Word: acted
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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Throwing a Switch. From his first official act in 1921, when he pressed all 15 buzzers on his desk just to see what would happen (15 department heads streamed into his office), Holcombe's political career has never been dull. He lost four mayoralty campaigns, but was always voted back into office after Houston got a good taste of someone else...
Control mechanisms are not new. The governor, which regulates steam engines, was invented by James Watt in 1788. The familiar thermostat has been around for decades. Both these are true control mechanisms. They accept information and directives and act upon them...
Modern control mechanisms think much better than that. Gathering information from delicate senses (strain gauges, voltmeters, photosensitive tubes), they act upon it more quickly and accurately than human beings can. They never sleep or get sick or drunk or tired. If such mechanisms are properly designed, they make no mistakes...
Most remarkable are the computing machines, Professor Wiener's own specialty. They are growing with fearful speed. They started by solving mathematical equations with flash-of-lightning rapidity. Now they are beginning to act like genuine mechanical brains. Dr. Wiener sees no reason why they can't learn from experience, like monstrous and precocious children racing through grammar school. One such mechanical brain, ripe with stored experience, might run a whole industry, replacing not only mechanics and clerks but many of the executives...
...same time the governors will disclose that Olivier has been invited to produce and act in the Old Vic's 1950-51 season. Olivier is ready to accept, on one condition: Richardson and Burrell must be invited back...