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Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!peterr
From: peterr@utcsrgv.UUCP (Peter Rowley)
Newsgroups: net.tv
Subject: Review: The Whiz Kids
Message-ID: <2427@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Oct-83 20:50:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.2427
Posted: Wed Oct  5 20:50:34 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Oct-83 10:12:38 EDT
Organization: CSRG, University of Toronto
Lines: 30

As I sit here typing and half-watching The Whiz Kids, CBS's new mystery
series that revolves around a group of 4 kids solving crimes by searching
databases, I think I like it (though it is by no means gripping enough to
stop typing).  The sole female member of the group, who has just been
initiated into the "club" by having the group's computer commit her
digitized face to memory, has been the most refreshing.  While "the guys"
were searching for something in a city database (they have access to
EVERYTHING), without luck, she suggests they ask the heads of the "big bad"
company that they are trying to find out about ("y'know, real face-to-face
contact?").  Later, when told one of the guys built the computer ("RALF")
that dominates the "clubhouse", she says "oh, you're a real computer nerd"
to which she receives the reply "No, NO!  I'm not a nerd, I'm a *HACKER*".
Other random moments:  RALF has one of the simple robot arms.  It is
programmed to pick up sandwiches from a plate, wave it to catch the
hacker's attention, and then hold it steady so that it can be bitten
while the hacker types away.
  RALF wants to contact the hacker (I think his name is Ritchie).  So it
dials up the school's grade-keeping computer (a group of Apple III's) and
flashes "Get Ritchie" on the screen, overlaying what the administrators
expect.  They rush him out of class, demanding to know what's going on
and that he fix it, promising never to do it again.  Of course, before
he goes back to class, he's asked to look at the class scheduling program,
much to the consternation of the staff programmer.
  The kids' contact to the adult world is a local newspaper reporter, who
works in an office populated by Xerox Stars.  There have been a lot of
closeups of Star screens.
  I'm giving it a tentatively good rating, but they will have to have
good stories to keep it interesting.  My impression, from the first
story, is that they might pull it off, but not by too much.
  p. rowley, U. Toronto