A pair of brief, fascinating Canadian radio reports from more than fifty years ago about IBM computers beginning to do tasks that algorithms now do routinely. The first from 1957 is about computerized dating, with the IBM making rudimentary matches based on data provided by single people attending a convention. (The hook-ups still had to be arranged via pay phone, however.) The second, recorded in 1962, concerns a department store using a computer to suggest gifts that you’re loved ones might like.
- “Computer Matchmaker” (1957)