At what stage did designers think this was a practical idea?
The main point of a self destruct function is that it is a last resort when you have been attacked and your fortress has been breached. It is used when all is basically lost and you have no time to formulate a defence plan.
So with the knowledge that you don’t even have time to come up with a plan, the best method of initiating such a self-destruct sequence would be to sit at a computer and play chess?
Surely I am not the only one to see the flawed logic here?
For instance, even if you manage to get your colleagues to keep the enemy back from the main computer, what if you do not win your first game? It surely may take several attempts before you emerge victorious. In a real-time war scenario, this just wouldn’t be practical.
Also, we all remember the moment that an IBM program outwitted the greatest chess player in the world – so, how would the random soldier or inhabitant of the house be able to compete with this level of masterclass?
What if your enemies happen to be very good at chess?
This means they can crack your codes straight away and be privy to all your top-secret information…I like to think this is the only reason Britain did not use “the chess defence” during the Cold War.
And finally, what was wrong with the idea of a 4-digit pin-code?
Even if it was forgotten, there surely could be a reset function? And to combat hackers there could be some sort of “3 incorrect attempts and we swallow your card” procedure.
But no…chess it is…
In the end, what I am worried of, is the fact that television shows in particular, have such an influence on everyday life. There are so many examples of ideas and scenarios from TV being recreated in the world around us…
All I’m saying is, just don’t be surprised when faced with a game of spider solitaire the next time you go to withdraw money from a cashline…
We're at the halfway stage with Steve & Dave...savour them while they last...
1 comment:
If you are as sad as me, and pause the two screens where you see Locke making his moves, you will see that there are two or three rounds that we don't get to see.
Including two illegal knight moves by the computer. I think the computer cheated to let Locke win.
Why, and how, I have no idea.
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