It’s not unusual to hear that a particular military technology has found its way into other applications, which then revolutionized our lives. From the imaging sensors that were refined to fly on spy satellites to advanced aerodynamics used on every modern jetliner, many of these ideas initially sounded like bad science fiction.
I had never heard of this.
I am mildly surprised SAGE is new to you It is a fascinating machine and all the history around it is quite amazing.
Yes, SAGE is incredibly well documented for something that was top secret. It’s also featured in many films and TV programs after it was decommissioned and dismantled. I believe that parts of it have been used in television series as new as Lost.
http://www.starringthecomputer.com/computer.html?c=73
I don’t suppose this is the worst place to say Gore Vidal’s “The United States of Amnesia” documentary is worth watching? It’s rather a long and slow one for people aclimatised to sugar crazed clickbait but speaks to the history and context of this contraption.