A hundred years ago the word computer
Most commonly meant the people
Whose job it was to do math equations.
Their job was to take sheets of math
and compute so other people could
Do their jobs, whatever it was.
Yeah, the thing we did every school day
That many said they wouldn’t have to use
Later in life because they could just
Use a calculator….
Obviously most all those jobs were replaced by what we now call computers
(Or simply excel).
Yet, the worlds population is 4x
what is was then.
And the world we live in now is stronger
than that world in terms of
people employed doing math…
Today There are more people
employed as computers or mathematicians
and more people employed in various IT roles
than any/all of the folks displaced by
1)The computing revolution (50s/60s)
2) Mainframe and networking (70s/80s/90s)
3) Desktop computing (80s/90s)
My point: the machines work for us.
Hardware and Software are extensions
Of human volition,
Surely they change how we think
and shape our cultures and societies;
Yet, so long as we’re grounded in common humanity
and believe in people, we needn’t fear our own improvement.