The Dark Knight... yay or nay?

Topic: What is this? The Spanish Exposition?

Users: @Alexander @gkscotty @Graham @SuzyQ Chris fellranger Tony

irc.simpworks.com

[Archonix]

Indeed...

Well I'll say a little more. The principle is similar to the GPS apps on some phones out there, that can query other nearby phones for their location and triangulate to within a few feet using that extra information, along with extra triangulation information from the base stations. The addition of a "sonar" function would be relatively minor if you could get the phones to coordinate amongst themselves. Realistically speaking most phones wouldn't have the necessary oomph or the ability to communicate with each other to that degree, but the technology certainly exists and could be utilised to produce a fairly accurate sonar map of the surroundings. The real problem is transferring all that data back to the processing system. Phones don't have much bandwidth.

A single phone would nee two microphones. Multiple phones could embed information in the actual sonar signal which could be used to work out where and when it was emitted, improving the accuracy of the 3d map quite dramatically I'd imagine.

[Shockwave]

My main problem is that is just seems to be one of these typical recent Hollywood trends of trying to seem all "cool" and flashy, as well as being rather lazy, instead of writing a proper solution that makes logical sense. I've just seen it too much of this crap in recent films, it's the kind of thing that makes me avoid going to theatres these days. God forbid having an action movie these days without some camera-spinning, CGI fest in there at least somewhere.

Also, Batman is not really a "super hero" movie as such, since unlike the likes of Superman, X-Men and Spiderman, etc. Batman does have superpowers. That's part of why I liked him so much. And as such, his universe (save for when he crossed over with Superman and The Justice League) seemed far more realistic.

Now before you point it out, I know Batman's thing was using his fighting prowess with his gadgets, science and detective skills, and that these are gadgets (though, in a sense, not technically his gadgets but just common cellphones). But usually the science would be far more feasible and not so wacky and over the top. This feels like the Jockey Elves of Batman, IMO. It's lazy writing, and really just a really stupid plot device.

[Molloy the Catburglar]

I also think you tend to over-analyze and over-critique everything. 

[Archonix]

Well, hey, someone has to do it. Might as well be a guy with brains.

[A Spy in Mancunia]

*LOL* Well said, Graham.

While I agree that the mobile phone sonar was a bit over the top (I can't vouch for the technology either way, Graham knows that a lot better than I do. Heck, I don't even use a mobile phone), I don't see how it was a "camera-spinning CGI fest". That wasn't it at all. It was a plot device, meant to advance the plot and provide a rather interesting moral problem,* showing just how Beyond The Pale the dark knight really is. (I'm given to understand that beating people up for information has become a lot more acceptable in certain parts of pop culture in later years, but I suspect that the kind of viewers who cheer at that sort of thing would balk at the "edgy" cool anti-hero bugging their mobile phones.

So I'd say: unlikely, yes. Trying to be "with it", yes. But not eye-candy.

Oh, and Batman [I typoed "Bartman" there] does count as a superhero, as does Iron Man and... a lot of other science-based superheroes that I don't know about, since I'm not really a superhero fan. It's just super-gadgets instead of super-powers. Batman created these things. He can fly with them. Can you fly? 

*Let's face it: I'm a statist. Yet even I wouldn't want the state to have that kind of power of surveillance. And if there's anything worse than that power in the hands of the state, it's in the hands of a vigilante.

[Shockwave]

Well, just as an aside, I totally buy the memory cloth stuff. That seems just probable and "out there" enough without being insanely over the top and into the realms of tech fantasy.

And, yes, I admit I probably over analyse things too much. But things like this just take me out of the movie completely. It's like I'm watching a really good Batman film one moment and then somebody suddenly spliced in some footage from some cheap, modern futuristic spy thriller.

Again, I like the moral problem it raised. I might have been able to even swallow it somewhat if it didn't go to the degree of Batman being able to see a Matrix-esque complete mapping down to each person's digital nosehair. Maybe it was more the execution than anything. All I know is, it just pulled me out of the movie. Up until then The Dark Knight didn't feel like a lazy modern Hollywood-ised piece of BS, and I was enjoying it for it, and then it suddenly felt like Michael Bay came in while Nolan was on a coffee break for a few minutes.

[Archonix]

and then it suddenly felt like Michael Bay came in while Nolan was on a coffee break for a few minutes.

Quote of the year.

[D.B.]

Well I'll say a little more. The principle is similar to the GPS apps on some phones out there, that can query other nearby phones for their location and triangulate to within a few feet using that extra information, along with extra triangulation information from the base stations. The addition of a "sonar" function would be relatively minor if you could get the phones to coordinate amongst themselves. Realistically speaking most phones wouldn't have the necessary oomph or the ability to communicate with each other to that degree, but the technology certainly exists and could be utilised to produce a fairly accurate sonar map of the surroundings. The real problem is transferring all that data back to the processing system. Phones don't have much bandwidth.

A single phone would nee two microphones. Multiple phones could embed information in the actual sonar signal which could be used to work out where and when it was emitted, improving the accuracy of the 3d map quite dramatically I'd imagine.

Hmm... yes, okay, I'm starting to see that working a little more. I'd thought of base station triangulation and figured it wouldn't be accurate enough, but hadn't considered bluetooth and other similar methods of locally finding relative displacement. You're still almost surely lacking most of the bearing information, and have a hell of a post-processing task to get it running in real time, but I'll give you it, it's probably a lot more feasible than I initially thought.

Provided the joker doesn't go on the radio and tell all the residents of gotham to make a phonecall at all once, at which point batman would be looking at an image of a giant ear 



Edit: various musings on the problem removed, upon realisation they were boring

[Archonix]

Maybe that could be your phd thesis.

[Assistant Crone]

To the Patcave!

^ Cheapest shot ever.