Ignorance is bliss, and Hollywood is always blissfully unaware when it comes to technology. Movies and TV shows never get it right, either out of date or way ahead of their time.
From depicting detectives doing things that can't yet be done, to showing us that devices from the last century are the standard for the future, Hollywood often gets technology wrong.
Forensic dramas and detective shows are the worst for this. They have a way of taking something that is so time consuming and reducing it to a two minute process. It just doesn't work like that. For example, identifying the DNA of people. You can't move a body bag without hitting a forensic procedural drama where they can analyze and compare DNA samples in minutes. You can see them do it on CSI in 60 seconds flat.
With the DNA samples acquired correctly. 3 Cool Science Experiments you can do at home. 3 Cool Science Experiments you can do at home. Science is too complicated, exhausting and can only be done in a laboratory, right? Read More It's not very fast, right??
However, rapid DNA tests could happen soon. In 2010, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) created the Rapid DNA Program Office. His goal is to develop a device that can analyze a buccal swab in just an hour or two. A comparative search can then be made in existing DNA databases.
Considering that the FBI is working with, "...the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Institute of Justice, and other federal agencies..." There is a good chance that this is achieved.
Another example of getting something out of nothing is the classic image enhancement trope. You know the one. In Enemy of the State , Jack Black, who plays a forensic imaging technician, takes a two-dimensional segment from a video camera and magically turns it into 3D. He then he can turn it around to see everything. I am sorry. If it's not in the picture, you won't see it, no matter what. You can only make a picture better How to sharpen and sharpen blurry photos and movies How to sharpen and sharpen blurry photos and movies Blurred photos are becoming more and more popular, but putting those catchy Instagram filters aside, blurry photos and videos are generally a annoyance. Fortunately, it turns out that there are dedicated programs to fix them. Read more much. Or can you?
Cameras are However, it is developing that you can see around corners. A new method of photography, called femto photography, captures a trillion frames per second. The camera is watching at the speed of light, so to speak. Being able to see at the speed of light, he can see light bouncing off objects that are not in the frame. Applying some fancy math to those light patterns can tell you the shape of objects off screen.
Fine details aren't possible yet, but give it time. Female photography could be so good. Watch the video to hear about the technology and see an example of it in action.
Don't you love how the computers in the movies let you know when they're being hacked? Oversized graphics and text soar at blazing speeds, displaying skulls or disappearing files. In what movies or shows does this occur? Choose one. There is a lot to choose from.
The nice guy then usually starts throwing windows around your screen and opening and closing files. Somehow that repels the attack. It is not surprising. Hollywood hacking Hollywood Hacks:Best and Worst Movie Hacking Hollywood Hacks:Best and Worst Movie Hacking Hollywood and hacking don't mix. While real-life piracy is tough, movie piracy often involves just tapping on the keyboard like your fingers are getting old. Read More Take a look at Garcia in Criminal Minds get hacked in an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game).
Let's think about this for a minute. How many big companies are hacked? Store where you buy? What do you have to do to buy in a hacked store? Here's the thing to do Read More Hackers don't want to be found, ever. If you've been properly hacked, you won't know it.
Let's say someone saw you on their network. At that time, stopping the attack is really not that complicated. It's definitely not that elegant. Give it time, though. If the US military's DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has its way with Plan X, it could become that fantasy. Drag and drop pirate battles could become something..
Most of the time, Hollywood gets ahead of the curve with its future technology displays, but even more frustrating is when filmmakers and producers are truly behind. Here are some examples to make the point.
Phone technology has moved so fast in 20 years that we should be more surprised than we really are. Certainly, the people who work in Hollywood, with their wide-ranging creativity, should have seen a world with something like smartphones. You should not? Future communication devices cannot be imagined. Future communication devices. Everyone will want to own. Future communication devices. Everyone will want to own. It is no secret that digital communication rules our lives. What kind of communication devices will you use in years? Will it read your thoughts, or will it use AI? What does the future hold? Read More
Take a look at the opening scene of The Fifth Element . Lots of forward-thinking technology, but the phone is still just a cordless headset.
That was 1997. They couldn't even copy. Star Trek The communicators of 1966, like Motorola did with the StarTac in 97? Come on Hollywood, you could have done better. After all a lot of Star Trek technology became reality.
Remember that scene in The Matrix where Neo sells records to Choi? Those were miniDiscs. Back in 1992, when Sony put the MiniDisc 5 Things To Do With Your Old MiniDisc Collection 5 Things To Do With Your Old MiniDisc Collection on the market, it was extremely groundbreaking. Surprisingly, Sony still sells MiniDisc players and recorders. That doesn't mean much, though. You can still buy registration players as well. Vinyl Is Still Good 4 Reasons Why Vinyl Is Better Than Digital 4 Reasons Why Vinyl Is Better Than Digital Greetings Peasants! What, are you still listening to MP3s? Look, as someone who knows more about music than you, I think it's my duty to tell you that there is a better way. It's called vinyl. Read more.
But The matrix came out in 1999! So why wouldn't they think of using USB flash drives? Flash drives were on the market next year. Surely with all those geeks behind the camera, someone would have known the flash drive was just around the corner.
Again, for an industry so in tune with visual arts and display technology, it's surprising that flat screens weren't the standard in movies much earlier. However, the 1997 dystopian sci-fi classic, Gattaca , you have all your future super genetic people working on computers with old school CRT monitors.
Of course, they were a bit neater than the beige behemoths of the 1980s. But if future people can genetically split like a god, couldn't they at least upgrade from a CRT to a flat screen? Sure they could. LCD televisions had been on store shelves since 1988. In 1997, when Gattaca It was released, flat screens were the envy of all. Take a look at this quick ad for a 1998 Phillips flat screen TV.
Despite all this, we should give Hollywood a break. It is easy to choose them by mistaking the technology. Remember, suspension of disbelief is a necessary part of entertainment, especially when it comes to science fiction. Also, we know that making everything happen like real life is boring. That's why we watch these shows in the first place.
We have to give Hollywood some technological credibility. Hollywood not only inspires inventions, but is often the home of inventors. Think about the real-life technology that Star Trek and Dick Tracy inspired by, and advances made by, George Lucas's Industrial Lucas and Magic, and Disney's Pixar. So we should, as techies, feel free to have a few laughs, but then get back to enjoying the movies and TV shows we love.
What's your favorite tech problem? Are you a certified tech geek who still loves some CSI or Scorpion ? What is your favorite hacker show? Share it with us in the comments below. Because surely everyone likes to talk about television and movies.!
