SGI have a long history of involvement with Hollywood. Having help develop the special effects industry, SGI’s machines have provided the effects for some of the most successful blockbuster movies. Although best recognised for their effects in Jurassic Park, SGI have also been rumoured to have desgined laptop machines for several other movies.

Most famously, Silicon Graphics laptops appeared heavily in the movie Twister. These were however mockups, built by the effects group Banned From The Ranch. They use SGI Presenter screens – an early LCD monitor – with wires going off screen to Indys, which provided the on-screen displays.

A ruggedised laptop computer also appeared in Congo, where Laura Linney’s character used one deep in the jungle to communicate via satellite with TraviCom HQ. Again, these were effects team mockups, and weren’t real laptops.

The only full SGI laptop ever produced was by a group called CRI, who specialise in designing ruggedised models of laptops for the military. They built a custom Indy laptop called the LinC3D 75-FS. These tough machines weren’t just used on the battlefield – they were also deployed by the US Navy, and one was [spi]alleged|rumoured[/spin] to have been taken up to the ISS. Although sold to the defence industry, perhaps one day some of these rare laptops will be available on the open market.