Well, Mr. Frankel, who started this program, began to…
““Well, Mr. Frankel, who started this program, began to suffer from the computer disease that anybody who works with computers now knows about. It's a very serious disease and it interferes completely with the work. The trouble with computers is you *play* with them. They are so wonderful. You have these switches - if it's an even number you do this, if it's an odd number you do that - and pretty soon you can do more and more elaborate things if you are clever enough, on one machine. After a while the whole system broke down. Frankel wasn't paying any attention; he wasn't supervising anybody. The system was going very, very slowly - while he was sitting in a room figuring out how to make one tabulator automatically print arc-tangent X, and then it would start and it would print columns and then bitsi, bitsi, bitsi, and calculate the arc-tangent automatically by integrating as it went along and make a whole table in one operation. Absolutely useless. We *had* tables of arc-tangents. But if you've ever worked with computers, you understand the disease - the *delight* in being able to see how much you can do. But he got the disease for the first time, the poor fellow who invented the thing.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Obsessive tinkering with computers can become a distraction, reducing productivity despite its allure.
In simple terms: Computer tinkering can hinder work.
Key Takeaway
Set boundaries for tech play.
Themes
focus
productivity
distraction
Mood
thoughtful
cautious
Type
philosophical
practical
When to use this quote
- software development
- research labs
- teaching
- project management
Key Concepts
cognitive overload
automation fatigue
Questions to Reflect On
- When does curiosity become counterproductive?
- How to balance exploration with deadlines?
A Different Perspective
May underestimate the value of systematic planning.