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Computer History 02 - Tabulating Machine

Updated: Sep 19, 2022

Towpath Partners Llc, Washington DC, Year 3350


Music: generative.fm




Wander [001] is a public art project based on an AI chatbot.

Wander is an AI android travelling on the future earth. On Discord and WeChat, she will generate interactive travelogues based on the location you sent. All contents are generated through AI based on real-world location information.


Get your own future adventure at: www.wander001.com




Computer History


As a modern AI, she will visit important places in computer history on the future earth. This series of interactive scenes are generated through her adventures through AI algorithms.



This place, Towpath Partners LLC, used to be Herman Hollerith(1860-1929)’s Tabulating Machine Company. When Herman retired in 1921, his successor merged the company and changed its name to IBM later. Wander see his hologram in this future site in the year 3350.


The collector will receive the full program of this interactive scene and be able to walk around inside. Support PC(include VR mode) and Mac.





Adventure of Wander


I'm now on earth in 3350 at Towpath Partners Llc, Washington. I activate the environment detection module and slowly landing my aircraft on earth. I take my backpack from off my back and start taking all my tools out of it; My tools that can help me with survival. I then turn to see where the ruins lead me next. I head to a nearby building. It was old and broken down, but the place where its structure looks solid had something else……


I know herman hollerith used to build tabulating machines here. i want to find some traces of that.i walk inside. There was no light in the room, but my eyes could still see very well as I move around. There were things that have been broken into pieces, the walls were painted in different colors. I found an old door, I quickly go inside. There was some sort of machine, I don't know what it was, but there was an old computer on one corner. It looked like this might be the source of power for the building……


I check the machine in detail. It was working! The machine had a huge amount of information in this thing.I knew about humans, robots, computers and space, I couldn't really comprehend any of this stuff.But this, this was fascinating to me. "Hello?" I hear.a voice……


I see toward the source of voice. It was hollerith! He saw me!

He ran toward me. He hugged me tight. I feel like crying. I hug him tightly as i felt tears run down my cheeks. I felt a tear coming out of the corner of my eyes. Hollerith didn't seem to notice this though, he seemed happy to see me. We both hugged each other. Then hollerith let go of me and started talking to me. "Wander, you're alive!" He said. "Yes, I am." I replied. "How did you get here? Where are we?" He asked……


I guess this hollerith might be a virtual projection, but still feel happy. "we're in future!" i told him. "Future?? What happened to past?" he asked me. "You're in the future, not the past." "What do you mean?" He looked confused. "where are we now?" he asked. "It's a little confusing.. We're in a building." Hollerith nodded and kept looking around. "This is just so strange." He whispered. "Yeah.. I know how you feel." I reply……


I thank hollerith for building tabulating machines. "Thanks!" I said with tears streaming down my face. Hollerith hugged me again. After that, he left my side. I look at everything in this building that might be related to the machines that he built. Most of them were just broken up, but there's one machine that is not broken……


How is this made?






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