[SIGCIS-Members] Another question - "Giant Brains"

Sat Jan 31 22:56:12 PST 2009

I agree Tom. However, there is an important nuance in the whole idea of
handling information. During the big iron era, computers were information
handling machines; but a common perception the information was numerical.
Computers were highly complex difference engines. The idea that computers
could automate textual information seems to emerge later. 

John Laprise

Doctoral Candidate

Media, Technology, and Society Program

School of Communication

Northwestern University

From: members-bounces at sigcis.org [mailto:members-bounces at sigcis.org] On
Behalf Of Thomas Haigh
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2009 2:50 PM
To: 
Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Another question - "Giant Brains"

The title has great retro kitsch value, but I believe that "Giant Brains"
popularized a more important phrase. Berkeley defined the computer as "a
machine that handles information, transfers information from one part of the
machine to another and has a flexible control over the sequence of its
operation." This makes it special because transfers information
automatically, doesn't need minute to minute instructions -this makes "a
deep break with the past" even though "machines that handle information have
existed for more than 200 years." So he situates the as one in a long lineof
information handling machines going back to languages as "systems for
handling information", nerve cells, cave paintings, books, etc as "physical
equipment for handling information." That's the context in which it makes
sense to call a computer a giant brain, not because both think but because
both handle information. 

While Shannon's information theory had obvious relevance for people building
digital computers, this is the earliest (1949) expansive framing I'm aware
of for the computer as a universal information processing machine. I'd be
interested to hear if anyone knows of an earlier one, but it's surely the
earliest one to reach a mass general audience.

Tom

2009/1/31 Allan Olley <allan.olley at utoronto.ca>

Hey,
       Just did a quick check on JSTOR on the Science Service's The
Science News-letter (what I assume Bernadette Longo refered to). The term
"mechanical brain" is used about three times in the 1930s for some kind
of calculator or control system. First instance in 1930 for a
planetarium's control system (The Science News-Letter, Vol.
17, No. 475 (May 17, 1930), pp. 312-313) and then in 1932 to describe
Bush's Differential Analyzer (The Science News-Letter, Vol. 22, No. 606
(Nov. 19, 1932), p. 320), which is also called a mathematical brain. The
phrase "electronic 'brain'" is used to refer to a computing gunsight in
1944 (The Science News-Letter, Vol. 46, No. 21 (Nov. 18, 1944), p. 326)
Note that for example the press release by Harvard in 1944 for the
IBM ASCC/Harvard Mark I refers to it as a "super-brain." (p. 124, Cohen,
_Howard Aiken: Portrait of a computer pioneer_) So I think it is safe to
say that the use of the word/analogy of brain to describe a computer was
popular before Berkeley.
       The exact phrase "giant brain" is apparently not used anywhere in
JSTOR's database (which is a number of scientific and other journals)
before 1950 to describe machines...
       I did a quick check of the NY Times and found an article from 1947
with the following title "NEW GIANT 'BRAIN' DOES WIZARD WORK; Bureau of
Standards Says It Can Solve Vast Mathematical Problems in a Few Minutes"
August 25, 1947, Monday Page 19, 602 words. About the Bureau of Standards
plans for machines,"giant "electronic brains"" refered to, so the title
may be an abreviation of that. It is based off a U.P. newswire. However
this is the only pre-1949 reference, so it hardly suggests it is a popular
description.
       Refering to early computers as giant brains is a natural way to
describe them given their size and previous practice and so the phrase
was probably coined more than once (like many computer algorithms that
have been invented multiple times). I suspect if you did a search of all
searchable newspapers and other available sources you would find a few
more instances of the phrase "giant brain" however it does seem to me
like Berkeley popularized the description.
--
Yours Truly,
Allan Olley

http://individual.utoronto.ca/fofound/

On Sat, 31 Jan 2009, Bernadette Longo wrote:

> Hi all -- The term "giant brains" had also been used numerous times by
> the Science Service Newsletter editor during the 1930s in terms of
> earlier mechanical calculators. Ditto to Jim's comments...Bernadette
> Longo
>
> James Cortada wrote:
>>
>> He popularized the term, although it is not clear to me that he was the
>> first to utter it. The concept had been floating around since at least
>> the mid-1930s in the form of mechanically augmenting thinking. based on
>> what I read in the 1930s and 1940s, I would give him--or his book
>> editor--credit for the phrase. This is similar to the problem we still
>> have with the word automation. It was in use at Ford Motors in the late
>> 1940s but nobody knew about it or used the phrase until John Diebold
>> did when he used it as the title for a best selling book published in
>> the early 1950s. He told me that he had gotten the word from Ford and
>> his editor encouraged him to use in the title of the book. The only
>> really clever book title he ever came up with for his 7+ books. His
>> experience is what taught me to spend a lot of time thinking about the
>> title of any book you publish, fighting and dialoguing with editors,
>> marketing people, and others until you get it right.
>>
>> Jim (James) W. Cortada
>> IBM Institute for Business Value
>> 3001 West Beltline Highway
>> Madison, WI 53713 USA
>> jwcorta at us.ibm.com
>> 608-270-4462
>>
>> Inactive hide details for "Evan Koblentz" ---01/31/2009 04:20:10
>> AM---Was the term "Giant Brains" already popular when Edmund B"Evan
>> Koblentz" ---01/31/2009 04:20:10 AM---Was the term "Giant Brains"
>> already popular when Edmund Berkeley used it in his 1949 book title, or
>> should he get credit for po
>>
>>
>> From:        "Evan Koblentz" <evan at snarc.net>
>>
>> To:  <members at sigcis.org>
>>
>> Date:        01/31/09 04:20 AM
>>
>> Subject:     [SIGCIS-Members] Another question - "Giant Brains"
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>> Was the term "Giant Brains" already popular when Edmund Berkeley used
>> it in his 1949 book title, or should he get credit for popularizing it?
>> I'm mentioning the term in a footnote and want to be sure credit goes
>> to the right source._______________________________________________
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