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When computers don't work
When computers don't work
It is evident that the entire kingdom in the world of Nimona is extremely reliant on computers. While the architecture and culture of this society has a medieval aesthetic, the technologies presented in the film are even more digitized and automated than those of the present day.
A major issue with complicated technology is ensuring that it will work reliably. This was less of an issue in the early developments of computers as they were very simple. But as complexity grew, there became room for misunderstandings between the machine and its user [1].
Original concept art for a vehichles in Nimona [2]
Inside control panel of a flying car
Flying Cars
Flying Cars
A prevalent technology that heavily relies on computing is the flying car. The main method of transportation for the people of the kingdom is through the use of flying cars, busses, and trucks. With these vehicles rapidly moving at high altitudes in close proximity to each other, a fault in the systems computers keeping it steady and afloat could result in a serious disaster.
Erzel, the main flying automobile manufacturer in the kingdom, has taken these risks into account when designing their cars. Around minute 38 of the film, the car that Nimona and Balister are flying in breaks down. Instead of dropping out of the air as one might expect, the car instead slowly descends allowing Balister to maneuver it to a safe location to stop.
Untested Code
Untested Code
While unexpected, uncontrollable, errors are inevitable and must be accounted for, there are also user made errors that can occur. In minute 74 of the film, the Director orders the laser cannon, which was stationed to face outwards of the city walls, to be rotated 180°. This extreme scenario was never accounted for in the construction of the cannon as the physical structure of the cannon's base was destroyed as it was forcibly rotated.
Usually, a constraint for something like this would be imposed by the software controlling the rotary mechanism. This behavior, however, was not tested for in the systems code. Developing a rigorous set of tests for the software, especially in military applications such as this one, must be a top priority to ensure proper functionality even in extreme cases [3].
Breaking the laser cannon (1:14)
Citations
Citations
Randell, B. and Lee, P. and Treleaven, P. C., Reliability Issues in Computing System Design (ACM, June 1978) https://doi.org/10.1145/356725.356729
Image by Ty Carter, production designer. @tycarterart
J.A. Whittaker, What is software testing? And why is it so hard? (IEEE, Feb 2000) https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/819971?casa_token=zRDecjHvE4sAAAAA:PeRo9rtqj_l-wwljC9B0JA_Vt17TYqHoQ3b0b-ObSgbBgP4eXogcX6_hf9Dj0zIr6okxowHI
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