[PLUG-TALK] Hacking in TV SHows

[Paul Heinlein]

On Mon, 24 Nov 2014, Daniel Herrington wrote:

> [... that IT operations are portrayed inaccurately in TV/movies ...]

I'd contend that in shows I've watched recently (including Arrow, 
Agents of SHIELD, Bones, Criminal Minds, The Flash [go ahead and say 
it: I have the viewing habits of a 14-year-old boy]), IT operations 
are indistinguishable from magic.

Interestingly, in four of those shows the IT mastermind is female, 
which is (descriptively, not ideally) as counterfactual as the speed 
of the "hacking" that takes place.

I just tend to view the IT role in most shows as the current version 
of

  * Barney, from Mission: Impossible (the series),
  * Computer, from Star Trek,
  * the Bat Cave,
  * KITT, from Knight Rider,
  * Tardis, in Dr. Who

You could even add occasional characters like Huggy Bear, from Starsky 
and Hutch, to that set of roles. They are the Oracles who send the 
heros on their tasks.

I actually have no complaint with this. Research is tedious; 
few things are more boring than watching someone extract interesting 
information from a book, library, or computer. So writers use 
"advanced technology" or "incredible hacker" as a stand-in. People 
might get the wrong idea about systems administration, but they get 
more broadly engaging stories.

-- 
Paul Heinlein
heinlein at madboa.com
45°38' N, 122°6' W