TMC
06-25-2025, 02:05 AM
https://comforttv.blogspot.com/2025/06/classic-tv-vs-computers.html
About 30 years ago a book came out entitled War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches. It was a collection of stories by different authors, all of whom took H.G. Wells tale of Earth being attacked by Martian invaders and viewed its events through the eyes of different historic figures: Pablo Picasso paints the Martians, Emily Dickinson writes a poem about them, and the Texas Rangers fight to keep the Lone Star state from falling.
The book illuminated how the same event could be addressed multiple times and still be interesting because of the characters and how they respond to unforeseen circumstances. But to classic TV fans, this is hardly a revelation. Television in the 1960s and 1970s often reflected the shared curiosities and concerns of its viewers, with multiple shows exploring the same issues through characters with differing perspectives.
But if there was one topic on which everyone seemed to agree, it’s that computers cannot be trusted.
We’re going through a similar moment in history now, as experts debate the implications of AI, and whether its capabilities may one day pose a risk to humanity. But in the 1960s and ‘70s technology had just started taking over tasks once handled by humans, and praise for its efficiency was tempered by concerns over ceding too much authority to a machine.
One of the earliest explorations of this issue pops up in one of my favorite episodes of The Donna Reed Show. In “Tony Martin Visits (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0564331/),” singer Tony Martin gets a speeding ticket from a cop with a radar gun, on the same day that Donna gets a ticket for parking too long in a metered spot. Instead of paying a small fine, both insist on a jury trial. “We have too many machines telling us what to do,” Martin asserts. “Why take the word of a machine over a human?” Donna asks. The response – machines don’t make mistakes, but people do.
As the story plays out, it becomes apparent that machines are not always accurate. But the real question is whether they should always be trusted.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFArEsDk2i3uXAglS7_a5YRaY9KopSyPFQmLNoLlWt0BV6nnnQw1OxtgTmFAG84aooWI2Kt_6KHxJPzrwqeQOODqoZHgJEPVpc8Akl-hUvVEN1XA5memqk1tCzheSId8zU03tiL7N2aT2nyskX0Yq7bVIDfN580JW0xI4ef_hA9VSpvy1mDPabD8hF82k=w283-h400
“What have you got against machines?” the judge asks Donna. “Would you like to give up your vacuum cleaner, your washing machine?”
“Of course not,” Donna replies. “But they don’t sit in judgment on me.”
About 30 years ago a book came out entitled War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches. It was a collection of stories by different authors, all of whom took H.G. Wells tale of Earth being attacked by Martian invaders and viewed its events through the eyes of different historic figures: Pablo Picasso paints the Martians, Emily Dickinson writes a poem about them, and the Texas Rangers fight to keep the Lone Star state from falling.
The book illuminated how the same event could be addressed multiple times and still be interesting because of the characters and how they respond to unforeseen circumstances. But to classic TV fans, this is hardly a revelation. Television in the 1960s and 1970s often reflected the shared curiosities and concerns of its viewers, with multiple shows exploring the same issues through characters with differing perspectives.
But if there was one topic on which everyone seemed to agree, it’s that computers cannot be trusted.
We’re going through a similar moment in history now, as experts debate the implications of AI, and whether its capabilities may one day pose a risk to humanity. But in the 1960s and ‘70s technology had just started taking over tasks once handled by humans, and praise for its efficiency was tempered by concerns over ceding too much authority to a machine.
One of the earliest explorations of this issue pops up in one of my favorite episodes of The Donna Reed Show. In “Tony Martin Visits (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0564331/),” singer Tony Martin gets a speeding ticket from a cop with a radar gun, on the same day that Donna gets a ticket for parking too long in a metered spot. Instead of paying a small fine, both insist on a jury trial. “We have too many machines telling us what to do,” Martin asserts. “Why take the word of a machine over a human?” Donna asks. The response – machines don’t make mistakes, but people do.
As the story plays out, it becomes apparent that machines are not always accurate. But the real question is whether they should always be trusted.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFArEsDk2i3uXAglS7_a5YRaY9KopSyPFQmLNoLlWt0BV6nnnQw1OxtgTmFAG84aooWI2Kt_6KHxJPzrwqeQOODqoZHgJEPVpc8Akl-hUvVEN1XA5memqk1tCzheSId8zU03tiL7N2aT2nyskX0Yq7bVIDfN580JW0xI4ef_hA9VSpvy1mDPabD8hF82k=w283-h400
“What have you got against machines?” the judge asks Donna. “Would you like to give up your vacuum cleaner, your washing machine?”
“Of course not,” Donna replies. “But they don’t sit in judgment on me.”