[Sloth]

while the general public may laugh at old technology, those in the field have respect for the pioneers and wouldn't laugh. today's computer-gaming designers continually deal with getting the most out of their current hardware, and they know how limited early computers were.... here's an analogy - maybe the general public might laugh at a film of old Model-T cars or Wright-brothers type planes, but professional car-designers or plane-designers never would.

This was one of the most jarring things in 'Deep Impact.' Robert Duvall plays an old Mercury-era astronaut who goes along with a crop of current astronauts because he's familiar with some old equipment they're using in order to blow up the asteroids or whatever. Anyway, the young crew pretty much dismiss the guy as a feeble old has-been who belongs in moth balls.

I'm pretty sure that real contemporary astronauts would just about worship one of those old 'Right Stuff' pilots.

[AxelPaulsenJr]

I know this is reaching from the movies to television. But one of my favorite Star Trek episodes was when the Enterprise went back in time to old Earth space and had to transport aboard an Air Force fighter pilot whose jet was torn apart by the Enterprise's tractor beam.

The point of my post was that the Enterprise crew treated him with respect.

[Flashlight]

(re: Deep Impact and Duvall)

you're absolutely right. not realistic at all.