"My first job on 2001 was to make all of the HAL readouts: the 16 screens that surround HAL's eyes"

This quote by Douglas Trumbull is referring to his deal with the renowned science fiction movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the film, HAL 9000 is a sentient computer that manages the spacecraft Discovery One. Trumbull's task was to create the 16 screens that surround HAL's eyes. These screens were utilized to show the computer system's readouts, which were the visual representations of the information that HAL was processing. This was a crucial part of the film, as it was utilized to show the audience the inner operations of the computer and how it was connecting with the crew of the Discovery One. Trumbull's work was necessary in developing the iconic look of HAL 9000, and it helped to make the film a classic.