Foundation Seminar 091-22 Problem Set #4

Due October 3, 2:30 pm.

In order to do this assignment you need to read:

You should have watched the film segments from "The Matrix" and "2001 Space Odyssey".

As usual, every claim made in your work should be referenced if it is not original. Everything that's not referenced is considered to be original. I DO expect 40-80% of the HW to be original. There are no quantitative questions in this HW assignment, but I would still like your answers to be short and to the point.


Problem #1: In one scene in the movie "Matrix" Morphius tells Neo that the red pill that he swallowed is a tracing program that will enable his crew to locate the real Neo. Explain how the program may work in terms of computer connections, and why it was needed. Try to use analogies to today's desk-top software, such as virus protection, passwords, remote connection, search engines, etcetera. A good way of answering this question will be to do searches on computer security.

Problem #2: Why is "Matrix" working so well in today's society? What are the analogies to our own society?

Problem #3: The computer `Hall' in "2001 - a Space Odyssey" is fairly advanced. From observing the movie: would it pass the Turin test? Does the computer known as `the Matrix' from the film with that name passes the Turin test? Reason your answer.