We love movies because they allow us to escape from reality.  Most summer and Christmastime movies are of the "turn your brain off and be bombarded by sight and sound on screen".  There's absolutely nothing wrong with this but I do need to point out one stretch from reality that always is too farfetched for me.

If there is a movie dealing with hackers or espionage or computer terrorism, the applications these agencies/villains have at their disposal are too far "out there" in terms of what real-life software does.  Whenever they show a Command Center, the computer screens are loaded with application after application, all in a visual medium where it seems it's quite possible that anyone could do it.  I’m not a hacker but I’m guessing that in reality a hacker’s screen would just be full of very ordinary looking command line prompts and simple graphical interfaces that are probably created by themselves.  Hacker tools in real life aren’t loaded with graphics and button prompts for the villain such as “95% of the virus has been downloaded. Do you wish to continue?” 

“Do we need immediate schematics of a building under siege?”  No problem!  That's two keyboard strokes away from not only displaying on my monitor but also shows who is in the room along with heat-imaging displays for any over-heating nuclear cooler. 

“Satellite photo shots?”  Taptaptaptap - there ya go, boss!  Not only do they happen to be trained on the villain but it sends us streaming video of the area.  Still-life photos are for suckers! 

“You need mug shots and biography of the person currently on the phone?”  No problemo.  Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about him from Day One on this earth, including 30 mug shots.  Go ahead, boss, freak him out by showing how you know his parents’ names and where they currently live.

While movies are the biggest propagator of the fake computer console, the TV show ‘24’ is a violator of this too.  Somehow CTU has the ability to turn utilities on and off, get schematics of a specific kind of bomb, and view heat monitoring cameras aimed at embassy buildings all with a few mouse clicks.  Maybe it all is powered by Chloe’s stares, eye rolls and harrumphs.  Usually the computer operator in a show or movie like this is a sassy, nerdy white dude with glasses who, after doing one of his diabolical deeds, will clench his fist in joy and say “I am invincible!”  Chloe breaks this stereotype by being a sassy, nerdy white girl.