Jurassic Park

Work Title: Jurassic Park
Medium: Film
Episode Title:
Year: 1993
Writer(s): Michael Chrichton
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s):
"Original" Writer: Own work?: Yes
Summary:

Paleontologists Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler and mathematician Ian Malcolm are among a select group chosen to tour an island theme park populated by dinosaurs created from prehistoric DNA. While the park's mastermind, billionaire John Hammond, assures everyone that the facility is safe, they find out otherwise when various ferocious predators break free and go on the hunt.

Era/Year of Portrayal: near_past
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

Dinosaurs are back and as real as the animals seen in zoos! Also, there are self driving cars used for tours of the island. There are also advancements with holograms and some technology used to maintain these dinos (such as dinosaur egg incubators).

Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: Self-driving Jeeps
  • Description of the technology: These are brightly colored jeeps that drive around the island on a pre-programmed route with an automatic tour guide audio program. The user can interact by getting opening windows a bit, and getting out of the car. The quality is basic as the self-driving factor is most important. It is a submissive tech that is able to be controlled as is intended to help guests learn about dinosaurs while seeing them in a unique, private setting.
  • Nature of task or activity: The user is on a tour watching dinosaurs that have been brought "back to life" through embryonic technology.
  • Performance of the Technology: It is sort of a hindrance and a protection throughout the movie. As evidenced by one scene, it is safer to be in the jeep than to run away from it when a T-Rex escapes.
  • Description of creator(s): I would imagine the creators of the technology are Jeep mechanics that have been called to create the cars by the older and head of operations at Jurassic Park, John Hammond.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): The major goals were to aid in the educational experience of visitors on the island.
  • Description of users of technology: The users can be of any age or background (assuming they can afford to come to the island in the first place, of course) as the cars do not need to be manually driven. It seems to be intended for families.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: social_presence
  • Description of presence experience: They can feel like they are transported by to the Jurassic Era in the protection of Jeeps. This ultimately does not work out and the Jeeps are needed to be manually driven.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: The users should be fairly aware of the technology, but the main focus would be on observing the dinosaurs outside.
  • Valence of experience: The original intention of both the technology behind the cars and the dinosaurs was supposed to be pleasant, but it quickly turns unpleasant and a struggle for survival.
  • Specific responses: The kids think that the cars are cool and the fact that they can be in the car and on the tour without an adult even cooler. The entire point of the self-driving vehicle is convenience so that users can focus on the tour that it is driving them through, so it should be a quick transition from "this is driving itself... cool!" to "WOW DINOSAURS ARE OUTSIDE THE WINDOW!"
  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: n/a
  • Description of the technology: n/a
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  • Performance of the Technology: n/a
  • Description of creator(s): n/a
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): n/a
  • Description of users of technology: n/a
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: both
  • Description of presence experience: n/a
  • User awareness of technology during experience: n/a
  • Valence of experience: n/a
  • Specific responses: n/a
  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: n/a
  • Description of the technology: n/a
  • Nature of task or activity: n/a
  • Performance of the Technology: n/a
  • Description of creator(s): n/a
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): n/a
  • Description of users of technology: n/a
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: social_presence
  • Description of presence experience: n/a
  • User awareness of technology during experience: n/a
  • Valence of experience: n/a
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Long-term consequences:

The consequences end up being mostly bad. The jeeps help them to escape and protect the children momentarily from the T-Rex but sort of end up being an inconvenience. The story has a pretty solid happy ending, but there are certainly deaths along the way (one definitely being from NOT staying in the Jeep).

Other:

These are very basic and a much more interesting interpretation of these cars are the self-driving/slightly-manual "pods" in Jurassic World!

Coder name: Alexa Duffy
Coder email: tuf92909@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University