Review:
This video was produced by the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR)
at the time when the computing requirements for Reagan's ``Star Wars'' program were a
current issue.
This copyright date for the video is 1986.
The only real negatives in using this video in teaching stem from its age.
A minor issue is that
the actual computers depicted and discussed are relics --
at one point a ``Burroughs 6000'' is mentioned!
A somewhat larger issue is that the world situation has changed substantially --
the Soviet Union is no longer the ``opposing super-power.''
However, the general concern of how much automation is feasible or desirable
in a missile defense system is timeless and this video presents a good overview
of the issues involved.
The video opens with a short overview, and then talks about how software systems
become reliable.
There is a quote by Herb Lin of MIT to the effect that ``anticipating all contingencies is,
as any programmer knows, a difficult thing.''
There is also mention of the airline reservation network having been developed over a number
of decades.
And there is mention of computer systems used in radiation therapy planning.
(This was before the Therac-25 accidents.)
The video then goes on mention the Aegis air defense system for missile cruisers
and the SAGE ballistic missile defense system,
before turning attention to President Reagan's SDI program.
Several ``false alarm'' incidents are mentioned as examples of how difficult
it is to build computer systems that replicate the role of human judgment
in decision-making.
The SDI program itself is the focus of the last part of the video.
My favorite quote is from one SDI official who states that the code for SDI
``does not have to be error-free code, but fault-tolerant code. And if another
million lines of code have to be written to make it fault tolerant, so be it.''
All in all, this should be a good short video to use in teaching,
either in a general ethics-and-computing course or in an ethics module in a
software engineering course.
(worksheet to go with this video)
Video Format/Length:
This video was viewed in VHS format.
It is approximately 30 minutes in length.
Ordering Information:
This tape was originally produced by CPSR, and I obtained a copy through the CPSR Boston chapter.
However, CPSR is no longer actively distributing the tape.
Contact kwb@csee.usf.edu to inquire about obtaining a copy.