IT was only 20 years ago that the world's first commercially sold computer, a Univac Model I, was installed at the Bureau of the Census in Washington. Today hardly any type of commercial or human activity in the U.S. goes unrecorded, unpredicted or unencumbered by computers. The machines keep track of almost every bank check, reserve nearly all scheduled-airline seats, scrutinize every federal income tax return. Computers help to diagnose illnesses, plan radiation therapy, and map a path for the brain surgeon's scalpel. One computer has synthesized the tone of a trumpet so...
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