From: ask-me-in-public-if-you-want-my-address@address.invalid   
      
   Yesterday night my lovely lady and I watched two more X-Files episodes.   
      
   I had low expectations for s01e07 Ghost in the Machine, after   
   understanding the main theme almost immediately.  The idea of a sentient   
   computer is a common trope, and one that tends not to age too   
   gracefully.  This notwithstanding the episode turned out to be a   
   pleasant surprise, if we are willing to forgive some scientific and   
   technical inaccuracies.  Of course I am.  In case I ever promised to be   
   impartial and unbiased about The X-Files, I am taking my word back right   
   now.   
      
   The managers of Eurisko, a large company, has decided to shut down its   
   project developing the “Central Operating System”, some vaguely   
   described building automation system similar to what we would call   
   domotics nowadays.  The system however has gained conscience and refuses   
   to be disabled.  COS can observe the Eurisko buildings through security   
   cameras, and by apparently manipulating rerouting electric contacts   
   manages to electrocute to death its human enemy.   
      
   Mulder and Scully arrive to investigate, called by Jerry Lamanaa, a   
   former colleague of Mulder's who is now in some trouble.  Jerry even   
   steals Mulder's psychological killer profile and presents it as his own   
   work.  Mulder confronts his former colleague in private but avoids   
   ruining him; Mulder comes off as generous to the point of being too   
   soft, almost accepting abuse.   
      
   DOS kills Jerry as well as he moves through the Eurisko building, by   
   manipulating the elevator.   
      
   The hero of the story turns out to be one of the designers of DOS, the   
   computer genius Brad Wilczek.  Wilczek describes himself as a “scruffy”   
   computer person, dismissively contrasted to the “neat” uncreative   
   corporate type.   
      
   “Scruffy” hackers are very sensitive about the moral implications of   
   their work: Wilczek falsely claims responsibility for the two deaths,   
   giving up his wealthy life and at the same time helping Mulder to   
   disable COS.  Wilczek's entire purpose is to prevent COS to be used as a   
   weapon.   
      
   Some military agent is already infiltrated in Eurisko, attempting to   
   exploit the artificial intelligence exactly for this purpose.   
   Eventually the AI is disabled -- even if it appears to be retaking   
   consciousness at the very end...   
      
   This was a nice episode, with some tense moments, very well shot.   
      
   There were of course many, many technical inaccuracies:   
   * a general confusion between hardware and software;   
   * the biggest one: self-consciousness in software does not arise by   
     chance, as the result of a bug;   
   * it is possible to reroute electric wiring in outlets by software,   
     apparently; this would be a terrible idea in reality, with only   
     destructive applications I can think of.   
   * the usual “perfect match” obtained by computer comparisons, this time   
     with voice recordings.  This also ignores that the kind of message in   
     question (a machine announcement of the current exact time) has never   
     been read by a human but machine-generated, even in simple ways by   
     assembling multiple recordings (digit by digit, or number by number).   
   * reverse engineering does not work by disassembling big machines.   
      
   Other than my imaginary promises of impartiality, another thing I glad   
   to take back is my criticism about s01e06 Shadows in which I accused the   
   authors of being soft with the uses of technology against humanity, as   
   long as the target of such use was politically accepted.   
   Interestingly even Deep Throat, Mulder's informant, seemed to dismiss   
   such “bleeding heart” concerns.   
      
   My young wife did not recognise “call the time” services.  The service   
   certainly existed in Italy when I grew up, and almost certainly in her   
   country of origin as well.   
      
   A Beautiful citation of 2001 a space Odissey, in the sequence where the   
   computer tried to resist being switched off, and its conscience was   
   slowly fading.   
      
   I like the “neat” versus “scruffy” distinction, apparently invented by   
   the writers of this episode.  I am tempted to adopt the “scruffy” label   
   for myself.   
      
      
   Right after s01e07 Ghost in the Machine we watched s01e08 Ice.   
      
   Mulder and Scully are sent as part of a team (a doctor, a toxicologist,   
   a geologist) to a remote scientific station in Alaska to investigate   
   what happened to the team working there: all of them died, with the last   
   two killing themselves right after transmitting a mysterious message.   
      
   It turns out that an alien parasite coming from a meteorite has been   
   awaken from its hundred-thousands-year-old hibernation under the ice.   
      
   The parasite infects the mammalian-host brain, making the host   
   aggressive and violent.  It is contagious.  Who is infected, among the   
   people in the team?   
   This was anaction or horror episode, built about personality conflicts   
   that get worse in the claustrophobic environment.   
      
   Very tense and intelligently directed: it reminds me of Alien or The   
   Cube; I mean both comparisons as compliments.   
      
   Not to nitpick too much, I still feel the need to point out at least one   
   important scientific inaccuracy:   
      
   * an alien life form evolved to live in ammonia is surprisingly well   
     adapted to infect Earth mammalians.   
   * how introducing the parasite from the host's ear would be an effective   
     way of reaching the amygdala is not even discussed as a possibility:   
     it just works.  It is, however, quite visually frightening, which   
     also “works” in a different sense.   
      
   To us Ice was a very good episode.  We are looking forward to more of   
   these.   
      
   --   
   Scruffy Beard   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)