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ArticlesGeek Mystique


June 1996 / Bits / Pentium Pro Moves to the Desktop / Geek Mystique

Computer Lessons from the Movies

-- Never connect air traffic- or missile-control compute rs to a modem (WarGames, Sneakers).

-- Never create killer slice-'n'-dice robots that look and act exactly like real people (Screamers, Blade Runner, Terminator).

-- Never click on a little pi symbol in the lower right corner of a Web page unless Kevorkian's line is busy and you're in a hurry (The Net).

-- Don't forget to include an "off" switch when designing invulnerable machine-gun-toting robots with a homicidal-psychopath-brain-based OS--no, we don't mean DOS (Robocop 2).

-- Never implant explosive flash memory chips directly into your own brain; go with a hard drive (Johnny Mnemonic).


Top 10 Uses for Free AOL Disks


1.
 Coaster

2.
 Jimmy doors open without damaging credit cards

3.
 Wedge legs on wobbly tables

4.
 Bathtub plug

5.
 A stack of five makes a great doorstop

6.
 Scrape gum off sneakers

7.
 Keep shirt pocket flat when ironing

8.
 Include in next chain letter

9.
 Back up that XT 10-MB drive

10.
 Bookmark in Sex for Dummies


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Flexible C++
Matthew Wilson
My approach to software engineering is far more pragmatic than it is theoretical--and no language better exemplifies this than C++.

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