Computers that used to be human

4 months ago

In the past, 'computers' referred to humans who performed calculations, not machines.
Human computers were employed for tasks like tax auditing and accounting, which were complex and required specialized skills.
Historical records, such as those from the British East India Company and the US Naval Observatory, list individuals with the title 'Computer'.
Human computers, often women, coexisted with early electronic computers into the 1960s, performing calculations manually with tools like slide rules and mechanical calculators.
The term 'calculator' also originally referred to people who performed calculations, as seen in early English dictionaries.
The word 'reckon' historically meant to compute or calculate with precision, differing from its modern casual usage.
The post humorously suggests fictional etymologies for words like 'ruler', 'protractor', and 'washer-dryers', playing on the theme of human roles evolving into tool names.

Hasty Briefsbeta