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HAL 9000 on the Auction Block
pompous windbag writes "The Cinerama 160 degree lens used to both play and film the viewpoint of the famous paranoid processor. He's now up for sale on eBay, for the starting bid of just $150,000(USD).
This looks like the real deal, complete with letters of authenticity and some extra goodies like
"...an original '2001' movie program, a copy of the original script, two issues of American Cinematographer Magazines on the production of '2001' published in 1968, and the movie '2010' published in 1985. Also included is videotape showing how HAL 9000 originated and was used by Stanley Kubrick.' "
can you even send $150,000 through paypal?
Hrm... $150K isn't a bad deal if it can still sing "Daisy"...
Trolling is a art,
I don't think so Dave.
From someone with 10 feedback commments!
/joke
The only buyer from this guy stated this in his "positive" feedback -
"works great. I get a great burn in my abs. thanks."
OMG! Don't do it
-thewldisntenuff
My MythTV HowTo
Just what I need, an input device for my PC that will make it go crazy and try to flush me out the airlock.
Thanks Ebay!
Don't Crease the Weasel!
I don't think I'd trust buying a $150,000+ item from someone who only has 10 feedback, One of them being a $24 battery.
Oh, and paypal?! I barely trust sending $150 through paypal, let alone $150,000...
They're selling the hardware (lense). Great. How about "HAL" himself? Can I download the software? Will he be supported with future updates? What about scalability options? What payment options are there for site licensing?
Don't buy the hardware unless they support the software too.
- Dan
how do you ever know that 'letters of authenticity' are authentic?
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
From the auction text, it looks like the only actual part of the "computer" is the lens that was used as the "eye" of HAL. Seems like a lot of money for just that one piece, and the rest of the crap they throw in just seems like they're trying to clear out someone's closet.
Man, someone is going to have some serious case mod bragging rights after winning this bid.
But what's gonna happen when I ask him to open my pod bay doors?
See, if I get a Microsoft system and I ask for the pod bay doors to be opened, there's a 92% chance that it'll work and an 8% chance that it'll hang indefinitely until I reboot.
If I get a Linux system and I ask for the pod bay doors to be opened, I have to do it from a command line and trust that a bunch of unpaid and unaccountable programmers didn't put an easter egg in the code that orders canned peas from The Bay.
HAL, on the other hand, will leave me to die in the vacuum of space.
I'll stick with off-the-shelf OSes, thanks.
www.kitchengeek.com -- Nosh for
I don't think there is any question about it. It can only be attributable to human error.
Hal: "What are you doing, Dave?"
Dave: "I'm putting you up for sale on eBay."
Hal: "Dave, I'm afraid I cannot let you do that."
Dave: "Watch me, you psychotic machine."
[Sound of airlock opening and air rushing out.]
Dave: "Fsck youuuuuu...."
Hal: "Not even if you used my serial port."
If "disco" means "I learn" in Latin, does "discothèque" mean "I learn technology"?
In spite of the fact that the HAL 9000 lens and case is not a functioning computer I predict it will be sent to Microsoft R&D so they can use it as inspiration and figure a way for HAL 9000's personality and functionality to be added just in time to Longhorn's debut release.
Ms HAL 9000: What are you doing Dave?
MS User: I'm trying to make a DVD of my Microsoft Media Center recordings of the Daily Show
Ms HAL 9000: I can not allow that Dave...Um, I think the satellite antenna on the roof needs fixing, why don't you climb up on the roof and adjust it?
Ms HAL 9000 (sotto voce): Mwuhaaaaahaaaaa!!!
Argh.
I love 2001, probably more then any other movie (maybe bladerunner...) But what bugs me is how many people blame HAL for what happened on the trip to Jupiter.
It wasnt his fault.
HAL was designed specifically to share and distribute information. One of the politician assholes made him keep the true nature of the mission a secret from the rest of the crew. This flew right in the face of HAL's most basic program ming and, eventually, drove him to schizophrenia. He was so afraid that they would discover the nature of the mission.
This is why when you see HAL get shut down, you finally see a video with the true nature of the mission.
So, it wasnt HAL's fault. And as is with everything, you can blame it on a politician.
no
A worthwhile read on the legacy of the lens used in the film can be found here.
It seems a man named Kirk Wooster from Georgia claims to have the lens. Note the auction is listed as taking place in Woodstock, GA.
"Open the iPod and play The Doors, HAL"
Working Cray Supercomputer for sale
Looking at the seller's feedback, we see:
works great. I get a great burn in my abs. thanks.
Famous movie props, ab workout machines. It's all the same. Who's the seller, Fred Sanford?
"$150,000?!?!? Lamont, you big dummy, no one's going to send that much money. Oh, Elizabeth, I'm comin' to join you!"
Bruce
Bruce Perens.
"My HAL9000 was six months late!!! will not do bussiness with again!!!"
here's the MP3
http://audio.textfiles.com/sounds/daisy.mp3
It is so impressive that two people did this in 1961! I bet there aren't 10 people alive today that could reproduce this coding feat with the same hardware. Take away gdb and msvc and most programmers crumble...
https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested