The 'Mark of the Beast Computer': Myths and Facts of Technology

Part of understanding technology is understanding what machines can and cannot do regardless of their artificial intelligence. According to an article entitled, "The Beast" featured at the website of TruthOrFiction.com, a rumor began circulating in the 1970's that there was a gargantuan machine located in Brussels, Belgium named "The Beast Computer". It was said to be powerful enough to run programs that efficiently track the financial activities of every person on Earth. Understandably, such a rumor was and is still linked with curiosity concerning a "mark of the Beast," predicted to exist in the last days of Earth.

Many works of fiction, some labeled as Christian, center around the Beast Computer. The Wind Chime Legacy by A.W. Mykel, published in the early 1980's was acclaimed a number one super shocker. This work of fiction speaks of a computer called "SENTINEL." Chapter 2 begins introducing the reader to the stunning artificial intelligence that SENTINEL possesses. The character Bridges tells Ross (another character) that, "That computer is so advanced that you wouldn't believe half of what it could do, if I could tell you." SENTINEL reminds of the Beast Computer.

The article states that the original rumor has it that the Beast Computer occupies 3 stories, is self-programming, and possibly the issuer of the mark of the Beast. What is fact and what is fiction? First to consider is that the technology of today is fast approaching the reality of very small computers being able to process unimaginable amounts of information within seconds. The size of computers is shrinking as the power of their processors and memory banks grows. Therefore, it's highly unlikely that a "Beast Computer" would take up so much space if it were truly powerful enough to track everyone in the world.

The Beast computer is also rumored to be self-programming and, consequently, dangerous. Could such a monster program itself to begin destroying life on Earth? Most people who aren't computer savvy don't realize that computer programs are already being widely used to write other programs. This is part of the explanation for the existence of "bloatware" (unnecessarily large software). There haven't been any disasters yet--but are they still to come? Consider the following.

Millions of Personal Computers (PC's) running Microsoft Windows have frustrated users across the globe by displaying the dreaded "blue screen of death." These operating systems are known to freeze, expand with normal use and to become corrupt over time. This, in essence, is an experience with programs not doing what they should. Is it just the beginning. It's shouldn't be inconceivable that a self-programming machine could present a serious threat to the Earth.

We are now seeing that the science fiction of the 1960's is now becoming reality through the advancement of nanotechnology. Why should a computerized system known as the Mark of the Beast be so easily dismissed? A job for which I applied and began to train didn't immediately inform new employees how they kept track of working hours. There were no time cards to punch, no computer sign-on or sign-in sheets. The thumb of each employee was his time sheet scanned by a computer that not only kept track of his hours worked, but also of his whereabouts while on the clock. This was the principle reason for which I refused to continue working there. During the first week we had signed in on paper while our names were being entered into the system. I resigned that second week. One thing to keep in mind is that there's usually some fact to all fiction.