Tag: computers

This week I finished the first ten seasons (228 episodes = ~167.2 hours) of “Law & Order” for a commission with Rhizome.org, cataloging computer use through screenshots over the show’s entire 20-year run. Many, many computers:

• Just over 4,500 screenshots so far (at 5 per computer = ~ 900 computers)
• Average of 107 computers per season
• Average of 4 computers per episode
• 16 episodes that feature no computers at all

I have also been keeping notes of the first onscreen appearance of computer devices, for example:

• First laptop: season 2, episode 34
• First inkjet printer: season 6, episode 125

Additionally, I’ve been tracking victim and perpetrator gender to add to the already great Law & Order database. The current tally is rather interesting:

VICTIMS

Male	115	50.66%
Female	112	49.34%

PERPETRATORS

Male	155	65.68%
Female	81	34.32%

We can also look at this another way, seeing crime by perpetrator gender and the gender of their respective victims:

PERP	MALE	FEMALE	BOTH
male	43 (18.94%)	43 (18.94%)	20 (8.81%)
female	12 (5.29%)	17 (7.94%)	3 (1.32%)
both	19 (8.37%)	12 (5.29%)	17 (7.94%)

A 2011 United States Department of Justice report provides some interesting comparisons: 90% of all homicides were committed by males; 66% of victims were male. Some interesting conclusions to be drawn, but I have another 226 episodes to watch!

And with that, onward to season 11!