The advanced arithmetical machines of the future will be electrical in nature, and they will perform at 100 times present speeds, or more. Moreover, they will be far more versatile than present commercial machines, so that they may readily be adapted for a wide variety of operations. They will be controlled by a control card or film, they will select their own data and manipulate it in accordance with the instructions thus inserted, they will perform complex arithmetical computations at exceedingly high speeds, and they will record results in such form as to be readily available for distribution or for later further manipulation.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Bush predicts future electrical machines will be faster, versatile, and capable of autonomous data manipulation and recording.
- In plain terms
- Future computers will be fast, flexible, and handle data automatically.
- What can you take from it?
- Automated computing will transform data processing and distribution.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How will automation change work?
- What are the limits of machine control?
Another view
Automated systems may reduce human oversight or employment in some sectors.
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