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Today I learned that the HP 9100 calculator appeared in the movie Earth II from 1971, a pilot for a TV series that never materialized (its German name was "Killersatelliten". You may all know its appearance in "The Andromeda Strain". However, in Earth II several HP 9100 appear quite a few times. Funnily enough, you’ll see that the calculators are not connected to power and were never turned on.

Here are some interesting scenes ...


Still picture from scene 0:14:18 .. 0:16:22


Still picture from scene 0:22:48 .. 0:23:43


Still picture from scene 0:25:48 .. 0:27:16


Still picture from the scene 0:31:40 .. 0:39:35

Too bad that the HP 9100 never got a TV series star ;-)

Actually, those 9100 machines were the previously unreported 9100C models, with atomic power, wifi and privacy screens. I have the docs for them around here somewhere ...

I'd like to know who did the "old HP" industrial design. Internal? Did they use outside design firms?

Some of the products still look futuristic. (A few years ago somebody asked me if my HP-01 was a phone!)

(01-27-2019 03:57 PM)BobVA Wrote: [ -> ]I'd like to know who did the "old HP" industrial design. Internal? Did they use outside design firms?

According to this article HP had its own industrial design group.

Personally, I like the design of the HP 9100 case, too. However, there are many other nice examples of futuristic design, like the Commodore CBM 8296 or this Holborn 9100 computer:

(01-27-2019 02:11 PM)jackrubin Wrote: [ -> ]Actually, those 9100 machines were the previously unreported 9100C models, with atomic power, wifi and privacy screens. I have the docs for them around here somewhere ...

Ha ha, too early for April fools!

Wonder if the show producers rented the HP9100 of did they outright buy one???

An actor that was in 2001: A Space Odyssey and a Star Trek Original series episode is in the movie...

(01-27-2019 07:44 PM)zeno333 Wrote: [ -> ]An actor that was in 2001: A Space Odyssey and a Star Trek Original series episode is in the movie...

Gary Lockwood

(01-27-2019 07:38 PM)zeno333 Wrote: [ -> ]Wonder if the show producers rented the HP9100 of did they outright buy one???

The Andromeda Strain was a pretty big-budget movie, so blowing the equivalent of a new car on a high-tech prop wouldn't have been out of the question, I guess. But I prefer to assume HP simply lent them one.

(01-27-2019 11:19 AM)Jurgen Keller Wrote: [ -> ]Today I learned that the HP 9100 calculator appeared in the movie Earth II from 1971, a pilot for a TV series that never materialized

There was a television series in the 90's called Earth 2, but it's not related to the movie.

(01-27-2019 10:17 PM)Thomas Okken Wrote: [ -> ]The Andromeda Strain was a pretty big-budget movie, so blowing the equivalent of a new car on a high-tech prop wouldn't have been out of the question, I guess. But I prefer to assume HP simply lent them one.

I've seen recently the movie again and I noticed that in the credits are mentioned nine suppliers of the scientific equipment, but the HP....