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| The computer Sam Flynn uses to enter The Grid |
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| A Light Cycle |
Isomorphic Algorithms: (ISOs), self-produced programs that carried the potential to unlock mysteries in science, religion, and medicine. They were believed to be imperfection by Clu, who destroyed all of them.
Light Cycles: vehicles designed by Syd Mead resembling motorcycles, which create walls of dangerous colored lights. They are used in a competition on the grid between humans and programs.
Disc: Identity discs that you must always have with you in the game; used in fights
The Grid: A virtual world inside the computer
Program: Electronic beings created by users (humans) which are designed to look exactly like their human counterpart
Program: Electronic beings created by users (humans) which are designed to look exactly like their human counterpart
Summary:
Kevin Flynn, an innovative software engineer, as well as the CEO of ENCOM International, disappears in 1989, leaving his son Sam Flynn, and his billion dollar company behind. Twenty years later, Sam Flynn receives a page from his father's old office. He unwillingly goes to investigate, locating his father's secret laboratory, in which Sam accidentally transports himself into The Grid. Discovered to be a user, unlike the thousands of programs flooding the game, he is led to CLU, who challenges him to a Light Cycle battle. Sam is nearly killed, but is rescued by Quorra, later revealed to be the last remaining ISO. After being reunited with his father after twenty long years, Sam is desperate to return to the portal, so that Kevin can finally return home. However, CLU dreams of unreachable perfection, and is determined to follow them out of the cyber universe, aiming to bring an advanced army along with him to take control of Earth.
Discussion:
There are many important scientific elements to this film, considering it was a science fiction movie. One such element is a device, which allows you to simply create anything you visualize. A device like this appears before Sam and CLU's light cycle battle. Another technology the film examines is containing all your genetic information, as well as everything you have learned and know, on a hard drive (the discs). I think having something like that would completely change the world, as it would completely change the idea of privacy. If you gained access to someone's disc you immediately know everything about them. The most prominent aspect in the movie is being able to transport your physical self from the real world to cyber space, which, as the movie displays, could really lead to two completely separate worlds. Cloning is also present in the movie, as Kevin Flynn states he cloned himself so that he could indirectly rule The Grid, even while he wasn't inside the game. The film exposes the inability of robots to think as humans do (CLU is unable to see the perfection while Kevin Flynn does). Despite the fact that all of these could provide MAJOR changes to the way the world is now, I believe the most important part is the chase for perfection in technology that society and the scientific world continually face.
Questions:
Can science progress to a point where people can leave their physical selves and enter inside a cyber world, like The Grid?
Are scientists that are developing robots taking measures to ensure that the robots will not gain more intelligence than the human race, so that they will not overthrow us similar to what CLU did to Kevin Flynn?
Discussion:
There are many important scientific elements to this film, considering it was a science fiction movie. One such element is a device, which allows you to simply create anything you visualize. A device like this appears before Sam and CLU's light cycle battle. Another technology the film examines is containing all your genetic information, as well as everything you have learned and know, on a hard drive (the discs). I think having something like that would completely change the world, as it would completely change the idea of privacy. If you gained access to someone's disc you immediately know everything about them. The most prominent aspect in the movie is being able to transport your physical self from the real world to cyber space, which, as the movie displays, could really lead to two completely separate worlds. Cloning is also present in the movie, as Kevin Flynn states he cloned himself so that he could indirectly rule The Grid, even while he wasn't inside the game. The film exposes the inability of robots to think as humans do (CLU is unable to see the perfection while Kevin Flynn does). Despite the fact that all of these could provide MAJOR changes to the way the world is now, I believe the most important part is the chase for perfection in technology that society and the scientific world continually face.
Questions:
Can science progress to a point where people can leave their physical selves and enter inside a cyber world, like The Grid?
Are scientists that are developing robots taking measures to ensure that the robots will not gain more intelligence than the human race, so that they will not overthrow us similar to what CLU did to Kevin Flynn?
Citations:
ZootCatchy. "Tron: Legacy (2010)." Internet Movie Database. IMDb, n.d. Web. 10
Jan. 2011. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1104001/>.
Disney. "Tron: The Official Site." Disney. DIsney, n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 20z
images:
ZootCatchy. "Tron: Legacy (2010)." Internet Movie Database. IMDb, n.d. Web. 10
Jan. 2011. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1104001/>.
Disney. "Tron: The Official Site." Disney. DIsney, n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 20z
images:
http://alternatewrites.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/tron_legacy.jpg
http://moviecultists.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/tron-legacy-computer-output-trailer-screencap.jpg
I think that this movie is definitely interesting, and the science fiction aspects make it even more interesting. The fact that somebody can "enter" another world is science fiction, but probably in less than 100 years, this technology will be available, even though it may only be a very basic form. However, robots dominating over humans is highly unlikely, since humans have reasoning as well as intelligence, which trumps the intelligence of robots or machines. Otherwise, your summary, definitions/labels, and questions pose interesting thoughts.
ReplyDeleteTron is very interesting and the science behind it is pretty cool. The technology in Tron is not that far out. Entering another world could be possible in the near future. Some people think that if we make robots they might take over the world, but that does not make sense because humans have feelings and higher intelligence than robots. Overall, nice blog.
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