Hey, any of you guys ever seen the TV show Person of Interest? It airs Thursday nights on cbs, at 9pm EST. Episodes are also on Hulu.

For those who don't know, the premise of Person of Interest is a next-generation computer software designed by Harold Finch. He designed it to detect acts of terrorist. This software can read emails, listen to phone calls, look into webcams, and do all sorts of advanced hacking. It is always watching you. If it sees a link, something that ties you to terrorist activities, it renders your social security number, allowing the government to pull information on you and prevent those activities. Over time, Finch begins to realize that this software, called the Machine, can detect ordinary violent crimes before they happen. He hires John Reese, a former CIA hit-man, to help him prevent these crimes before they happen.

This Machine is so advanced, that it can detect these crimes days, even weeks before they happen, and will show Finch what connection triggered it to flag their Person of Interest. In the Machine's first prediction, it gives the Social Security number of an FBI agent with nothing on his record, but one small suspicious activity. Every Thursday, he travels out of his way to go to one specific gas station, even if he has filled up the day before. For an hour before he arrived, a white van is parked there many of the times. This white van is registered to a known spy. The Machine could see this and predict the event, when the combined might of the FBI could not. In addition, the Machine is smart enough to know when it is being compromised. Twice, people attempt to hack the Machine, and twice, the Machine realizes it, and alerts Finch.

I bring this topic up, since it is in line with our theme...technology, and to introduce a great show. Also, I wonder, is a software like this even feasible with today's technology.

That doesn't sound too unlike a premise I had for a sci-fi story, where a sentient computer is built to handle all human governance, in order to eliminate all bias from the system. Then the computer recommends culling the population by 50%. You can figure out where the story goes from there.

I don't watch TV.

I actually have seen an episode or two, and it's rather good; I too was thinking others at Cemetech would like the premise

I'm actually tempted to try and design a Machine like this. What programming language would it require? And what concepts in programming should I study?

PS: http://www.cbs.com/shows/person_of_interest/video/ is the latest episode.

Any that allow interfacing between computers over a network, and can crunch numbers at least somewhat fast. So, most programming languages would work.

I'm a crack fiend for this show. Legit.

Ok, so what concepts should I learn? Advanced hacking? Password decrypting? Obviously, to all who may be alarmed by this line of questioning, I would be using this info for benevolent purposes.

Also, are there computer-cell phone hacks that allow you to do things to your computer from your cell and vice versa? And do they work for Mac?

edit: I've decided to work in C++. Any good tutorials that teach C++, esp. networking.