Angry moms.

[ravenxau]

I remember programming a friends vic20 to flash random border/screen color combinations and play random music tones. His father thought it would blow up the computer and damage the TV - ahhh.....good times

[Bacon]

Hah! I remember Whiz Kids! I have mentioned this program to so many people so many times but not a soul recollects it. They all remember the usual ones like Street Hawk and Manimal but not my beloved Whiz Kids! I can't really remember much about it but I certainly loved it at the time. Good times...

I remember that show too. It must have aired here around 1985 or so. I liked it but I remember being annoyed (as I tend to always be) when they portrayed the technology in unrealistic ways. In one episode the kids have a digitized photo (fair enough - although the home computer they used wouldn't have been able to show it with such quality) that they need to extract some information from. So they program the computer to zoom in beyond the actual resolution of the picture which made me cringe. I understood even then that if you don't have the detail in the picture from the start, there is no way it can be extracted no matter how fancy your software - especially not on an 8-bit home computer.

I often get the same feeling when watching shows like CSI where they often portray e.g. DNA technology almost as some kind of magic

Coming to think of it, that's all I can recall from any of the episodes. Probably says something about me.

[Bacon]

Oh, and nippur72 - great trick!

[Jeff-20]

... but I remember being annoyed (as I tend to always be) when they portrayed the technology in unrealistic ways.

I often get the same feeling when watching shows like CSI where they often portray e.g. DNA technology almost as some kind of magic

The very idea of Jurassic Park drives me nuts! I could never bear to watch it all.

[Bacon]

... but I remember being annoyed (as I tend to always be) when they portrayed the technology in unrealistic ways.

I often get the same feeling when watching shows like CSI where they often portray e.g. DNA technology almost as some kind of magic

The very idea of Jurassic Park drives me nuts! I could never bear to watch it all.

I'm usually able to suspend my disbelief if the acting is good, there are nice special effects, or the rest of the story is captivating.

Btw, what the hell are you doing awake at this hour?

[Jeff-20]

Btw, what the hell are you doing awake at this hour?

I was making a game. It was a pretty good one too.

[ral-clan]

I remember being annoyed (as I tend to always be) when they portrayed the technology in unrealistic ways. In one episode the kids have a digitized photo (fair enough - although the home computer they used wouldn't have been able to show it with such quality) that they need to extract some information from. So they program the computer to zoom in beyond the actual resolution of the picture which made me cringe. I understood even then that if you don't have the detail in the picture from the start, there is no way it can be extracted no matter how fancy your software - especially not on an 8-bit home computer.

I often get the same feeling when watching shows like CSI where they often portray e.g. DNA technology almost as some kind of magic :

Ugh! That annoys me too....and the crime shows still do the video zoom thing today. I see it all the time. There was a show just a couple of years ago, about a security team that worked for a Las Vegas casino. They took the black and white security cam footage from the front parking lot and zoomed in, then zoomed in again, then again, then again (each time, running "enhancement" on it to make it crystal sharp again). By the end they were able to read the writing on a scrap of paper the culprit held in his hand.

I've no doubt the CIA or MI5 has dedicated video cameras that are capable of filming in super high resolution (in the first place)...and there are probably some amazing tricks requiring hours of processor time to extract SOME extra detail out of blurry pics (witness the enhancements to the video frames during the Shuttle Columbia investigation). But your average police force or security company is not going to have this!

Apparently, the unrealistic techniques & technology shown on TV can be a bit of a problem for police forces when doing real investigations. People are upset when the real police can't enhance their security cam video like is seen on CSI, etc.

[orion70]

Hah! I remember Whiz Kids!

Me too. My brother and I were very fond of it. In fact, it was one of the reasons why we wanted a computer - and yes, when we had one we were disappointed it couldn't do all those wonders.

...and Manimal...

Manimal! I completely forgot it! We had a way of saying a girl was bad-looking: "she's like Manimal during transformation" .

[Commander#1]

As for your trick; I think that's proof-positive of the ignorance of the 'oldies' at the time. They thought it was fun for a few minutes but a) they actually thought it was possible and b) didn't see the importance of it if it had been real!! Parents, eh!?[/quote]

Be careful guys!!! WE are now the 'oldies' of the time! What are our kids DOING!!!!!!

Phil Potter.

[darkatx]

I can't count the memories of my mom picking up the phone - dialing out only to hear the ever fateful modem screech in her ears.
She'd run upstairs with bloody eardrums - yelling louder than normal (due to inner ear damage)
"Bryan GET OFF THAT PHONE!!!!"
Aw, good times

[PaulQ]

My mom was always angry. The game was trying to figure out what it was she was angry about. The highlight was when she called me a "Son-of-a-bitch." I couldn't disagree with her, yet felt like I won the argument...

Seriously though, she's mellowed out a lot now, and I really love spending time with her now that I understand how hard it was for her with all those kids to tend after. I guess that's why I only had one of my own.

[Bacon]

Be careful guys!!! WE are now the 'oldies' of the time! What are our kids DOING!!!!!!

I don't think they'll be able to fool this particular crowd with technology, but there will always be areas where the kids will outsmart the older generation.

[English Invader]

My parents had a VIC-20 when I was a child, but it packed up before I was old enough to appreciate it. I have vague memories of Blitz, Shark Attack and my dad programming the computer to say: "Goodnight, Childrenites. It's time for you to f**k off to bed!"

This, incidentally, was my first acquaintance with the F word.

[Stinky]

Unfortunately for my parents, the first three Vic games they bought for me were Rat Race, Omega Race and Alien; three of the most annoying sounding games in history.