Machine Thinking

In 1968 Charles and Ray Eames produced an animated short film for IBM detailing the ideas and vocabulary of the coming computer age. Certainly it was meant to allay some of the fears and anxiety experienced with the advance of the new machines.

a computer glossary or, coming to terms with the data processing machine from Eric Spiegelman on Vimeo.

Jonathan Hale writes in this book The Old Way of Seeing:

“In 1828 … [t]he Faust legend obsessed artists and writers; in dozens of works they told the story of the modern predicament: in gaining the power of industry, the world was sacrificing it’s soul. It was not the new machines themselves they feared - there were not yet many - it was machine thinking.”

That quote is, in fact, from where this site derives it’s name. The Eames’ video might be a glossary to the new digital machines, but also an introduction to computer thinking.

Update: Sadly Vimeo has taken this video off line and I’ve been unable to find another online copy. I’ll keep looking.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Riding the mechanical tiger Shiva
• The Corpus Clock & Chronophage (Time Eater)
• Vacuum tubes made by hand
• Mechanicrawl Part One: Long Now’s 10,000 year clock
• The Nutty Device