I haven't read the article you referenced yet, but my assumption is that the
author was talking about HAL's prediction of an impending failure in the AE-35
antenna positioning unit. There was nothing wrong with the AE-35, and HAL's
mistaken diagnosis was the first visble sign of his developing mental
instability -- a type of "computer hypochondria." The communications link to
Earth served as a sort of conscience for HAL, and so by disrupting
communications with an imaginary failure of the antenna positioning mechanism,
he was able to ignore that conscience.
Wayne
[log in to unmask] on 01/10/2002 01:53:34 PM
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cc: (bcc: Wayne Brown/Corporate/Altec)
Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] OT: HAL-15 desktop supercomputer
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Having only seen the movie on TV, with all the attendant distractions, I am
unable to recall what exactly is meant by a linked article's statement:
HAL's downfall begins when he exhibits one of the basic qualities of being
human. He screws up.
How did HAL "screw up", in the sense meant by the author? I accept that
killing all but one of the crew, or having attempted to kill all of them, is
considered a faux pas in many circles, but that's not what is meant here.
This article is at http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/space/12/27/part.four/,
which is described by a sidebar as 'Part 4 in a five-part series exploring
themes from the classic science fiction film "2001: A Space Odyssey."'. This
series begins at http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/space/12/21/part.one/, which
has the quote:
"If you understand '2001' on the first viewing, we will have failed."
-- Arthur C. Clarke
No quotes from Nietzsche or Zarathustra, though.
Greg Stigers
http://www.cgiusa.com
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All originality and no plagiarism makes for dull preaching
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