"On Guard! The Story of SAGE"

      I found the video"On Guard! The Story of SAGE" for this week's assignment. This video was an advertisement produced by IBM and the Military Products Division during the 1950's. It features the SAGE computer which was an early military computer that was used to detect incoming air attacks, track military supplies, and monitor commercial flights.
      This video is relevant to the Information Society because it shows one of the first large scale applications of computer technology. It demonstrates how computers allow for the processing of large amounts of data into something that is human readable. The video takes about the beginnings of predictive modeling and user experience. It also talks about developing computers so that they could be housed in airplanes which demonstrates the spread of computer technology into more and more devices and the need for compact computers.
      The video also addresses how the computer impacts society. The video shows many scenes of children playing and at school in order to convey the idea that the computer is keeping families safe. Additionally the video mentions computer technologies making it so that unskilled workers can perform skilled tasks. The airplane computers put "testing computer units in the same class as testing light bulbs."
      Overall this video is an interesting look at the application of and reaction to the computer during the cold war. It shows the beginning of many computer technologies that still exist today as well as how computers were allowing for more information processing and control during this time. It also gives an example of how computers technologies make complicated work flows simpler.

https://archive.org/details/OnGuard1956