NPR
Decades before Google or Facebook existed, a Madison Avenue advertising man started a company called Simulmatics based on a then-revolutionary method of using computers to forecast how people would behave.
Formed in 1959, Simulmatics charged clients a hefty fee to access its “people machine” — a computer program that drew on polling information and behavioral science to predict mathematically the impact of an advertising pitch or political message. More
Author of the book on Simulmatics, “If Then,” Jill Lepore’s article in the New Yorker. Here
I apologize profusely for this OT comment, but I just read this comment on YT while listening to Shine on You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd – and it’s so funny I had to share – either that or you will all think I’m nuts… “If you listen to this song high on mushrooms, totally naked with all the lights off… your boss will tell you to go home.”
Sounds like someone was able to make Issac Asimov’s “Foundation” (1951) psychohistory work for them.
You cannot predict the movement of a single individual, but given a large enough population, you can predict its movement.
^^^that’s pretty funny, @Gladys…
…but I bet your BOSS doesn’t think so…
SNS – I would NEVER do that, only think and laugh about it.
JFK’s real secret or not so secret weapon was his old man Joseph Kennedy buying the Presidential election for him thru voter fraud in Cook County, Illinois in the 1960 Presidential election against Richard Nixon.
…computers aren’t intelligent or intuitive.
Computers are programmed.
And in computer programming, it’s a one-man birthday party.
You don’t get any presents you don’t bring.
The algorithm will be only as predictive as the person who writes it is.
…and THOSE guys don’t get OUT much…
^^^^ amen to that! ^^^^
I don’t think Simulmatics made it out of the 60s before going bankrupt. They got really involved in Viet Nam and didn’t exactly cover themselves with glory.
Jeeze boomers, just marry JFK already.
Ever see him dance? Al Gore ain’t got no rhythm.
The book’s title: “If Then, How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future” seems to offer a lot more than the author can probably deliver. Affecting the outcome of an election was likely done earlier, like what Wm. Randolph Hearst was able to do with his newspapers.
These eye-catching book names are invented by publisher’s marketing sluts (male and female). This type of thing has happened before. Author Simon Winchester wrote a book about the San Andreas fault with the title: A Crack In The Edge of The World. Another one of his books was about the eruption of Krakatoa in the 1880’s, titled: The Day The World (or Earth) Exploded.
I usually stay away from books with overly dramatic titles like that.
@Flip
Imagine seeing Al Gore drag his fat pink arse across a disco floor? That would be something to see.
Anything Al Gore makes me cringe. The kiss with Tipper
was just creepy.
I want to see Al Gore
try torun from a polar bear.