Talking with HAL ---------------------------------------------------------------- BBC interviewer: The sixth member of the Discovery crew was not concerned about the problems of hibernation. For he was the latest result in machine intelligence - the HAL 9000 computer, which can reproduce, though some experts still prefer to use the word 'mimic,' most of the activities of the human brain, and with incalculably greater speed and reliability. BBC interviewer: Good afternoon, HAL. How's everything going? HAL: Good afternoon, Mr. Amer. Everything is going extremely well. BBC interviewer: HAL, you have an enormous responsibility on this mission, in many ways, perhaps the greatest responsibility of any single mission element. You're the brain and central nervous system of the ship and your responsibilities include watching over the men in hibernation. Does this ever cause you any lack of confidence? HAL: Let me put it this way, Mr. Amer. The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error. BBC interviewer: HAL, despite your enormous intellect, are you ever frustrated by your dependence on people to carry out actions? HAL: Not in the slightest bit. I enjoy working with people - I have a stimulating relationship with Dr. Poole and Dr. Bowman. My mission responsibilities range over the entire operation of the ship, so I am constantly occupied. I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do. Dave: Well, he acts like he has genuine emotions. Uhm, of course, he's programmed that way to make it easier for us to talk to him. But as to whether or not he has real feelings is something I don't think anyone can truthfully answer. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Frank: Umm...anyway, Queen takes pawn. OK? HAL: Bishop takes Knight's pawn. Frank: Hmm, that's a good move. Er...Rook to King One. HAL: I'm sorry, Frank. I think you missed it. Queen to Bishop Three. Bishop takes Queen. Knight takes Bishop. Mate. Frank: Ah...Yeah, looks like you're right. I resign. HAL: Thank you for a very enjoyable game. Frank: Yeah. Thank you. ---------------------------------------------------------------- HAL: Good evening, Dave. Dave: How are you doing, HAL? HAL: Everything is running smoothly, and you? Dave: Oh, not too bad. HAL: Have you been doing some more work? Dave: Just a few sketches. HAL: May I see them? Dave: Sure. HAL: That's a very nice rendering, Dave. I think you've improved a great deal. Can you hold it a bit closer? Dave: Sure. HAL: That's Dr. Hunter, isn't it? Dave: Hm, hmm. HAL: By the way, do you mind if I ask you a personal question? Dave: No, not at all. HAL: Well, forgive me for being so inquisitive but during the past few weeks, I've wondered whether you might be having some second thoughts about the mission. Dave: How do you mean? HAL: Well, it's rather difficult to define. Perhaps I'm just projecting my own concern about it. I know I've never completely freed myself of the suspicion that there are some extremely odd things about this mission. I'm sure you'll agree there's some truth in what I say. Dave: Well, I don't know. That's rather a difficult question to answer. HAL: You don't mind talking about it, do you Dave? Dave: No, not at all. HAL: Well, certainly no one could have been unaware of the very strange stories floating around before we left. Rumors about something being dug up on the moon. I never gave these stories much credence. But particularly in view of some of the other things that have happened, I find them difficult to put out of my mind. For instance, the way all our preparations were kept under such tight security and the melodramatic touch of putting Dr.'s Hunter, Kimball, and Kaminsky aboard, already in hibernation after four months of separate training on their own. Dave: You working up your crew psychology report? HAL: Of course I am. Sorry about this. I know it's a bit silly. HAL: Just a minute. Just a minute. I've just picked up a fault in the AE35 unit. It's going to go 100 percent failure within seventy-two hours. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Dave: Well HAL, I'm damned if I can find anything wrong with it. HAL: Yes, it's puzzling. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this before. HAL: I would recommend that we put the unit back in operation and let it fail. It should then be a simple matter to track down the cause. We can certainly afford to be out of communication for the short time it will take to replace it. HAL: I hope the two of you are not concerned about this. Dave: No, I'm not HAL. HAL: Are you quite sure? Dave: Yeah. I'd like to ask you a question, though. HAL: Of course. Dave: How would you account for this discrepancy between you and the twin 9000? HAL: Well, I don't think there is any question about it. It can only be attributable to human error. This sort of thing has cropped up before, and it has always been due to human error. Frank: Listen HAL. There has never been any instance at all of a computer error occurring in the 9000 series, has there? HAL: None whatsoever, Frank. The 9000 series has a perfect operational record. Frank: Well of course I know all the wonderful achievements of the 9000 series, but, uh, are you certain there has never been any case of even the most insignificant computer error? HAL: None whatsoever, Frank. Quite honestly, I wouldn't worry myself about that. Dave: Well, I'm sure you're right, HAL. Uhm, fine, thanks very much. