Kirk's 20th cen. computer in TWoK

[Trekker4747]

I have to say, inventing fictitious units of measurement was one of the smartest things modern Trek did. How much is an "isoton" or a "gigaquad"? I don't know, and as long as it avoids stuff like that, I don't care.

I remember reading a website somewhere where the author had "deconstructed" some of the treknology related to computers. (I guess as if they where even trying to be consistant with it, but I'd argue TNG put some effort to a semblance of consistancy/realisim when it came to their technobabble.)

Anyway. This guy had deduced that 1 Gigaquad in Treknology is equal to a Billion Gigabytes.

 

[CoveTom]

I think it's quite obvious. A gigaquad is one thousand 4's of storage.

 

[Trekker4747]

CoveTom said:
I think it's quite obvious. A gigaquad is one thousand 4's of storage.

Or a billion.

 

[Tallguy]

David cgc said:
The TWOK novelization describes the Genesis scientists, in their off time, designing a massive computer game in the Regula One mainframe. When Carol Marcus found out about it, and that it took up a whole 50 megabytes of disk space, she exclaimed that it was "the game that swallowed Saturn!"

As my brother kindly pointed out, the quote is 50 megs, not megabytes. So we really don't know what a meg is.

I was SO mad (I get mad at dumb things) when Mike Okuda said that there was a Comodore 64 in Kirk's apartment on the TWOK text commentary. It's OBVIOUSLY a Pet. 1 - 64's weren't out yet. I'm not sure Vic 20's were either. Close, but not quite yet. 2 - well, it's a Pet! It just is!

2010 had Floyd working on an Apple IIc at the beach. Mind you, he was using it more like a laptop (a glorious dream back in 1984).

 

[Timo]

In the "making of" book of that movie, Clarke himself lovingly details his (and Hyams') early experiments with a "portable" computer while writing 2010. I think he was also using WordPerfect...

Also, his memoirs of the early joys of emailing are fun to read. Boys and toys...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[seigezunt]

ah...WordPerfect...memories...

 

[CaptJimboJones]

David cgc said:
Well, that was only added because Zima advertised so heavily during the show's timeslot, they may as well have been slipping ads into the show. It was a joke, not an actual paid advertisement.

Actually, I think I've read that it was indeed a product placement.

 

[David cgc]

Everything JMS ever said indicates otherwise.

 

[Cmndr J Crichton]

I thought the computer was a Commodore 64. I used to have one!

 

[Maurice]

How could you mistake that for a C64? It doesn't look anything like one!

 

[Warped9]

Crewman47 said:
Just watching this just now and something I've never noticed before but the old antique computer that Kirk has in his aprtment that we can see when McCoy visits him to give him his birthday is on and in working mode as you can briefly see a command prompt blinking. Do you think that Kirk knows how to operate it and actually knows command code and may have been doing some his own programs?

Any thoughts?

More like Bennet and Meyer thought it actually looked like futuristic hi-tech.

 

[NathanielM]

Even better... Add an APPLE II E to the mix... MA *CRAP* IN-Tosh!

I think that is what scotty used at that manufacturing plant in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home...

have not seen that movie in a while i will definately check on that.

 

[Ronald Held]

Maybe?

 

[Shatmandu]

Crewman47 said:
Just watching this just now and something I've never noticed before but the old antique computer that Kirk has in his aprtment that we can see when McCoy visits him to give him his birthday is on and in working mode as you can briefly see a command prompt blinking. Do you think that Kirk knows how to operate it and actually knows command code and may have been doing some his own programs?

Any thoughts?

Kirk does a lot of blogging, under the net handle of "Admiral Bignuts."

Joe, logged

 

[Tallguy]

Warped9 said:
More like Bennet and Meyer thought it actually looked like futuristic hi-tech.

Right up there with an E-6B on the original bridge, right?

 

[Peach Wookiee]

We laugh now, but then...

 

[shatastrophic]

Shatmandu said:

Crewman47 said:
Just watching this just now and something I've never noticed before but the old antique computer that Kirk has in his aprtment that we can see when McCoy visits him to give him his birthday is on and in working mode as you can briefly see a command prompt blinking. Do you think that Kirk knows how to operate it and actually knows command code and may have been doing some his own programs?

Any thoughts?

Kirk does a lot of blogging, under the net handle of "Admiral Bignuts."

Joe, logged

That's the best!! LOL

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Tallguy said:

Warped9 said:
More like Bennet and Meyer thought it actually looked like futuristic hi-tech.

Right up there with an E-6B on the original bridge, right?

Spock, too, had a fondness for antiques. So did McCoy because in "Operation: Annihilate!" he says he's waiting for the plates (as in X-Ray) to come back.

Hey, when you predicate the future sometimes ya just get it wrong. (Side note: JMS originally rejected the idea of an ear piece as the comlinks on B5 because he thought it would look silly for the actors to use-- low and behold, bluetooth tech! This is in the 1st B5 script book.)