Tinman Typist: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

 

This leaves out the more interesting and probably easier path of forming some kind of short-range connection via cable or radio and just thinking at the computer in question. After all, [[Everything Is Online]], right?

 

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

 

*** There was also Dr. Willis, a brown-haired suit-wearing fellow and an expert in AI, who hooked himself up to a computer with a cable to the neck port and then started typing with the same kind of fingers the secretaries had. No benefit was obvious on screen.

*** One still could do it offline, then let it be sent without real time end-to-end connections. Like some actual proxies do.

* [[Kamen no Maid Guy]] actually had Kogarashi with a cable sticking out of one ear to avert this.

* Chachamaru from ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' has a few types of cords embedded in her finger for just this purpose. Never seen typing once.

** Of course, Persocom behavior is more likely to be based on "looking cute" or at least "staying on the right side of the [[Uncanny Valley]]" than pure efficiency. One character has his laptop Persocom (a tiny robot) write some information with a pencil; when Hideki asks if she has to, he responds that no, he could hook her to the printer, but it's ''cute'' to see her use a pencil taller than she is.

* Despite the fact that {{spoiler|, as a data-based alien lifeform,}} [[Haruhi Suzumiya|Yuki Nagato]] could literally just ''talk'' to the computer and get it to do what she wanted. However, she prefers to simply type on her keyboard. In this case, it's justified, as Kyon asked her not to cheat by {{spoiler|using her data manipulation abilities}}. And as we know, [[Kuudere|Yuki always listens to Kyon.]]

** What makes Yuki an interesting example is she didn't know how to type when first presented with the laptop. As the week progresses, she goes from slowly typing with one finger to breezily touch-typing to blurringly fast typing that is just barely within the bounds of human capability.

** There's also the fact she shouldn't be freaking out the natives, especially not to tip off Haruhi about aliens being real. As a result she probably has to do a lot of redundant tasks just to appear human. {{spoiler|This is more evident in her apartment, where it seems like only the absolute basic necessities are there, and only because she had a guest. Otherwise it's just a place for her to disappear to after school.}}

 

== Comic Books ==

 

 

 

== Literature ==

** Worth noting is that even when computers entered mass production, the manufacturers of computer hardware and software stressed incompatibility with their competitors' products, and without the forces leading to the ARPAnet things could have progressed further in that direction. It's not unreasonable to have a sci-fi setting in which robots wouldn't be capable of direct machine-to-machine links with most systems in their environment.

 

 

== Live Action TV ==

** Possibly a character point, as Data is trying to be human and can already type much faster than the typical human so he likely won't use his capacity for an [[Unusual User Interface]] to link with the ship... which he did use at least once.

* Rommie on [[Andromeda]] which can be maddening since Rommie ''is'' the ship. The depiction of the levels of interconnectivity has varied at different times, and she has alway been depicted as a different "consciousness" than the main computer so it may be justified. However you might still expect that an android specifically designed (by Harper) for the ship should be able to connect up in other ways.

** Marvin sometimes uses vocal commands. In the TV version he opens the black spaceship's airlock by saying "Abracadiodularservosystems". It would be hard to judge whether he would find a plug in or voice control easier. He'd certainly be depressed by either option.

** It's for the ship's sake. It would kill itself if it directly connected to Marvin.

** Similarly averted by the control mechanisms of Cylon baseships, which are neural links created by sticking your hand in goo. Humans are never shown doing this, implying that it (like the wire-in-the-arm above) is a unique aspect of Cylon physiology. [[Hand Wave|Presumably they have very unusual control over the electrical pulses of their nervous system.]]

* Alpha 5 of ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]''

* Averted in one episode of [[Babylon 5]] where a cyborg assassin communicates with his controller by jamming his finger into a data port.

 

== Video Games ==

** Why would the AI on a technologically advanced ''purse'' have the ability to communicate wirelessly with an alien military computer?

* In [[Mass Effect 2]], the AI EDI literally becomes the Normandy, with full control over all of its systems. Despite that, when she {{spoiler|gains control of a robot body, her robot body will sit in the cockpit and use the controls there similarly to every other crewmember, even though she has absolutely no reason to do so. Possibly she's doing other things that she can't do even with control over the Normandy's internal systems, or maybe she just wishes to appear more human to the rest of the crew.}}

 

== Western Animation ==

* Averted in ''[[The Zeta Project]].'' Zee has a data spike which he can insert into any number of computer systems for a direct connection.

* In the ''[[Justice League]]'' episode "Twilight" not only does Brainiac use a keypad, he ''uses a keypad that's built into his own body!''