Editing Michael Crichton (section)

==Scientific and legal career==
===Video games and computing===
[[File:AtariBASIC.png|thumb|left|Crichton was an early proponent of programming and computers, predicting their ubiquity.]]
In 1983, Crichton wrote ''[[Electronic Life]]'', a book that introduces [[BASIC]] [[computer programming|programming]] to its readers. The book, written like a glossary, with entries such as: "Afraid of Computers (everybody is)," "Buying a Computer" and "Computer Crime," was intended to introduce the idea of personal computers to a reader who might be faced with the hardship of using them at work or at home for the first time. It defined basic computer jargon and assured readers that they could master the machine when it inevitably arrived. In his words, being able to program a computer is liberation: "In my experience, you assert control over a computer—show it who's the boss—by making it do something unique. That means programming it... If you devote a couple of hours to programming a new machine, you'll feel better about it ever afterward."<ref>{{cite book|author=Crichton, Michael|title=[[Electronic Life]]|publisher=Knopf|date=1983|page=44|isbn=0-394-53406-9}}</ref>

In the book, Crichton predicts a number of events in the history of computer development, that computer networks would increase in importance as a matter of convenience, including the sharing of information and pictures that we see online today, which the telephone never could. He also makes predictions for computer games, dismissing them as "the [[hula hoop]]s of the 80s," and saying "already there are indications that the mania for twitch games may be fading." In a section of the book called "Microprocessors, or how I flunked biostatistics at Harvard," Crichton again seeks his revenge on the teacher who had given him abnormally low grades in college. Within the book, Crichton included many self-written demonstrative [[Applesoft BASIC|Applesoft]] (for [[Apple II]]) and [[Microsoft BASICA|BASICA]] (for [[IBM PC compatible]]s) programs.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1985-06/1985_06_BYTE_10-06_Programming_Techniques#page/n415/mode/2up | title=From the Living Room | work=BYTE | date=June 1985 | access-date=April 23, 2016 | author=[[Pournelle, Jerry]] | page=409}}</ref>

''[[Amazon (video game)|Amazon]]'' is a [[graphical adventure]] game created by Crichton and produced by John Wells. [[Trillium Corporation|Trillium]] released it in the United States in 1984 initially for the [[Apple II]], [[Atari 8-bit computers]], and [[Commodore 64]]. ''Amazon'' sold more than 100,000 copies, making it a significant commercial success at the time.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}} It has plot elements similar to those previously used in ''Congo''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://homeoftheunderdogs.net/game.php?id=48|title=Home of the Underdogs|website=homeoftheunderdogs.net|access-date=February 1, 2013|archive-date=May 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120521185301/http://homeoftheunderdogs.net/game.php?id=48|url-status=live}}</ref> Crichton started a company selling a computer program he had originally written to help him create budgets for his movies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.michaelcrichton.com/programmer/|title=Programmer|date=March 25, 2015 |publisher=michaelcrichton.com|access-date=August 20, 2015|archive-date=August 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820204818/http://www.michaelcrichton.com/programmer/|url-status=live}}</ref> He often sought to utilize computing in films, such as ''Westworld'', which was the first film to employ computer-generated special effects. He also pushed Spielberg to include them in the ''Jurassic Park'' films. For his pioneering use of computer programs in film production he was awarded the [[Academy Award for Technical Achievement]] in 1995.<ref name="WEBSITEBIO"/>

===Intellectual property cases===
In November 2006, at the [[National Press Club (United States)|National Press Club]] in Washington, D.C., Crichton joked that he considered himself an expert in intellectual property law. He had been involved in several lawsuits with others claiming credit for his work.<ref name="fora.tv">{{cite web|url=http://fora.tv/2006/11/28/Michael_Crichton|title=Michael Crichton|website=Fora.tv|access-date=August 3, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328151617/http://fora.tv/2006/11/28/Michael_Crichton|archive-date=March 28, 2010|url-status=usurped}}</ref> In 1985, the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]] heard ''Berkic v. Crichton'', 761 F.2d 1289 (1985). Plaintiff Ted Berkic wrote a screenplay called ''Reincarnation Inc.'', which he claims Crichton plagiarized for the movie ''[[Coma (1978 film)|Coma]]''. The court ruled in Crichton's favor, stating the works were not substantially similar.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4645996206573075884 |title=Berkic v. Crichton'', 761 F. 2d 1289 – Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit'' |year=1985 |access-date=February 27, 2016 |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107012633/https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4645996206573075884 |url-status=live}} <!-- as backup, also at http://www.leagle.com/decision/19852050761F2d1289_11858/BERKIC%20v.%20CRICHTON --></ref> In the 1996 case, ''Williams v. Crichton'', 84 F.3d 581 (2d Cir. 1996), Geoffrey Williams claimed that ''Jurassic Park'' violated his copyright covering his dinosaur-themed children's stories published in the late 1980s. The court granted [[summary judgment]] in favor of Crichton.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=5801028099837723098|title=''Williams v. Crichton'', 84 F. 3d 581 – Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit 1996|year=1996|access-date=February 27, 2016|archive-date=January 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107012645/https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=5801028099837723098|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1998, A United States District Court in Missouri heard the case of ''Kessler v. Crichton'' that actually went all the way to a jury trial, unlike the other cases. Plaintiff Stephen Kessler claimed the movie ''[[Twister (1996 film)|Twister]]'' (1996) was based on his work ''Catch the Wind''. It took the jury about 45 minutes to reach a verdict in favor of Crichton. After the verdict, Crichton refused to shake Kessler's hand.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jan-29-fi-13421-story.html|title=Spielberg, Crichton Cleared in 'Twister' Piracy Suit|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=January 29, 1998|access-date=April 5, 2020|agency=Associated Press|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804095403/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jan-29-fi-13421-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Crichton later summarized his intellectual property legal cases: "I always win."<ref name="fora.tv" />

