YouTube:1954 Commercial for the UNIVAC Computer (Hilariously Anachronistic)

YouTube ^ | March 25, 2014 | Staff

[lbryce]

YouTube:1954 Commercial for the UNIVAC Computer

This 1954 commercial for the Univac Computer is hilariously anachronistic.

It is the first electronic computing system to be proven by widespread use. Because of its exclusive self-checking features, Univac can not make a mistake.

They said the same thing about the HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

[Durus]

I don’t think anachronistic means what you think it means.

[corbe]

I was trained on a UNIVAC 1050-II, early 70’s USAF. It did not correct itself, especially when I programmed it in PAL, SAL. We were the Operators, Maintenance and Programmers. SAC 96th Bomb Wing

[lbryce]

I certainly do. Why don’t you try and enlighten me if you are so sure, Mr. Vocabulary?

[TomGuy]

Remington Rand, makers of the Remington electric shaver.

The last Remington electric (triple rotary head) I bought 3 years ago was a piece of junk. It didn’t have enough power to clip 1-day facial hair without bogging down. I had used 2 earlier models and they were okay but wore out rather quickly — but are no longer made.

[CTyank]

There is more computing power in today’s electric razor.

[DManA]

It cannot make a mistake. And leaves your face kissable soft.

And boy can it catch fish.

[CTyank]

“.....and it can’t make a mistake!” Bwahaha!!!

[babble-on]

I like that the marketing department at Remington-Rand refused to sign off on this ad unless the Rand people agreed to put a little ad in for the Remington electric shaver at the end.

[N. Theknow]

The last Remington electric (triple rotary head) I bought 3 years ago was a piece of junk. It didn’t have enough power to clip 1-day facial hair without bogging down. I had used 2 earlier models and they were okay but wore out rather quickly — but are no longer made.

Thus one would surmise that you did not like it enough to "buy the company" a la Victor Kiam.

[Carl LaFong]

Error free computing AND a close shave!

[Kenton]

Boy, this is nostalgic. My Dad worked for Remington Rand back in 1954, marketing the Univac. He was responsible for the installation of the Univac computer system to the Cleveland Hopkins airport, which I remember at the time was a big deal. Also, he used Remington shavers most of his adult life.

Thanks for posting this, takes me back...

[The Great RJ]

Didn’t Remington also make guns as well as electric razors?

[CTyank]

‘”What does AM mean?”
Gorrister answered him. We had done this sequence a thousand times before, but it was Benny’s favorite story. “At first it meant Allied Mastercomputer, and then it meant Adaptive Manipulator, and later on it developed sentience and linked itself up and they called it an Aggressive Menace, but by then it was too late, and finally it called itself AM, emerging intelligence, and what it meant was I am ... cogito ergo sum ... I think, therefore I am.”
Benny drooled a little, and snickered.’

‘I have no mouth and I must scream’ - Harlan Ellison

[mabarker1]

Thanks for getting it all right!

[The Cajun]

I see the old reel to reel tape drives in commercial, I had a hatred for those damned things with the old DEC 1105 and 1134 computers, way back in the day.

[DManA]

I can see the ad men snickering to each other. These poindexters invented an electric razor for god’s sake and what do they get excited about? Some toy called a compooter that Joe American will never pay a samolian for.

[duckman]

“Because of its exclusive self-checking features...”

I am from the 2nd generation hardware era as well. Started with IBM in the late 60’s. Coded in 1410/7010 Autocoder, precursor to Assembler, no self correction as far as I knew.

[mabarker1]

Twinkles

[9YearLurker]

I think ‘dated’ would have been a better descriptor.

This commercial wouldn’t really be anachronistic unless it were, say, shown on television in the context of a movie set in modern times—or a western set in the 19th century.