Ctrl Alt Delete

Technology has an inherent seductive quality about it. Most people I know will reach for their smartphone in the morning when they wake up even before they talk to their loved ones. But we've created one of the most powerful systems of communication, the Internet, for much more than just pictures of food and videos of cats. Because people all over the world can connect with each other instantly, new communities are forming around niche interests and common beliefs all the time among people who have never met in person. No one, whether they be gay, Mormon, or a fan of professional wrestling, should have to be alone. And now they don't have to be. So is technology's inherent seductive quality good or bad?

This question was very much on my mind during the development of Ctrl Alt Delete. There are plenty of reasons to be afraid: artificial intellgence could destroy our financial systems and infrastructure, nanotechnology could self-replicate all of our natural resources into "grey goo," corporate or governmental big data could eradicate the idea of privacy completely. But like The Force, technology has a Light Side, in addition to the Dark. The Internet made this film possible through crowdfunding, connecting us with crew from all over the nation, as well as answering those pesky technical questions, like "What are the optimal environmental vectors of an enterprise level data center?" Ultimately what I discovered through making Ctrl Alt Delete is if we are ever going to fight the Dark Side of technology, we will need the Light Side and more importantly we will need each other.

- James B. Cox, writer/director of Ctrl Alt Delete