===Global warming===
{{Further|Antarctica cooling controversy}}
Crichton became well known for [[Climate change denial|attacking]] the [[Scientific consensus on climate change|science]] behind [[global warming]]. He testified on the subject before Congress in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2005/sep/29/comment.bookscomment|title=Comment: Michael Crichton testifies on global warming|first=Jamie|last=Wilson|date=September 29, 2005|work=The Guardian|access-date=May 1, 2020|archive-date=June 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629072505/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2005/sep/29/comment.bookscomment|url-status=live}}</ref> His views would be contested by a number of scientists and commentators.<ref name="ucsusa">{{cite news|url=http://go.ucsusa.org/global_environment/global_warming/page.cfm?pageID=1670~|title=Crichton's Thriller State of Fear: Separating Fact from Fiction|publisher=[[Union of Concerned Scientists]]|access-date=August 21, 2020|archive-date=April 30, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430012139/http://go.ucsusa.org/global_environment/global_warming/page.cfm?pageID=1670|url-status=dead}}</ref> An example is meteorologist [[Jeffrey Masters]]'s review of Crichton's 2004 novel ''[[State of Fear]]'':{{blockquote|Flawed or misleading presentations of global warming science exist in the book, including those on Arctic sea ice thinning, correction of land-based temperature measurements for the [[urban heat island]] effect, and [[Satellite temperature measurements|satellite]] vs. ground-based measurements of Earth's warming. I will spare the reader additional details. On the positive side, Crichton does emphasize the little-appreciated fact that while most of the world has been warming the past few decades, most of Antarctica has seen a cooling trend. The [[Antarctic ice sheet]] is actually expected to increase in mass over the next 100 years due to increased precipitation, according to the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change|IPCC]].|Jeffery M. Masters, 2004<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wunderground.com/education/stateoffear.asp |title=Review of Michael Crichton's ''State of Fear'' |author=Masters, Jeffery M. |publisher=[[Weather Underground (weather service)|Weather Underground]] |access-date=2007-10-14 |archive-date=December 30, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041230102058/http://www.wunderground.com/education/stateoffear.asp |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

[[Peter Doran]], author of the paper in the January 2002 issue of ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'', which reported the finding referred to above, stating that some areas of Antarctica had cooled between 1986 and 2000, wrote an opinion piece in ''[[The New York Times]]'' of July 27, 2006, in which he stated "Our results have been misused as 'evidence' against global warming by Michael Crichton in his novel ''State of Fear.''"<ref name=Doran06>{{cite news |author=Doran, Peter |title=Cold, Hard Facts |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/27/opinion/27doran.html |work=The New York Times |date=July 27, 2006 |access-date=February 22, 2017 |archive-date=August 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823031225/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/27/opinion/27doran.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Al Gore]] said on March 21, 2007, before a U.S. House committee: "The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor... if your doctor tells you you need to intervene here, you don't say 'Well, I read a science fiction novel that tells me it's not a problem.{{' "}} Several commentators have interpreted this as a reference to ''State of Fear''.<ref>[http://news.ansible.co.uk/a237.html#05 Knights of the Limits] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429230120/http://news.ansible.co.uk/a237.html#05 |date=April 29, 2007}} Ansible 237, April 2007</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Climate of fear |url=https://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/04/01/climate_of_fear/ |work=The Boston Globe |date=April 1, 2007 |first1=Joshua |last1=Glenn |access-date=February 20, 2020 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204746/http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/04/01/climate_of_fear/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=More from 'Inconvenient Gore' |url=http://www.alaskareport.com/do77777.htm |work=Alaska Report |date=March 22, 2007 |access-date=September 20, 2008 |archive-date=July 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725041806/http://www.alaskareport.com/do77777.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.farnorthscience.com/2007/03/13/climate-news/that-inconvenient-gore/|title=That Inconvenient Gore|date=March 13, 2007|publisher=farnorthscience.com|access-date=March 14, 2011|archive-date=July 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710224606/http://www.farnorthscience.com/2007/03/13/climate-news/that-inconvenient-gore/|url-status=live}}</ref>