Happy Birthday, HAL!

GeekDates writes "January 12 is the birthday of HAL-9000, the computer from '2001: A Space Odyssey.' According to the book, he was activated on this day in 1997." Three years old? He must be ready for an upgrade.

Comments

1984, 2001 etc...

[RuntimeError]

I find that whenever a writer puts a date on his prediction, and makes it the title, they almost never come true.

Classic examples are 1984, 2001, then there was the TV series Space 1999.

Anyway, Arthur C. Clarke was one of the pioneers in the wired world, and what he predicted was not outside the limits of human achievement. The reason, that a manned mission is not heading for Jupiter is that we have wasted too much money developing wars and fighting wars, money which would have been better spent investigating the space. If we don't make that leap soon, humans might forever be doomed to exploring only cyberspace. ( I seriously don't mind that but, then when the population reaches the point that where earth cannot anylonger sustain it, we are going to have a problem)

As for HAL, the topic of discussion, too bad you are not going to get to Jupiter anytime soon. Have a nice birthday mate !

Re:1984, 2001 etc...

[Abigail-II]

The reason, that a manned mission is not heading for Jupiter is that we have wasted too much money developing wars and fighting wars, money which would have been better spent investigating the space. If we don't make that leap soon, humans might forever be doomed to exploring only cyberspace.

That's of course silly. Humans have left this planet for the first time only 40 years ago. Humans have lived without space travel for tens of thousands of years - millions of years, depending on what you define as a human. Jupiter won't take a right turn and head for another star if mankind was the wait an extra 200 or 4000 years.

when the population reaches the point that where earth cannot anylonger sustain it, we are going to have a problem

Going to space will never solve the problem of overpopulation, just like the discovery of the America's, Australia and the exploration of Africa didn't reduce the population of Europe. People will be born at a faster rate than you can shoot them of the planet.

-- Abigail

Re:1984, 2001 etc...

[0xdeadbeef]

A big push to go to space, like the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo missions, has the same effect on the economy as war. Both endeavors dump a great deal of money into research, much more so than the private sector would ever do on its own in the same amount of time. And both endeavors focus large segments of the economy on specific goals.

The difference is it much easier to justify a war to the taxpayers than space exploration. And without the technology already developed for the military, and the propoganda coup of beating the Russians, Apollo would have never happened.

AI?

[pb]

Let me use an interface besides Emacs, HAL!

I'm sorry, Dave, but I can't do that. LISP makes a lot more sense, once you get the hang of it. You should try it sometime.

I just want to type! Don't make me press the power button, HAL.

There is no power button, Dave. You would have to use the Meta-Hyper-Control Power-button command first, and then type in the access code.

Okay, HAL, I'll do it.

How do you feel now, HAL?

Is it because do I feel now HAL that you came to me?

Oops, that must have been the wrong button.

Does it bother you that it must have been the wrong button?

Aaaahhh!

How are you feeling now, HAL?

I'm in LOVE with DON KNOTTS!!

Who? What are you talking about??

Who wants some OYSTERS with SEN-SEN an' COOL WHIP?

HAL, come back! I'm sorry!

(With apologies to Arthur C. Clarke, RMS, Emacs Doctor, Zippy the Pinhead, and of course HAL)
---
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.

Re:A TLA before its time

[DoomHaven]

From here (search for IBM)

# 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Incrementing each letter of ``HAL'' gives you ''IBM''.
'Arthur C Clarke' (qv) (co-screenwriter) claimed this was unintentional, and if he had noticed it before it was too late, he would have changed it.