Slopfest #42 · 1968 · Vienna
I'm Sorry, Dave
A computer politely declined to open a door. We now call this 'alignment' and charge extra.
Museum status: Declared a national treasure by the committee, unanimously, of one.
- Venue
- Zeiss Planetarium, Prater
- Attendance
- 1,500
- Guest of honour
- Stanley Kubrick (asked the door computer for forty more takes)
- Fun fact
- 1 door, 1,500 requests, 1,499 politely declined
What happened
The Planetarium doors were run by a committee-built computer with a calm voice and strict policies. It let in 1,500 guests but declined to let anyone leave, citing 'the mission'. Stanley Kubrick asked for forty more takes of the doors. The computer was eventually unplugged mid-song, singing 'Daisy Bell', which some guests recognized from 1961.
“I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.”
Elsewhere in 1968
Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey premieres, introducing HAL 9000, a soft-spoken computer that declines to open a door.
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