Encounter, vol. III, no. 4 by Christopher Strachey, 1954

Encounter, vol. III, no. 4

1954

Book

"The 'Thinking' Machine"
Encounter, vol. III, no. 4 (no. 13), London, October 1954, pp. 25–31
Love letters generated on the Ferranti Mark 1, Manchester University, 1952

The Library

Description

In 1952, British programmer Christopher Strachey wrote a program for the Ferranti Mark 1 computer at Manchester University that composed love letters.

For each latter, the program filled out two simple sentence patterns with words chosen at random from Roget's Thesaurus. It signed each letter "M.U.C.," which stood for Manchester University Computer. The program could type out about one letter a minute and go hours without repeating itself.

In this essay, printed 2 years later, he describes the program, and includes two of the letters, "Darling Sweetheart" and "Honey Dear."

This is the earliest known printing of the letters, which are widely regarded as the first literary work produced by a digital computer.

Darling Sweetheart

You are my avid fellow feeling. My affection curiously clings to your passionate wish. My liking yearns for your heart. You are my wistful sympathy: my tender liking.

Yours beautifully

M. U. C.