Why did HAL sing 'Daisy'? Writt

UniverseToday.com ^ | Nov 9 2009 | Nicholos Wethington

[Daffynition]

[Billthedrill]

I’d love to bump this article, but...I can’t do that, Dave.

[Daffynition]

LOL

[Red_Devil 232]

This some great trivia! Thanks!

[smokingfrog]

[Moonman62]

In 1962 Arthur C. Clarke, who wrote the novel – and co-wrote the screenplay for the movie – "2001: A Space Odyssey", visited Bell Labs before putting the finishing touches on the work.

Clarke may have heard the song in 62, but he didn't finish the screenplay until years later.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Got to see Arthur C. Clarke give a talk at the U, years ago. Gave an interesting presentation.

[Daffynition]

[Stirner]

My assumption, when I saw the movie in 1968 or so, was that HAL was regressing to his early programming, and that the song was something that his early trainers had exposed him to when they were teaching him human language.

[knarf]

Exactly ... hooda’thunk?

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

Okay, so why did Kelly, Lockbaum, and Mathews choose “Daisy Bell” for the 704?

[arasina]

I always thought it was because HAL was mid-way through the loss of his “brain cells” and it was therefore totally appropriate to arrive at the point in the song “...I’m half crazy...”

[Dan(9698)]

that the song was something that his early trainers had exposed him to when they were teaching him human language.

And then he got Alzheimers and gradually everything new was lost and he had only really old memories.

[kalee]

ping

[equaviator]

Let HAL be HAL! HAL had feelings for Daisy. And how was HAL to know that Daisy was just a fictional character in a song from way back in the day? Poor HAL. It was to illustrate the earlier simplicities and growing complexities of the 20th Century and beyond.

[buccaneer81]

My assumption, when I saw the movie in 1968 or so, was that HAL was regressing to his early programming, and that the song was something that his early trainers had exposed him to when they were teaching him human language.

Exactly. HAL stated earlier in the movie that he was activated at the University of Illinois-Urbana on January 12, 1992 and that Professor So-and-so had taught him the song as one of his first programming efforts.

[Daffynition]

I thought something along those lines too ... or as arasina mentioned ...going "half crazy."

[Frantzie]

I always thought the part about HAL computer company was in Urbana, IL. I wonder if it was because the university or because he could not use IBM and it was sort of in the same northern middle America like Armonk/Binghampton, NY area.

[JoeProBono]

[So Cal Rocket]

And of course, HAL is an homage to IBM in another way... just substitute the next letter in the alphabet for each letter in H, A, and L.