PHOTO
Google's choice of Android as a brand name for its mobile platform is interesting and suggestive. Throughout fiction, androids — created beings that look more or less like humans — have been used as vehicles for strong, cautionary stories, highlighting some of the aspects of being human that can cause trouble if things go out of balance. In particular, powerful entities promising not to do evil can be particularly dangerous if they can't — or don't — stick to their word.
The following pages feature seven of fiction's most arresting androids — and the lessons their fables have for modern enterprise IT.
Talkback
No list of androids would be complete without Marvin, the Paranoid Android. The maniacally depressed but hyper intelligent creation of the late Douglas Adams, in the ever popular Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy, Radio Series, Books, TV Series, Computer Game and more recently, Film.
Lesson for IT. No matter how good the technology, if you get the user interface wrong, its full potential will never be realised as the users will reject the system as unworkable. Instead they will go and find a cup of tea.
If you are so inclined you could do a series of Android "lessons" based on Star Trek episodes!
The first Android episode I thought of was the Harvey Mudd episode where the con-man has a planet full of "Barbie" doll androids to keep him company.
Another one was where the "Barbie" dolls (another group of them) come and steal Spock's brain to run their planet-spaceship.
Good series! :