This 1969 Poem Reminds Us Why Computers Still Suck

It feels very 2015 to panic about how technology is impacting our lives. But actually we’ve been worrying about that ever since computers become widely used.

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Here’s a poem from the Australian Women’s Weekly, way back on April 9, 1969. It neatly summarises the “garbage in, garbage out” rule that has applied to all programmers since the dawn of code:

How readily to human lips
Spring answers sharp, sarcastic,
Dishonestly disguised as quips
By consciences elastic.
 
One hoped for cool, detached respect
From passionless computers
But these alas, can but reflect
The natures of their tutors.

More broadly: humans are revolting, which is why Twitter can be so awful and you should never read the comments. Here’s how it originally appeared, via Trove:

For more vintage computing moments, check out the Weekly’s coverage of one of Australia’s first female IT managers and the prospects for programmers.