Man-Computer Symbiosis

I'm pretty sure Licklider went back into time (1960) after visiting the future (present day) and wrote this article.  The concept of man-computer symbiosis and the relationship the two have are exactly what occurred from what he wrote back 50 plus years ago.  Initially, while reading through this article, I did not understand why he was suggesting the future of man-computer symbiosis and the applications required to make it happen because everything he was suggesting has been discovered...then...I looked at when the article was written...then my jaw dropped in amazement.  The first concept that I found interesting was in section 4 of the reading.  Licklider wrote about the information-processing equipment and its part in converting hypotheses into testable models then testing the models against the data.  This function that the computer conducts would assist and streamline the operators goal in determining an outcome.  This allows the operator that would have had to spend hours of legwork to potentially find out that the hypothesis was useless, and be able to use that time effectively.  In addition, the computer can calculate various calculations instantly.  Another concept I found very interesting is the automatic speech production and recognition.  This function is very real today, but it still amazes me when I talk into my phone how it recognized and answers the question that I ask it.  The number of words in its vocabulary probably surpasses Lickliders 2000 word requirement, because now, word recognition not only understands regular English vocabulary and technical language, but also slang terms used in popular culture today.  The word recognition software has increased our ability to communicate efficiently  and has made it possible for disabled and the elderly to communicate effectively.