fuzzy thing in the corner?  I don't know, let's
 check.
 It's the murder weapon!".  "Let's look under the bed for the
 killers shoes.  no, just some comics books (Marvel 1954, very
 rare).  Let's check the closet shelves..."
 
 From: Michelle

Wil Stark, wstark04 (at) pobox _dot_com

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