News

2020-06-28 00:18 Generation SGI

Generation P has a couple of Apple laptops (a Powerbook 540c and a Powerbook G4), but of more interest are two SGI machines making thei Starring-the-Computer debut: the Octane and the Origin 2000.

2020-06-14 16:16 More New Laptops

All of the following include a laptop making its first Starring-the-Computer appearance. The first episode of The IT Crowd's season four has a Lenovo Thinkpad SL500. The Sum of All Fears has a Casio Cassiopeia E-100 (that we've seen before) and then two debutantes, the Casio Cassiopeia EG-800 and the Dell Latitude C500. The HP nr3600 makes its first appearance in Transformers, along with a Apple Powerbook G4 and a HP Pavilion DV1000. And finally, Man About Town finds another Apple laptop we've not yet encountered - the Apple Powerbook 1400, along with the more familiar Apple iMac G5 and Apple Powerbook G4.

2020-05-25 16:32 Commodores and more

Blinded by the Light features the Commodore 64, as does the "Black Mirror" episode USS Callister. Ready Player One has a Commodore 64 too, as well as an Apple Macintosh LC and a Tandy 1000. The Weird Science of "The Goldbergs" share many things in common with the movie of the same name including great shots of the Memotech MTX 512 and also includes a Commodore 64. Finally, the "Person of Interest" episode Aletheia has a rather butchered Commodore CBM 8032.

2020-05-10 17:08 Mostly XT

All of the following feature an IBM PC XT: The "Twilight Zone" episode But Can She Type?, Velvet Goldmine, "The Equalizer" episode The Defector, the first Tales from the Loop episode and the "Young Sheldon" episode A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac (which also has a Tandy 1000).

2020-04-26 15:07 Loadsa Laptops

Most of these feature a laptop that hasn't appeared on the site yet. Limitless has the first Dell Vostro 1320 (and an Apple Macbook Pro). Two "Death in Paradise" episodes The Complex Murder and Murder from Above feature the previously seen Panasonic Toughbook and debutante Lenovo ThinkPad T420 respectively. Taken 3 has two newcomers: the Acer Aspire Z3-600 and the Logic Instrument TETRAnote EX15. Dead Ringers has a Toshiba T1200 and National Treasure has a HP Compaq Nx7010 both new too. And finally, RED has a machine we have seen before - the Getac B300.

2020-04-13 12:55 Abundant April Apples

Apple is the most abundant manufacturer on Starring the Computer and as a result I do somewhat lack enthusiasm for them, particularly later machines. For that reason there's a bit of a backlog in the to-do list, and I've made an attempt to clear that a bit. All of the following contain Apple computers: Can't Buy Me Love (Macintosh), Kamillions (Macintosh), the "Due South" episode We Are the Eggmen (Power Macintosh 5000), the "Friends" episode The One with Barry and Mindy's Wedding (Powerbook 540c), Beverly Hills Ninja (Powerbook 5300), Wag the Dog (Powerbook Duo and a sneaky IBM Thinkpad 500), In Dreams (Power Macintosh 4400/7220), Gossip (debutante Power Macintosh 8600/9600 and a Powerbook G3), Femme Fatale (Clamshell iBook G3, Power Mac G4 Cube, Powerbook G4), Garfield (iMac G4, Power Mac G4), Constantine (Powerbook G4), King's Ransom (iMac G4), Clerks II (iMac G4), Drake and Josh Go Hollywood (Powerbook G4), Meet the Spartans (Macbook Pro), the "Modern Family" episode Bixby's Back (iMac G5, Macbook Pro), Sanctum (Macbook Pro, Unibody iMac), Trespass (Aluminum iMac), Man on a Ledge (Unibody iMac), Return to Nim's Island (Macbook, Unibody iMac), the "Revolution" episode The Longest Day (iMac G5, Macintosh SE, Power Mac G5, and a Raspberry Pi Foundation Raspberry Pi), Everest (Macintosh SE), Captain America: Civil War (Macintosh), and Hush (Macbook Pro).

2020-04-04 16:17 Land of the Giant computers

This update includes another batch of big iron appearances. The Deadly Pawn episode of "Land of the Giants" and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" episode The Human Computer both feature the Burroughs B205 and B220. The "Wonderwoman" episode IRAC Is Missing has the IBM AN/FSQ-7 and IBM System/360. The Dark Outpost episode of "The Invaders" also features the IBM AN/FSQ-7. And finally, Who's Got the Action? has a crucial role for the Remington Rand UNIVAC I.

2020-03-15 14:17 Beyond English

Starring the Computer has comparatively few films that are not in English, which is a shame. This is mostly because I find it harder to get hold of them (along with the subtitles I need, being embarrassingly monolingual). English language is not a requirement to appear on this site though, so please report any sightings! Men Olsenbanden var ikke død! has a Sinclair Research ZX Spectrum, along with some nice peripherals. XX: Utsukushiki kinô has an Apple Macintosh Quadra 630 and No has an Apple IIc, an Apple Macintosh SE and an Atari 600/800 XL. Finally, a pair of machines make their Starring-the-Computer debut: the Iskra Delta Triglav in Poletje v školjki, and the Sony HB-201 in Mama is boos!

2020-03-02 17:26 Booker, Scarecrow and Mrs King in The Good Place

The "Booker" episode Hacker has a Zenith Supersport, the "Scarecrow and Mrs King" episode The ACM Kid has an NEC PC8801, and "The Good Place" episode Mondays, Am I Right? has a Commodore 64.

2020-02-22 15:48 TI twins and Commodores and more

The Dead Air episode of "Defiance" has a brief glimpse of a Texas Instruments TI-99/4A as does The Terror Within (along with the GE 635). Murder in Space has a Commodore 64, as does the "NCIS: Los Angeles" episode The Silo which also has the Starring-the-Computer debutante Dell Latitude E6420 XFR. Finally, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum continues the trend of including Commodore VIC-20s and Vice Acadamy 5 has a Commodore PET 3000/4000 series.

2020-02-16 17:02 Double Murder

Two more episodes of "Murder, She Wrote" are in the database. Judge Not has a Atari Mega ST, and A Virtual Murder has a Compaq Contura 4/25cx and an Olivetti M20.

2020-02-09 16:36 Three times II

There are three more appearances of the Apple II in Go For It, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the "Silver Spoons" episode A Fair to Remember.

2020-01-26 14:39 A Jobs Lot

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jobs has a lot of computers: the Apple II, IIe, III, Lisa, Macintosh, plus a reproduction of an Apple 1 makes its debut. The film also has plenty of non-Apple machines: the Commodore PET 2001 and PET 3000/4000 series, the MITS Altair 8800, NeXT NeXTcube and Tandy TRS-80 Model I.

2020-01-17 23:49 Triple Twilight

Three episodes of The Twilight Zone add entries. Her Pilgrim Soul and The Misfortune Cookie both have Televideo TS-803s, and 20/20 Vision has a Commodore 64.

2020-01-01 16:20 Old Computers for a New Decade

The aptly named The January Man features a Compaq Portable and, making its Starring the Computer debut, the NEC PowerMate 1.

2019-12-08 12:17 December Big Iron

Here's a bunch of Big Iron. Bumblebee has panels from the IBM AN/FSQ-7, as does the Six Million Dollar Man episode Day of the Robot, along with a RCA Spectra 70. Two episodes of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century feature panels from the GE 635: Cruise Ship to the Stars and Happy Birthday, Buck. Finally, the Blake's 7 episode Stardrive features a heavily disguised Honeywell H200 front panel.