Manual override: Difference between revisions

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A '''manual override''' is a mechanism wherein control is taken from an [[automated system]] and given to the user. For example, a manual override in [[photography]] refers to the ability for the human photographer to turn off the automatic [[aperture]] sizing, [[automatic focusingfocus]]ing, or any other automated system on the camera.<ref>[http://www.ambitions4.com/Glossary-Pub-View-Topic-Details.asp?GlossaryID=339&strChar=M Manual override], Ambitions Photography Academy.</ref>

Some manual overrides can be used to veto an automated system's judgementjudgment when the system is in error. An example of this is a [[Printer (computing)|printer's]] ink level detection: in one case, a researcher found that when he overrode the system, he could print up to 38% more pages could be printed at good quality fromby histhe printer than the automated system would have allowed him to.<ref name=BBC> [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3035500.stm 'Raw deal' on printer ink], ''[[BBC]]'', 3 July 2003 </ref>.

== Examples in fiction ==

As a plot device manual override is often used in [[Sci-Fi]] because of the usual prevalence of advanced / electronic technology. For example;:

* In [[Star Trek]] many automatic systems, such as the automatic navigation, or the 'site-to-site transporter' can be overridden. A slightly different type of manual override is used in the film ''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]'', when acting Captain of the [[Starship Enterprise]] (E) William Riker asks the computer for the 'manual command column', in effect a [[joystick]] which gives him [[pilotage]] control of the ship.