When I first started reading “Man-Computer Symbosis” I neglected to notice the year of which this particular article was written. So as I continued with the reading I found myself thinking, “Don’t we have technology like this already?” and “This sounds really familiar”. Until finally, amidst all my confusion I decided to scroll back up to the beginning and scan for a date: 1960. Ahhhh, that makes complete sense!
I thought it was interesting to read an article written in 1960 on the hopes and expectations for technology coming from my standpoint in 2011, a time where we have not only have these predicted technologies but are exceeding all those past hopes and expectations.
Beforehand, I had never in my life heard of such a thing as “man-computer symbosis”: the cooperative interaction between men and electronic computer. Nor had I ever heard of the “mechanically extended man” where the human operator supplied the initiative, the direction, and the criterion and the computer machines would aid in the labor, and/or help man’s thinking process or problem solving. But as you can see, technology and computer intelligence has done far more than just that for mankind. Computer intelligence has especially aided the way we communicate (as we have learned in the past few readings).
1960 to 2011 is not that long of a time span if you really think about it. We’ve come along way in 50 years. And I am extremely curious to see where man and the computer take society in the next 50 years.
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