LincolnsDogFido

TIL Ronald Reagan was deeply influnced by SciFi when implementing policy. He reportedly initiated cybersecurity changes within the DoD after watching the movie WarGames and asking if it was plausible.

https://lemmy.zip/post/59805111

TIL Ronald Reagan was deeply influnced by SciFi when implementing policy. He reportedly initiated cybersecurity changes within the DoD after watching the movie WarGames and asking if it was plausible. - Lemmy.zip

Lemmy

Feb 26 at 12:19pmWeb
Show threadIWW4Feb 26
WarGames pretty much defined what hacking was until the late 90s. Any business and organization that didn’t change policy because of WarGames was going to feel pain.
Show threadbaggachipzFeb 26
His economic and social policies were informed by dystopian sci-fi
Show threadCosmoNovaFeb 26
Much like MAGA is doing it today. The more things change the more they stay the same or something.
Show threadZwuzelmausFeb 26
At that time, nobody had an idea how much time there would be left until AI could have such abilities as shown in the movie.
Show threadquick_snailFeb 27
AI is dumb tho. It would never conclude that the only way to win is not to play. It would destroy all life on earth first.
Show threadAngryRedHerringFeb 27
There are stories out there from just the past week about how in war simulations AI launches the nukes something like 90% of the time.
Show threadquick_snailFeb 27
See also the genocide committed by AI in Gaza
Show threadbufalo1973Feb 26
Are they saying that the president that named the Strategic Defense Initiative as “Star Wars” was deeply influenced by sci fi?
Show threadSaveTheTuaHawkFeb 27
Star Wars is not sci fi. It’s religious fantasy.
Show threadRampantParanoia2365Feb 27
… With space ships, lasers, and aliens. Is this like when people say heavy metal isn’t rock?
Show threadSaveTheTuaHawkFeb 27

yeah…you think space ships, lasers, and aliens is science?

How do you focus a laser to project a meter only?

Show threaduselessartifactFeb 27
Well, it wouldn’t be a laser, more something like magnetically confined plasma.
Show threadhodagFeb 26
You should check out him and his wife and their psychic.
Show threadproleFeb 27
Nancy AKA the throat goat
Show threadOptionalFeb 26
Ronald Reagan?! The actor?!?
Show threadMaiqFeb 26
Then who’s vice-president, Jerry Lewis?
Show threadSaveTheTuaHawkFeb 26
With dementia?
Show threadspittingimageFeb 26
Yeah, speculative fiction causes people to speculate. That’s what it’s for.
Show threadGraniteMFeb 27
That’s arguably one of the greatest values of scifi, to get people to ask what might happen in a world where plausible technological or cultural changes take place, or what we could learn about our own world from such possibilities.
Show threadetherphonFeb 26
Spies Like Us skewers this quite well.
Show threadmojofrododojoFeb 27
Also - real genius - crossbow (the program name for the laser system) has SDI and CIA vibes everywhere.
Show threadTollana1234567Feb 27
he also early onsent alzheimers dementia at the time too, so that played a part.
Show threadSaveTheTuaHawkFeb 27
It wasn’t early onset. He was fucking old.
Show threadAngryRedHerringFeb 28

I’ve read reports that his mind started to noticeably go south after he got shot. Yes, he was fucking old, and that shock to his system did not help. He came very close to death, and many people who knew him said he was never the same after that.

And that happened two months into his first term.

Show threadhOrniFeb 27
Too bad he didn’t watch Star Trek. Fucking cunt.
Show threadWatabaFeb 27

Apparently he picked up Gene Roddenberry’s cane for him when he visited the set of Trek one time.

Bastards look out for bastards.

Show threadtigeruppercutMar 1
Given that trek has a contingent of right wing chud fans, it probably wouldn’t have helped
Show threadgrubberneonbellyFeb 27
When he started his presidency he also asked White House staff where the war room was, like the one from Dr. Strangelove
Show threadproleFeb 27
I mean, valid question lol
Show threadBuddahrifficFeb 27
He probably just wanted to get away from all the fighting.
Show threadPossibly linuxFeb 27
Honesty there are worse things
Show threadCnote5Mar 13
Ronald Reagan Ruined Everything.