When I was a kid we had a VHS recording of Sneakers, with the beginning of an episode of Letterman at the end. I remember my mom liking it. Fond memories. I need to watch it again.
*after apparently inconveniencing Liz, the group is walking out*
Cosmo: We'll call you a cab.
Liz: "Thank you. This is my last computer date."
*Cosmo stops walking, falling behind*
Cosmo: "Wait."
*the group stops and turns*
Cosmo: "A computer matched her with him? I don't think so."
*Liz's face falls as Cosmo's henchman start slowly walking up behind her.*
*dramatic music as we cut and zoom in to Cosmo's face*
Cosmo: "Marty."
*Cosmo turns and runs toward his office*
> "A computer matched her with him? I don't think so."
When I first watched this movie, I felt like this was a weak moment in the film. "Computer dating" at the time was laughably bad, so seeing a character regard it as infallible ruined the immersion.
With age and experience, I now see that some people just throw themselves behind certain technologies, and fail to find flaw. So maybe this character was just a misguided computer dating evangelist, blind to the technology's failings.
Keep in mind the script was from a top-shelf writer who worked on it for ages. It's established earlier in the film that the crew think it's completely plausible a computer dating service would set the two of them up.
"...Fellas. Fellas, look at this man's trash. He's not looking for "buff." The man who folded this tube of Crest...is looking for someone...meticulous. Refined. Anal. ...What?"
I think Cosmo's comment - note he's extremely vain, how he dresses, his office is practically a modern art gallery, he's got the organization's Cray sitting on display, etc - just further shows how vain he is, thinking someone as attractive as Liz couldn't possibly be a good match for a nerd like Werner, when it's established that they're actually quite alike/compatible.
One could imagine that Liz also obeys all speed limits and comes to complete stops at every stop sign...
He knew he had something Martin wanted. He knew what Martin and his partners did for a living. There was already the suspected breach, and finding Werner’s card in his office settled that briefly. When the mere mention of a computer came up in this scenario, Cosmo reconsidered how likely it was to be a simple misunderstanding versus his former close friend being involved.
Minor correction: I don't think they found Werner's card in his office. There just didn't seem to be anything amiss in there when they checked. As Werner said, "Well, uh, everything seems to be in order."
Yes but many times, these can be quite valuable inferences.
Shoes are indeed a valuable source of information about a person. I knew at least one BH case manager who really paid attention to them.
Shoes are expensive, very durable, and typically one of those items that people have only a few pairs of. So while someone can easily change their outfit to match a situation, place, or mood for the day, they may be less likely to change their shoes to match more than a basic purpose.
And shoes tend to accumulate evidence of where someone's been. Are they muddy, dusty, spit-polished?
Personally, I own about five pair of shoes. I have a pair of Oxford dress shoes, a very nice pair of white New Balance with hook-and-loop, some hiking boots I picked up at JC Penney, and a few others. My clothing, on the other hand, is mostly Adidas and Columbia and some tee shirts, but I don't own any Adidas or Columbia shoes. So you can tell a lot about me, no matter what I'm wearing, by studying my shoes for a while.
I met another BH professional who said he owned 52 pairs of Crocs. He said that he'd kicked an addiction habit, but it seems he traded something unhealthy for perhaps a less-detrimental dependence on collecting shoes. To each his own, I suppose, and surely a lot of information could be gleaned about this fellow if you paid attention to which pair of Crocs he'd selected for the day.
Modern shoes can be very cheap, which is also not durable at all. Beyond that, price and durability are two different metrics, and can tell you about a person. Some people buy expensive shoes specifically for the durability, which could tell you things about what they value, that they are willing to do research. Some people buy expensive shoes for wrongly perceived durability, which could tell you that they want to be perceived as rugged or refined. Some people buy expensive shoes for their lack of durability, which could tell you that they want people perceive their status (conspicuous consumption).
Someone wearing pristine white Jordans, Red Wings boots, or bottom tier Cole Hann dress shoes can all say things about a person.
Other way around. The clothes you wear are a method of communication you're actively engaging in whether you're aware of it or not. This is a really useful thing to be aware of, since it lets you craft narratives in other people's heads.
* It's not about computers and them (Liz and Werner). It's about Cosmo.
* Computer dating is about algorithms and pattern matching. Cosmo didn't have any suspicion of Liz and Werner going on a date; even if he saw a type-mismatch, humans are complex and multi-faceted. But when he learned a computer program ostensibly made the match, his alarm bells went off.
Beyond that, there was already the suspected breach of the site which he knew Bish was interested in breaching. The mere mention of a computer being involved would have made him far more likely to suspect his involvement.
A couple of scenes:
And another: