Basic Computing Class #10 [Tuesday, Period 3, 3/18]
This week's class was in the Danger Room again, using the simulation of the Montecito's security office. Mike waited until everyone was seated before he began. "It's good to see that you're all back, safe and sound," he said, looking over the class. "Obviously, a lot has happened in the past week, but by working together as a community, we were able to safely bring back everyone who had been taken. A key factor was research that led to clues which helped the away teams know where to look."
There was a sense of melancholy as Mike continued. "Computers can do a lot when it comes to research, but they're not perfect. Sometimes, we can make connections between ideas that the computers can't even recognize. Before spring break, we looked at how a casino uses computers to store and track live camera footage to look for trouble. I can tell you from experience that they're not perfect. Today, we're going to look at an old case that's rather personal for me."
The control room sprang to life, with technicians running back and forth with urgency as Mike continued. "Fifteen minutes ago, an employee in the valet area reported seeing something disturbing. He got a glimpse of a panicked woman in the back of a cab, and she was holding up a makeshift sign that said 'help me.' As the employee moved to take a closer look, a tour bus pulled up and cut off his access to the cab, and by the time he went around it, the cab was gone. Now, if I play back the video," said Mike, tapping a few buttons on the computer in front him, "you can see the employee, and you can see the tour bus, but because there are so many cars, you can't really see the cab. The camera angle that would have given us the best view is totally blocked by the bus."
He replayed the footage again in slow motion, and the students might have noticed this time around that the employee who saw the cab was none other than Mike. "Your task today is to help find someone in trouble," he said. "Don't worry about the technical details, as we have plenty of help for that. What you need to do for this simulation is come up with a plan of finding the woman using the surveillance system and the technicians will help you put that plan into action. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you get stuck. The other technicians and I can give you pointers on what our computers can do or point you in the correct direction."
[OOC: I'm borrowing the plot of the Las Vegas episode "Silver Star" today. Instructions and OCD will be up shortly now!]
There was a sense of melancholy as Mike continued. "Computers can do a lot when it comes to research, but they're not perfect. Sometimes, we can make connections between ideas that the computers can't even recognize. Before spring break, we looked at how a casino uses computers to store and track live camera footage to look for trouble. I can tell you from experience that they're not perfect. Today, we're going to look at an old case that's rather personal for me."
The control room sprang to life, with technicians running back and forth with urgency as Mike continued. "Fifteen minutes ago, an employee in the valet area reported seeing something disturbing. He got a glimpse of a panicked woman in the back of a cab, and she was holding up a makeshift sign that said 'help me.' As the employee moved to take a closer look, a tour bus pulled up and cut off his access to the cab, and by the time he went around it, the cab was gone. Now, if I play back the video," said Mike, tapping a few buttons on the computer in front him, "you can see the employee, and you can see the tour bus, but because there are so many cars, you can't really see the cab. The camera angle that would have given us the best view is totally blocked by the bus."
He replayed the footage again in slow motion, and the students might have noticed this time around that the employee who saw the cab was none other than Mike. "Your task today is to help find someone in trouble," he said. "Don't worry about the technical details, as we have plenty of help for that. What you need to do for this simulation is come up with a plan of finding the woman using the surveillance system and the technicians will help you put that plan into action. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you get stuck. The other technicians and I can give you pointers on what our computers can do or point you in the correct direction."
[OOC: I'm borrowing the plot of the Las Vegas episode "Silver Star" today. Instructions and OCD will be up shortly now!]