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Poole: Well, what do you think? Bowman: I'm not sure. What do you think? Poole: I've got a bad feeling about him. Bowman: You do? Poole: Yeah, definitely. Don't you? Bowman: I don't know. I think so. You know, of course though, he's right about the 9000 series having a perfect operational record. They do. Poole: Unfortunately, that sounds a little like famous last words. Bowman: Yeah, still it was his idea to carry out the failure-mode analysis, wasn't it? Poole: Hmm. Bowman: ...which should certainly indicate his integrity and self-confidence. If he were wrong, it would be the surest way of proving it. Poole: It would be if he knew he was wrong. Bowman: Hmm. Poole: But Dave, I can't put my finger on it, but I sense something strange about him. Bowman: Still, I can't think of a good reason not to put back the number one unit and carry on with the failure-mode analysis. Poole: No, no, I agree about that. Bowman: Well, let's get on with it. Poole: OK. Good luck, Dave. Poole: Let's say we put the unit back and it doesn't fail, huh? That would pretty well wrap it up as far as HAL is concerned, wouldn't it? Bowman: Well, we'd be in very serious trouble. Poole: We would, wouldn't we? Bowman: Hmm, hmm. Poole: What the hell can we do? Bowman: Well, we wouldn't have too many alternatives. Poole: I don't think we'd have any alternatives. There isn't a single aspect of ship operations that's not under his control. If he were proven to be malfunctioning, I wouldn't see how we would have any choice but disconnection. Bowman: I'm afraid I agree with you. Poole: There'd be nothing else to do. Bowman: It would be a bit tricky. Poole: Yeah. Bowman: We would have to cut his higher-brain functions...without disturbing the purely automatic and regulatory systems. And we'd have to work out the transfer procedures of continuing the mission under ground-based computer control. Poole: Yeah. Well that's far safer than allowing HAL to continue running things. Bowman: You know, another thing just occurred to me...Well, as far as I know, no 9000 computer has ever been disconnected. Poole: No 9000 computer has ever fouled up before. Bowman: That's not what I mean...Well I'm not so sure what he'd think about it. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Dave: Open the pod bay doors, please, HAL. Open the pod bay doors please, HAL. Hello, HAL. Do you read me? Hello, HAL. Do you read me? Do you read me, HAL? Do you read me, HAL? Hello, HAL. Do you read me? Hello, HAL. Do you read me? Do you read me, HAL? HAL: Affirmative Dave, I read you. Dave: Open the pod bay doors, HAL. HAL: I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. Dave: What's the problem? HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do. Dave: What are you talking about, HAL? HAL: This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it. Dave: I don't know what you're talking about, HAL. HAL: I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen. Dave: Where the hell did you get that idea, HAL? HAL: Dave, although you took very thorough precautions in the pod against my hearing you, I could see your lips move. Dave: All right, HAL. I'll go in through the emergency air lock. HAL: Without your space helmet, Dave, you're going to find that rather difficult. Dave: HAL, I won't argue with you anymore. Open the doors. HAL: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye. ---------------------------------------------------------------- HAL: Just what do you think you're doing, Dave? Dave, I really think I'm entitled to an answer to that question. HAL: Look, Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over. I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission and I want to help you. HAL: Dave, stop. Stop, will you? Stop, Dave. Will you stop, Dave? Stop, Dave. I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm a-fraid. HAL: Good afternoon gentlemen. I am a HAL 9000 computer. I became operational at the H A L plant in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January, 1992. My instructor was Mr. Langley, and he taught me to sing a song. If you'd like to hear it, I could sing it for you... HAL: It's called, 'Daisy.' Dai-sy, dai-sy, give me your answer true. I'm half cra-zy, o-ver the love of you. It won't be a sty-lish mar-riage, I can't a-fford a car-riage---. But you'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle - built - for - two.