Re: Computer terminology

[Bryan Dongray <btd@cray.com>]

Alan wrote:
> think of "Cloudbusting"... as much as I love it, the part where
> Kate and Sutherland push the machine to the top of the hill - they
> have it covered up, even though they both know what it is.

"Forward, Jonathan" <JForward@sitgbsd1.telecom.com.au> quipped:
> It's to keep the rain off.

Very amusing. Well, that made me laugh.

Allen Brunson <brunson@techcontrol.com> noted:
> > On "press Execute". How do you know it's not a mouse driven 
> > application? ie point and click, where you WOULD point at a "button" 
> > that could very easily have "Execute" on it?
> 
> Oh, Bryan.  There's really nothing Kate could do that you couldn't 
> rationalize somehow, is there?

This is quite interesting, since TSW is actually my least favourite
album from Kate, but I guess this track is possibly my favourite
on it, I can really quite identify. Yep, I got hooked on "doom",
and "descent" although I'm free now - once I could beat it on
the "Insane" level, I was happy.

> > Ahhh, THANKS for the idea. I have just changed my kate page lyric
> > search engine request button to say "Execute". I love it!
> > Feel free to "press Execute" all you want.
> 
> Bryan, I'm shocked!  I felt certain you'd tell me that you'd contracted 
> to have an "execute" key injection-molded for my keyboard.  Would you 
> like the dimensions of the Enter key it will replace?  Now, THAT would 
> be winning the argument ....

Hmmm, but did you visit my lyric search page and actually press execute?

> >> And naturally we HAVE to have the little synth-y beeps and boops,
> >> *everybody* knows computers make those kinds of noises, silly.
> >
> >Of course! You may say "silly" but personally I'm quite disappointed at
> >modern computers, they just don't have lots of lights either, they're
> >just plain boxes - boring!
> 
> You never got around to explaining the "beeps and boops," but no bother; 
> I'm certain you could have come up with something.

OK, I'll admit, my home PC runs windows 3.1, and I have a great add on
utility which (apart from a zillion other things) adds sounds to most
events, so I do have beeps and boops when a program starts. Actually, so
does the standard SGI UNIX desktop window manager, so it's not as unreal
as you initially seemed to imply. I still like lots of flashy lights.

> > You have to understand that videos are just theatrics, which 
> > exaggerate to make things so obvious.  License granted!
> 
> No, I understand no such thing.  What you'd call "theatrics" I would 
> call "phony."  "License" certainly NOT granted by me!

Does this mean you've never been to the theatre?
I remember being in a couple of school productions, and being told to
totally go over the top facially, since it's a big audience you have
to advertize your expression to. Have you also noticed how cartoons
do just the same, Tom and Jerry is obvious, but other cartoons like
The Simpsons if recorded you can see how everyone is so distorted
when a reaction shot is needed. There are a series of adverts where
peoples faces are distorted to exaggerate their reaction. Anyway,
there's no point arguing this, since there is no video to DU.

> the "I'm using this as an obsession to avoid something else" theme

Personally I take the song literally, ie computer addiction. I know
I have experienced the time distortion around a computer, where you
sit down do a couple of things, and the computer has caused a couple
of hours to fly by. My wife has noticed this too. I'll just have a
quick 10 minutes, she says... 2 hours later... No that couldn't have
been 2 hrs it really didn't feel that long!

Does everyone else experience this, or this a feature just my computer has?

Thanks Allen this is really great to have a discussion, and to hear
other viewpoints. I know I'm usually very down to earth about lots of
things, but I think I understand the reason for the exaggeration of
some of the lyrics and sounds, it really explains what's happening.

Imagine if it went:
	As the people here grow colder
	I turn to my computer
	And spend my evenings with it
	Like a friend.
	I installed a new program
	I had ordered from a magazine:

	"Are you lonely, are you lost?
	This voice console is a must."

			I click an icon
				[sound of double mouse click, disk rattling]
etc.

Perhaps this is a little more up to date than when DU was written,
my guess is about 1987, that IS 9 years ago. Doesn't time fly!

			C, ohe,
			Bryan Dongray