The closed world : computers and the politics of discourse in cold war America
Edwards, P. N.
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Edwards traces how computers have emerged as the dominant technology as a direct result of Cold War politics and the defense research it engendered. From the first use of room-size mainframes to coordinate missile systems, Pentagon research aimed toward complete computer control, including the budget-busting and ultimately impractical Strategic Defensive Initiative. Edwards relates how the technology--which is now so open as to be nearly anarchic--began in strictly enclosed secrecy. The military computer goal of perfect "command, control and communication" systems was understood to mean communication only within a very closed world. Edwards' thesis is that this approach influenced the very structure of our modern computers.
Main title:
Author:
Imprint:
Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1996
Contents:
"We defend every place": building the Cold War WorldWhy build computers? the military role in computer researchSAGEFrom operations research to the electronic battlefieldInterlude: metaphor and the politics of subjectivityThe machine in the middle: cybernetic psychology and World War IINoise, communication and cognitionConstructing Artificial IntelligenceComputers and politics in Cold War IIMinds, machines and subjectivity in the Closed WorldEpilogue: Cyborgs in the World Wide Web
ISBN:
9780262550284
Dewey class:
306.2
Language:
English
BRN:
34951
| Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| McNally Campus | BA Film | 306.2 EDW | Available |
Find it!
Total copies: 1