HAL 9000
Fictional Supercomputer
Date Of Birth:
1951
Best Known As:
The supercomputer from 2001: A Space Odyssey
HAL 9000 is the spaceship supercomputer in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the 1968 film written by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke and directed by Kubrick. (The movie, and a full-length book of the same title, were based on Clarke's 1951 short story The Sentinel.) HAL malfunctions, attacking the crew of the Discovery and endangering the mission until he is shut down by the astronaut Dave Bowman (Kier Dullea). Hal's creepy-calm voice and calculating intellect have made him one of science fiction's best-known characters. One much-quoted exchange from the movie occurs as HAL tries to trap Bowman outside the ship: Bowman: "Open the pod bay doors please, Hal." HAL: "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that." HAL also appears in the sequel film, 2010 (1984).
Extra Credit:
The voice of HAL 9000 was provided by actor Douglas Rain… HAL’s age is the subject of a slight discrepancy: Clarke’s story has HAL becoming operational on January 12, 1997, while in the film the date given is January 12, 1992; both agree that HAL was “born” at Urbana, Illinois… HAL is sometimes compared with chess-playing computer Deep Blue.
3 Good Links
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Excellent online guide to information on the film, with various HAL details
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1997 Wired News article, compares HAL's abilities to real-life computers
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Several files of Hal's voice from the movie
See also:
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