A Web odyssey
If he were alive today, American director Stanley Kubrick might have embraced the internet as a repository of useful information - or he might have derided it as a distraction.
Both sides of the argument are represented by the disparate sites referenced on 2001:exhibit (2001exhibit.org/links.html), which links to a multitude of pages devoted to Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
2001 traces our evolution back to the apes, then posits possible future evolutionary developments as we explore space. By having a giant computer - HAL - as its antagonist, the film also examines the possibilities of artificial intelligence.
The stellar array of 2001 websites encompasses everything from discussions about the meaning of the film and current developments in artificial intelligence to sites explaining how to build Lego models of the spaceships.
One site (mitpress.mit.edu/e%2Dbooks/HAL/contents.html) has a short breakdown of the excellent MIT Press book HAL's Legacy. The book asks questions such as, 'Will computers ever be able to hold conversations?', and relates them to Kubrick's ideas in 2001. As for the philosophy behind the film, an essay in the printed programme for its 1968 release (visual-memory.co.uk/2001/) is a good primer. Moon Base Clavius (clavius.org), named after the moon base in the film, is a myth-busting science site that debunks conspiracy theories that the Apollo moon landings never happened.
Fan sites revolve around memorabilia, model spaceships and 2001 audio clips, such as those in the sound section of the 2001 Internet Resource Archive (palantir.net/2001/). More obscure sites detail how to build models of the spaceships in the film. True Dimensions (truedimensions.com/lego/customs/2001/index.htm) lists the Lego pieces needed to recreate 2001's Discovery spacecraft (left).
Kubrick started working on 2001 in 1966 when the space race was under way. Most thought then that by 2001 humankind would have established its presence in deep space. That did not happen, although most scientists agree that humankind's future lies in outer space as the sun will one day engulf the earth.
2001 and its associated websites help keep the dream of manned space exploration alive.
