The Paperwork Explosion

The IBM Pollyanna Principle is an axiom that states "machines should work; people should think." This can be understood as a statement of extreme optimism, that machines should do all the hard work, freeing people to think (hence the reference to Pollyanna), or as a cynical statement, suggesting that most of the world's major problems result from machines that fail to work, and people who fail to think. "In 1967, Henson was contracted by IBM to make a film extolling the virtues of their new technology, the MT/ST, a primitive word processor. The film would explore how the MT/ST would help control the massive amount of documents generated by a typical business office. Paperwork Explosion, produced in October 1967, is a quick-cut montage of images and words illustrating the intensity and pace of modern business. Henson collaborated with Raymond Scott on the electronic sound track." ~ The Jim Henson Company IBM machines can do the work So that people have time to think Machines should do the work That's what they're best at People should do the thinking That's what they're best at Machines should work People should think Machines should work People should think Machines should work People should think ~ "Paperwork Explosion"